What is being done to reduce pesticides?
Integrated Crop Management
Integrated Crop Management (ICM) is an approach that attempts to reduce the use of pesticides.
Traditionally, pesticides have been applied to crops. Integrated crop management systems question when a pesticide is necessary and whether an alternative approach might be used.
Integrated Crop Management (ICM) aims at conserving and enhancing the natural environment, while producing safe food economically. It is based on an understanding of the biological and ecological interactions within farming systems.
The basic principles of ICM include:
- Minimising reliance on inputs, such as fertilisers and pesticides, by actively considering alternatives such as crop variety, influencing growing conditions and biological controls
- Maintaining appropriate management of soil and its fertility
- Minimising pollution of water, air and soil
- Maintaining and improving ecological diversity and wildlife habitats
By careful choice of site, soil type/variety, time of planting and harvesting, crop rotations to balance soil nutrients and reduce pests and disease, and developing habitats which encourage natural pest predators, the need for pesticides is reduced.
Pesticides are still needed if natural enemies fail to give adequate control but, by careful selection, a pesticide can be chosen which will have the maximum effect on the pest and the minimum effect on the environment and beneficial insects, such as ladybirds.
In addition to farms embracing these systems, there are also assurance systems that set standards to ensure that the crops meet legal and quality requirements. Produce grown using responsible systems such as these can be identified by the little red tractor logo of the British Farm Standard http://www.redtractor.org.uk. But farmers need to be helped to improve the standards, and use even less pesticide which is more benign to the environment.
What more can be done?
Agrochemical companies can help too, by being more open about individual pesticides. This will enable farmers to make more informed choices, and compare the performance of different pesticides from different companies. Growers also need to have greater access to how quickly residues reduce after a pesticide has been applied (degradation curves).
Some companies are very good and provide environmental data sheets, others are not.
There is a general lack of information about the efficacy of different dose rates. If agrochemical companies published this information it would help in selecting pesticides, minimise residue in food, and reduce environmental impact.
Organic pesticides