Pesticide policy and integrated pest management.

Abstract

This chapter outlines the rationale and importance of policy analysis for designing rational decision making in crop protection. The first section describes the most important trends in crop protection that shape the current policy agenda and exert pressure to change the pro-pesticide bias. The second section focuses on efforts in achieving stakeholder concensus on policy change.

Needs-based decision-making for cotton problems in Africa: A response to Hillocks

“…External costs of pesticide use are rarely factored into the equation for policy-making or programme design at donor, government or sectoral levels and may be severely underestimated (Fleischer and Waibel 2003;Pretty and Waibel 2005). Our crude estimates of health externalities reported by cotton farmers in Northern Ghana indicated that regular ill health after application of cotton insecticides could amount to up to US$88 per season per farmer in terms of days off work and treatment costs (Williamson 2005).…”

Reducing pesticide risks to farming communities: cotton farmer field schools in Mali

“…As it was with Asian rice during the Green revolution, credit programmes for cotton farmers in many countries, notably Benin, Ivory Coast and Mali, obliged participating farmers to purchase certain types and quantities of pesticides [15]. …”

“…The FFS approach developed as a response to widespread outbreaks of the brown planthopper (BPH; Nilaparvata lugens Stal) in irrigated rice [ 12 – 14 ]. As part of the Green revolution, credit for farmers was linked to obligate purchases of inputs, including pesticides [ 15 ]. Extension efforts associated with the Green revolution recommended farmers use calendar-based applications of broad-spectrum insecticides.…”

“…The cotton sector in West Africa shows parallels with the production systems in Asia in that it has similarly been subject to top-down extension efforts that promoted calendar-based intensive applications of hazardous insecticides. As it was with Asian rice during the Green revolution, credit programmes for cotton farmers in many countries, notably Benin, Ivory Coast and Mali, obliged participating farmers to purchase certain types and quantities of pesticides [ 15 ].…”