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.