Few wrong concepts among farmers about IPM

            Agriculture is the Science which is invented by the scientists but practiced by the farmers. While practicing certain right or wrong concepts are emerged which became faith among the farmers.

            Pesticides have become one of the main tools for crop protection programme and also helped us to bring Green Revolution for growing more food. Certain wrong concepts are as under. –

1.      The farmers have become accustom with the use of pesticides.

2.      They are in opinion that the pesticides are only panacea for pest management.

3.      They apply pesticides indiscriminately without assessing their needs and their bad impacts on bio-security/biodiversity and environment.

4.      The farmers are also in opinion that all the organisms found in the agro-eco-system are harmful i.e. pests whereas most of the organisms found in agro-eco-system are useful. They must be conserved while doing pest management.

5.      They are also in opinion that the pesticides are helpful to enhance the yield the crop, so they adopt pesticides application indiscriminately.

6.      They are also using chemical pesticides as preventive measures wherever they are not needed.

7.      They are also in opinion that pests are only factors response to reduce the crop yield but there are certain abiotic factors also contributing to reduce the crop yield.  

8.      Most of the farmers do not assess the need of application of chemical pesticides. They do not wait for attaining the pest production upto ETL. They do not have patience to wait. They think that if they will not apply pesticides on their crops then the crops will be damaged with pests. The agriculture is quite risky occupation and the livelihood of the farmers and also other people depend upon agriculture or food production.   

9.      We have to findout the wrong concepts created among farmers and empowered the farmers to adopt correct Good Agricultural Practices to Grow More Food with minimum expenditure and least disturbance to the environment because the farmers to not consider the impact of pesticides on our health and environment.

10.  We must empower the farmers to Grow More Food to Grow Safe Food. If we really want to enhance our agriculture export for which we have to grow the crops at-par with international standard.

11.  The pesticides must be applied not only to kill the pests but also to save the biodiversity, human and animal health and environment. The pesticides should be used but not to be misused.

12.  Right pesticides must be applied on right crop against right pests at right time, with right dose and right method as recommended in the label claims of CIB&RC.

13.  Earlier the pests were considered as potential threat to bio-security but now the pesticides have become main threat for bio-security which include food, trade, health and environmental security.

14.  Several cultural practices which are ignored in Plant health Management programme must be promoted and made accountable and responsible for it.

15.  The chemical based agriculture must be shifted to non chemical/biological based agriculture for which the bio pesticides must be made available to the farmers at their doorsteps, which is one of the main constraints for Implementations of IPM.  

16.  Farmers safety must be ensured while doing pesticide application in the fields.

17.  Excess of everything is bad hence excess of chemical is also bad for our agriculture. Use chemical lastly and safely to produce safe food.

18.  Let us integrate the mindsets of policy makers, Beauracrates, Scientists, Extension workers farmers, Farm laborers and common men and evolve a common consensus that pesticides are harmful. They are poisoning the health of our children, animals and having several health problems and their use must be reduced as extent as possible. Chemical pesticides must be replaced with bio pesticides.

19.  Let us make IPM for the farmers, of the farmers and by the farmers. Make the farmers competent to produce safe food by way of using eco-friendly approaches of pest management.          

Krishi Vasant- 2014

To celebrate farmers’ great contribution to our economy, Krishi Vasant, 2014 was organised as a large congregation of farmers and other stake-holders from the entire country. Millions of farmers and others reached out through web-cast at District/Block level and telecast of the event in regional languages. It was a joint effort of the Government of India and Government of Maharashtra in the vibrant city of Nagpur located in the heart of India. Unique features of the event also include more than 300 live demonstrations of different crops, animals, birds & fish and intensive interactions between farmers & scientists in regional languages.

Directorate of Plant Protection & Storage have also conducted a field demonstration on Agro Eco-System Analysis (AESA) ecological engineering on Cole crops. Beside this Dte. has also put a stall showing various activities of the Dte. of PPQ&S.with especial emphasis on live demonstration of bio-control agents and bio-pesticides under the dynamic leadership of Dr. S. N. Sushil, Plant Protection Adviser and Ram Asre, Addl. Plant Protection Adviser. The farmers and other visitors visited the stall.  The glimpse of different activities of Dte. of  PPQ&S are placed here:

Few Issues related with INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM)

1.     To way forward from Grow more Food to Grow Safe food.

2.     Pesticides are more harmful than pests.

3.     Lot of ill effects of chemical pesticides has been reported due to indiscriminate use       of these pesticides.

4.     Considering the ill effects of pesticides we have to convey right message among            people  as pesticides have entered in our body through food chain in form of                pesticide residue.

5.     MPRNL schemes results shares only 3% samples are formed having pesticide                residue above MRL.

6.     Only 2.5% pesticides samples are formed spurious.

7.     Quality of bio pesticides is a big challenge.

8.      Farmer’s safety must be ensured.

9.     Production of bio pesticides is also an important issue for which we have to simplify      the methods of production of bio pesticides so that the farmers can produce bio            pesticides at their door steps for which IPM Seva Kendras may be developed.
10   We have to promote certain traditional non chemical methods to avoid indiscriminate      use of chemical pesticide.

    11.  Farmers are not Entomologist or Pathologists but they have lot of experience of            crop production and protection. Only the wrong pesticides adopted by the farmers        must be identified and they must be trained about the alternatives of such practices.

12. Farmers are handling poisonous chemicals without using safety devices which leads     certain occupational problems. Hence farmers safety must be taken care off. The           pesticides companies producing chemical pesticides must provide certain safety           gadgets along with the pesticides containers.

13.Unnecessary spraying/use of pesticides must be avoided and we must ensure                 production of safe agri products.  
14. No practice is recommending the over use of Chemical pesticides and fertilizers. But      the farmers are using these both the chemicals indiscriminately & injudiciously.  
15. The farmers are not using the chemical pesticides as per the recommendation given        by the CIB&RC i.e right pesticides on right crops against right pests at right time          with right dose and right methods.
16. Mix use of several pesticides is also used by the farmers.
17. IPM and INM must be done simultaneously as per need based manner.   
18.   If the pesticides will be used as per the recommendations given by the CIB&RC,          they will not be harmful.
18.   Food security and food safety should go side by side to ensure safe and sufficient        food to every growing human and cattle population.
19. We do not have method to detect pesticides residue at farm gate or market level.
 20.We must take care of health of ourselves, soil health while growing/producing the           food.