Impact of integrated pest management on food and horticultural crops in Africa

Abstract

In sustainable agricultural development, integrated pest management (IPM) can play a key role in the reduction of crop losses, thereby increasing productivity while minimizing environmental contamination and health hazards. In recent years, agricultural research and development partners have pioneered outstanding contributions in IPM, notably in varietal resistance against pests, biological control of alien invasive species, substitution of inorganic pesticides with biopesticides, new export market opportunities, and new tools in biotechnology. Success stories are not limited to these areas, but are also found in the areas of human capital development, information management, and participatory approaches. The potential of IPM to contribute to poverty alleviation and food security is, however, poorly realized in Africa due to a myriad of factors, including inadequate deployment of high-yielding crop varieties, harmful pesticide regimes, political instability, conflicts in social values and civil wars, inappropriate agricultural policies, biased global trade policies, lack of market information, and poor rural infrastructures. Few African countries have adopted IPM as the official national crop protection policy and there is no framework for resource allocation to support widespread promotion of research and training in IPM. This calls for reshaping and revisiting a number of policies related to food production and agricultural development, in order to encourage partnership and participation in the identification, analysis, advocacy, and follow-up of agricultural policy issues as well as public awareness of the effect of pests and diseases on food security and the environment.

Sex Pheromones and Their Impact on Pest Management

“…Many of our top agricultural pests instead have been created by the use of pesticides that often have a stronger effect on natural antagonists than on the target species, and also because of widespread insecticide resistance (Pimentel et al 1992;Elzen and Hardee 2003;Oerke 2006). This is particularly relevant in developing countries, where agricultural production must be increased to feed the population (Thrupp 2000;Pretty et al 2003;Nwilene et al 2008).…”

Facilitated discussions increase learning gains from dialectically localized animated educational videos in Niger

“…Research into farmers' perceptions and knowledge around pests and forms of pest control meant to increase crop production (Nwilene, Nwanze, & Youdeowei, 2008) has found that despite the economic, environmental, personal, and social disadvantages of synthetic pesticides (Ahouangninou et al, 2012;Ajayi, Akinnifesi, & Sileshi, 2011;Williamson, Ball, & Pretty, 2008), farmers can often perceive them as the most reliable approach for controlling pests -seeing them as either more effective than alternatives, as the only option available, or simply a last resort, even as they may fail to be adequately effective anyway (Jensen, 2000;Toda & Morishita, 2009). As our current study found, for instance, even when farmers are aware of a more cost-effective and less harmful alternative IPM pesticide, they can still remain reluctant to use it.…”

Pesticides in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) : a scoping study of current and future use, associated risks and identification of actions for risk mitigation

“…Nwilene et al (2008) reviewed the impact of integrated pest management on food and horticultural crops in Africa and described several successes such as biological and varietal approaches to pest management, human capital development and farmer field schools. Despite these successes they conclude, however, that the potential of IPM in Africa is still poorly realised.…”