Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is the careful consideration of all available pest control techniques and subsequent integration of appropriate measures that discourage the development of pest populations and keep pesticides and other interventions to levels that are economically justified and reduce or minimise risks to human health and the environment, focusing on all practical options for reducing or eliminating pesticides. The practice of IPM for crop protection is widely encouraged, as the practice can enhance crop production and reduce risks associated with use, storage and management of pesticides. The integrated nature of this approach ensures that it is climate smart, as it utilises the best possible options to ensure sustainable productivity, which will in turn allow adaptation to climate change. However, as it may require the use of pesticides as one strategy, the climate-smartness may be affected.
To effectively leverage integrated pest management:
- Step 1: Identify damage and responsible pest. Regular crop monitoring is important, to ensure early identification. Bottle traps are useful for capturing samples to examine and identify a pest.
- Step 2: Learn about the pest and host life cycle and biology.
- Step 3: Monitor or sample environment for pest population.
- Step 4: Establish action threshold. If aiming to tackle weed infestation, intervention must occur before the weed matures and begins spreading seeds. Some thresholds are high. For example, if dealing with caterpillars, soya beans can tolerate a certain level of defoliation without it impacting crop yield.
- Step 5: Identify IPM response tactics.
- Cultural methods –planting crops that are adapted or suited to conditions and responding to their water, nutrient and shelter needs.
- Physical methods – mechanical weeding, such as mechanical weeding or using organic or plastic mulch to cover the ground to reduce weed presence/success.
- Genetic methods – selecting modified or adapted pest-resistant varieties.
- Biological methods – using natural predators, push-pull approaches, intercropping, etc. and use of use of organic pesticides.
- Chemical methods – considering all levels of toxicity – from pheromone deterrents to conventional pesticides.
- Step 6: monitoring for ongoing efficacy, and adjustment of tactics where relevant/necessary. Aiming at all times to use chemical pesticides rationally and as a very last resort.
In the cases where chemical pesticides are used as part of an IPM strategy, the Agri-Intel website is an invaluable resource, which provides detailed chemical management advice: https://www.agri-intel.com.
- CGIAR, 2017. Climate-Smart Pest Management: Implementation guidance for policymakers and investors.
- The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 2019. AGP – Integrated Pest Management. Rome, Italy.
- The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 2014. Environmental and Social Management Guideline, Pest and Pesticides Management. Rome, Italy.
- The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 2017. Family Framing Knowledge Platform-How to make natural pesticide. Rome, Italy.
- The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 1992. Towards integrated commodity and pest management in grain storage. Rome, Italy.
- Heeb, L, Jenner, E, Cock, MJW. 2018. Climate‐smart pest management: building resilience of farms and landscapes to changing pest threats. Journal of Pest Science (2019) 92:951–969.
- PennState Extension 2011. Steps of Integrated Pest Management. Pennsylvia State University.
Benefits
- IPM is the agricultural practice of combining several practices to maximise benefits.
- Pesticides are used following the safety information given on the packaging, when other approaches are not effective
