Experiences gained and lessons learned during IPM work. part 2

1)      Nation must have an emergency mitigation system with detailed contingency plan, emergency fund and other plant protection and pest surveillance tools to meet any pest emergency.

2)      Chemical pesticides must be used only as an emergency tool.

3)      Chemical pesticides are more harmful than pests hence they must be used judiciously

4)      Chemical pesticides are not being used but they are being misused.

5)      Calendar based and prophylactic use of chemical pesticides is neither needed nor useful for crop yield.

6)      All organisms found in the agro eco system are not harmful.

7)      Not all the pests must be controlled / managed. Control only those pests which don’t give us time to control them.

8)      A strong political and bureaucratic support, co-operation and co-ordination with states is essentially needed to implement IPM.

9)      Only on few occasions the crop failure was observed due to misuse of chemical pesticide and fertilizers.

10)   None of the chemical pesticide is safe to animals and human beings.

11)   Beyond plant protection IPM deals many things like –

·         Farmers livelihood

·         Community health

·         National and international aspects

·         Ecological aspects

·         Bio security including trade and health security

·         Economical and social aspects etc. 

Experiences Gained And Lesson Learned In Doing IPM Work part1

1) There is no separate policy of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) neither at central nor at state level . However IPM has been included in National Policy on Agriculture 2000, National policy On Farmers 2007, and document of 12th plan of planning commission . There is an urgent need to have a separate policy on IPM both at Central and State level . We also must have legislation for conservation of beneficial organisms found in Agro Eco System which are being killed deliberately due to indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides .

2) IPM is a Plant Protection  with due care of human and animal health , environment , Eco system ,
    bio-diversity , bio-security including food and trade security.

3) Food security and food safety  must go simultaneously . We need to have second Green Revolution with quality revolution also.

4) IPM system is a total crop health management system while doing crop cultivation . On each    occasion the crop is being cultivated for a particular purpose by way of adopting  particular package
  of practices . IPM is a set of different practices of crop health management including pest     Management . Even thinking  about what crop is to be grown in particular time , what variety should be grown ,when it should be grown , how much seed will be  needed are the practices of IPM.

The crop yield is influenced by the both bio-tic and abio-tic factors of an Agro Eco System . Hence we have to manage both bio-tic and abio-tic factors for doing IPM.

5) Non availability of IPM inputs at door steps of farmers is the main constraint for implimantation of    IPM