Plant Protection

The increasing intensification of agriculture has led to an increased susceptibility of crop production to pests. Agricultural practices such as multiple crops per growing season, shortening fallow periods and monocultures all have helped to create conditions for pest outbreaks and to reduce natural checks on such events. Also, some of the earlier modern varieties of the Green Revolution were often more susceptible to pest damage than the traditional varieties.

It is well known that pests may become resistant to pesticides, resulting in increased but less effective usage of pesticides. New pesticides therefore need to be developed continuously. Inappropriate choices of insecticides may disrupt the pest-natural enemy balance by being more deadly for the natural enemy than for the pests themselves, thus upsetting natural control mechanisms. The perception by farmers and extension services of yield losses due to pests are often higher than actual losses. This, together with the desire to reduce risks, induces the farmer to use large quantities of pesticides that have only marginal or no benefits in terms of yield gains or may even induce pest outbreaks.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) makes food production intensification more sustainable, and is the most widely practised means of establishing farmers' field schools to implement other components of food security. National IPM programmes involve policy reforms that make the agricultural sector more competitive by encouraging abolition of unproductive subsidies and promoting human resources development. In addition to optimizing progress towards plant protection goals, IPM is a leading example of knowledge and science-based agricultural practices. FAO supports the identification, analysis and enhancement of critical agro-ecological processes, particularly in relation to plant protection based on local decision-making and to facilitate related policy and institutional changes.

Assistance is also given to emergency response to migratory pests under the Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases (EMPRES), international regulatory facilitation for pesticide management (e.g. the Prior Informed Consent procedure) and strengthening national phytosanitary capabilities under the International Plant Protection Convention, to protect crops from field to market.

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