Vegetable IPM

The past decade has seen a movement of people from rural to urban environments in Asia and, indeed, in most developing countries. The migration is fuelled by the increased economic opportunities offered by an urban lifestyle. Improvements in the economic status of urban populations have resulted in an increased demand for a wider diversity of foodstuffs and in particular high quality vegetables. To meet this demand smallholder, peri-urban, vegetable production has expanded rapidly. This production provides nutrition, income and employment and in some cases generates foreign exchange through exports to other countries. Currently such vegetable farmers rely mainly on pesticides to control a wide range of devastating pests and diseases - a strategy which, unless they are used wisely, threatens the health of smallholders and the peri-urban ecosystems on which they depend.

 Pesticides can be valuable tools in crop production, but unfortunately they are often used irresponsibly, causing hazards to producers, consumers and the environment. In addition, they can exacerbate pest and disease problems by inducing resistance and suppressing the natural enemies which exert natural biological control.

 This course aims to promote an integration of appropriate chemical, cultural, genetic and biological technologies into an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy for vegetable crop protection. Adoption of this approach will empower farmers with effective pest and disease management methods and reduce reliance on synthetic pesticides, resulting in more sustainable vegetable production with higher yields of safer produce.

Course Objectives

The Vegetable IPM course is designed to improve participants' knowledge and skills related to vegetable IPM. It builds on the course entitled Introduction to IPM and uses an approach based on case studies to investigate the specifics of IPM in vegetables.

With the knowledge of vegetable IPM gained in this course, agricultural professionals will develop a better understanding of:

• Some of the most effective ways to prevent pests from becoming a problem and therefore minimize or eliminate the need for costly interventions later on.
• How to identify the causes and severity of vegetable pest problems so that the most appropriate actions can be taken.
• The various interventions that have been shown to be effective in controlling vegetable pests.
• How to develop a potential solution to a serious pest problem for a specific country or region and the various methods that can be used to promote its adoption. The importance of farmer experimentation in this process will be highlighted.

The course can be used as either a reference tool or as part of a structured learning exercise. It is a resource which contains information and links to other sources of information on vegetable IPM.

Modules & Downloads

There are five modules in the Vegetable IPM course:

• Module 1 - Local Pest & Disease Problems
• Module 2 - An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure
• Module 3 - Look Before You Leap
• Module 4 - "He who hesitates is lost" - Taking action against pests
• Module 5 - Promoting Vegetable IPM Among Farmers

There are also a number of resources available for download:

• Natural Enemies
• Using Pesticides Selectively
• Insect Life Cycles
• Insect Zoos
• Nematode Control
• Example Scouting Form
• Information on How Pesticide Toxicity is Described
• Calibration of Sprayers
• V-Lance Guide
• Glossary of Terms

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