Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Several farms in a region (area-wide pest
management)
These practices, if well implemented, result in
systems that are:
approaches for these crops use an average of
30 % less fossil energy (Pimentel et al.
2005
).
Although this can cause a slight drop in produc-
tive performance, the risk of losing an entire crop
is reduced dramatically.
There are also reports that production levels
have increased when there has been a reduction
in the use of pesticides. This is the case when
there are specifi c controllers for a determined
pest, for example, in West Africa the introduction
of the wasp has been a spectacular control of the
slug of cassava, thus saving the staple food crop
for millions of Africans.
Self-regulating,
maintaining
populations
of
pests within acceptable boundaries
Self-suffi cient, with minimal need for “reac-
tive” interventions
Resistant to stresses such as drought, soil
compaction, and pest invasions
Capable of recuperating from stresses
Worldwide public attention has been focused
on the importance of EPM since the United
Nations Conference on Environment and
Development held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992.
The blueprint for action prepared by the
Conference (Agenda 21) recognized pesticide
pollution as a major threat to human health and
the environment worldwide and identifi ed IPM as
a key element in sustainable agricultural
development.
Pesticide consumption in India has increased
over time, and its injudicious use has created
problems like development of resistant strains in
insects and plant pathogens; resurgence of pest
species; direct exposure to the applicator; destruc-
tion of parasites, predators, and other benefi cial
organisms; and accumulation of pesticide resi-
dues in agricultural commodities, water, air and
soil, etc. Pesticide residues in feed and water
affect livestock health due to direct and indirect
exposure in the course of pest control measures.
Strategies suggested under this intervention have
to primarily focus on the establishment of deci-
sion and information support systems for pest
and disease surveillance, demonstration of best
practices, and quick response mechanism that are
at par with the norms to deal with other disasters
or natural calamities.
12.5.6 Disadvantages
There are very strong pests for which the “bio-
logical control” has not yet been identifi ed (i.e.,
an insect that destroys it). When these pests
emerge, it is common for producers to turn to
pesticides. EPM is not easy to implement and
requires substantial knowledge and monitoring
for the combined components of the system to
produce success. Perhaps the biggest drawback
to the EPM approach is that biological control
is not a “quick fi x.” In most cases, biological
control will take several years to successfully
establish a population and begin making a sig-
nifi cant contribution. In addition, no single bio-
logical control works in every situation. A
control that works well in one soil type, for
example, may not work at all in another soil
type. In the long run, more than one type of bio-
logical control may have to be used to achieve
uniform control across a variety of different
situations and land types.
12.5.7 Interventions
12.5.5 Advantages
12.5.7.1 Research and Development
Providing site-specifi c weather data to help
researchers run predictive pest models and for
farmers to make informed decisions on pest
management.
Research on pest/insect-crop-weather inter-
actions for developing simple operational and
With the EPM approach, farmers can avoid the
costs of pesticides as well as the fuel, equipment,
and labor used to apply them. A 22-year trial
comparing conventional and organic corn/soy-
bean systems found that organic farming
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