Let’s understand Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

1.    Each and every stakeholder associated with Integrated Pest Management (IPM) understood it in their own ways, choice and the interest of their work in which they are involved leaving behind the actual objectives of IPM which are expected with IPM.

2.    The main objective of IPM is to produce bumper and safe harvest with minimum expenditure and least disturbance to environment and eco-system. The mind-sets of different stake holders are not integrated so far to achieve these objectives.

3.    IPM is not a single method of pest management but it is a set of different management practices to maintain pest population below economic threshold level by adopting affordable, feasible and acceptable “Good Agricultural Practices” aiming chemical methods as last resort as no single methods is useful for this purpose.

4.  IPM is total crop health management system based on certain ecological, physiological, sociological and economical parameters.

5.    Any intervention and practice which is involved for the production of bumper and safe crop harvest comes under integrated pest management because it is also associated with crop health and management of pest population.

6.    As described above that IPM is understood by various stake holders in different ways as in a story of six blind men holding different body parts of an elephant like tail, leg, body, ear, trunk, and tusks thinking that an elephant is like a rope, pole, wall, fan, snake and spears respectively but an elephant is not like a single body part as understood by them, it is a big animal having these body parts. So, IPM is not a single component of pest management but it’s a complete package of crop production system because each and every practice of crop production system is closely related with pest management also.

7.    Now a days, Certain components of IPM are misused and some very important components are ignored. Let us understand the priority and importance of different components to promote them as per the scientific needs keeping in view of Bio-security threats and environmental and ecological safety.

8.    Let us understand the ground reality i.e., Farmers and environmental need first and make IPM strategy better suited with ecosystem, environment, farmers need and safe to human, cattle and wild life health.

9.    Let us think how we can provide safe food, fresh air and fresh drinking water to our countrymen and safe fodder to cattle and animals through implementation of IPM.

10. Let us think beyond our interest and think about humanity, nature and environment before implementing IPM.