Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Wisconsin ranks third in potato production, but far behind Idaho and
Washington. Could Wisconsin growers make environmental stewardship
an opportunity for adding value to their crop? Could the WWF bring
positive attention to such an initiative? The WWF was interested in help-
ing environmentally responsible growers, but was understandably
cautious about using conferring legitimacy on any activity associated
with pesticides. The WWF was not content only to help the environmen-
tally oriented growers; it also wanted to facilitate pollution prevention
by all growers, including those using the most pesticides. The challenge
became creating incentives to keep all growers moving along the contin-
uum—so that average growers progressed toward biointensive IPM
practices—while continuing to identify new, innovative practices.
In 1996, the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association and
the World Wildlife Fund drafted a memorandum of understanding, set-
ting targets for eliminating certain pesticides, but also goals for the entire
association of growers. Sarah Lynch from the WWF became the project
manager, and the partnership engaged the services of Chuck Benbrook to
provide technical support and analysis. He had developed the “IPM con-
tinuum” framework. Because Integrated Pest Management is a process
or an approach to controlling pests, most growers and agricultural
organizations claim to be using it. Informed by agroecological principles,
Benbrook distinguishes between low IPM (merely scouting the presence
of pests), high IPM (using a variety of preventative tactics), and biointen-
sive or bioIPM (which uses biological strategies whenever possible).
2
The
partners agreed to
set ambitious goals and timetables for measurable bioIPM adoption and
pesticide use,
promote research and extension emphasizing alternative practices,
create indicators for measuring progress in eliminating the most haz-
ardous pesticides and adopting alternative practices (including “reduced
risk” pesticides),
collaborate to develop opportunities to add value to potatoes grown
with bioIPM,
and
develop strategies for enhancing biodiversity.
3
University of Wisconsin extensionists and the association worked with
small groups of progressive growers to develop alternatives, and then
