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Pesticides and inorganic fertilizers have got us into a situation where
farming looks like a 19th-century smokestack industry.
Jim Orson, (Director of the farmer-supported Morley Research Station,
Norfolk, UK) New Scientist 17 Jan '98 p.18.
In many countries in Europe, Integrated Crop Management is the phrase on
the lips of leading agriculturists as they debate the best way forward for
their business into the new Millennium. They are very aware of the many
demands being made on farming by the various campaign groups, by the media,
by politicians and by governments. They know they must respond to the
consumers' desire for reliable harvests of healthful food at affordable
prices. At the same time they must take account of the demands for a
flourishing countryside, rich in wildlife and free from pollution from an
energy and waste-efficient farming. Above all in their minds is the need to
remain profitable.
Richard Trow-Smith, (British Agrochemicals Association Ltd.) Courier
Agrochem Extra - Special Issue 1997 p.12.
"I think what we've seen,
within the agricultural community, is a ground swell of concern towards
care for the environment. We have to understand that the food industry is a
global market and we will be extending plans for biodiversity across all
quarters of the world that supply us with fruit and vegetables. Six years
ago a policy of integrated crop management was started, which combines more
of the organic side of crop production to reduce the impact, and to reduce
the volume and range, of pesticides that are used on the land of our
suppliers. Over the last few years we've tried to ensure that this is a
dynamic approach in our care of the environment through biodiversity."
Geoff Spriegel, Technical Director, Sainsbury's - The Farming World,
BBC World Service.
IPM is not a new concept, nor one which is easy to put into practice.
Adaptation to specific local conditions and a high level of knowledge are
generally considered to be essential prerequisites. And, despite all the
definitions that have been given, IPM is not something static either, but
is constantly developing.
Huub A.I. Stoetzer (International Agricultural Centre, Wageningen,
Netherlands) Courier Agrochem Extra - Special Issue 1997 p.7.
We are all aware that the world population is rapidly growing and will
reach ca. 8 billion in the year 2025. The actual global area of
agricultural lands is approximately 1.5 bio ha. Because of ecological
reasons the extension of the present area under agricultural production has
to be strictly avoided in order to protect tropical forests and other
natural and vulnerable habitats. The consequence from these simple facts is
that we must double food production on less agricultural land in the next
twenty years. Therefore the call for extensification of agriculture in
countries of comfortable surpluses is irresponsible if the global situation
is considered. Feeding the people of the world will require even more
intensive agriculture.
Dr. Jochen Wulff, (Bayer AG), "Technological Opportunities for
Sustainable Agricultural Development".
Using state of the art equipment and knowledge, 30 to 50 % of the
pesticides actually sprayed in agriculture could be saved immediately
without any change in the pest control concepts. In many countries the only
specialists offering advice to farmers on application technology, handling
and calibration of their equipment are the representatives of pesticide
companies. Many farmers still believe that the use of high volumes, high
pressures and high doses, is the most appropriate way to apply pesticides.
Theodore Friedrich, FAO Agricultural Engineering Branch quoted in
'Application in Asia'. Pesticides News 38 Dec.'97.
The IPM approach is not about using synthetic products last of all, but
about weighing all available methods against each other and applying the
most suitable one at the appropriate time.
Dr Silvia Dorn, Prof. of Applied Entomology, (Swiss Federal Institute
of Technology) Courier Agrochem Extra - Special Issue 1997 p.6.
Most farmers in the Philippines have not received formal training prior
to their first contact with pesticides or application equipment. The state
of equipment and lack of training led to the conclusion that applicators
face a high level of pesticide exposure, particularly dermal (skin).
FAO Report on Safe and Efficient Application of Agrochemicals and
Bioproducts quoted in "Application in Asia". Pesticides News 38
Dec.'97.
"When a plant becomes
infected with pests or disease this tells us that we have done something
wrong in the management of that crop. We like to treat pests and diseases
not as problems but as teachers to show us exactly where we have gone
wrong. If we cure the root cause of the problem then the pests and diseases
will not come again. The insect infested plants and disease attacked plants
here are very, very low - less than 2%. So pesticides are not necessary to
kill them as all our activities here are preventative."
Monitosh Howlader, Bangladesh NGO, Proshika, The Farming World, BBC
World Service.
Many people in industrialized countries do not understand the reality of
agriculture. There is a widely accepted belief that 'high-yielding' or
'intensive agriculture' is not sustainable and produces food that is
harmful to the consumer. The reason for this attitude towards agriculture
is probably due to the fact that the majority of people cannot assess the
economic values and benefits of modern agriculture. In other words, they
are unable to balance risks and benefits properly.
Dr. Jochen Wulff, (Bayer AG), "Technological Opportunities for
Sustainable Agricultural Development".
Most governments are well aware that estimated world-wide crop losses
are still 35%. This is why they support the numerous institutions concerned
with research, advisory activity, and training in the area of crop
protection.
Huub A.I. Stoetzer (International Agricultural Centre, Wageningen,
Netherlands) Courier Agrochem Extra - Special Issue 1997 p.7.
"The problem of resistance
has been with us as long as we've had mechanisms to control pests and
diseases, particularly in relation to using chemicals but now also in
relation to using genes in biotechnology. When you have a way of
controlling a pest, it in turn starts to look at ways of resisting that
control."
Professor Ben Miflin, Director, IACR-Rothamsted, UK), The
Farming World, BBC World Service.
A survey of pesticide application equipment owned by rice farmers in the
Muda area of Malaysia found many shortcomings. In terms of functional
performance, 44% had an efficiency of less than 75%. Lack of training,
improper maintenance of spraying equipment and insufficient protective
clothing are contributing to the poisoning of the spray operators with
pesticides. Pesticide residues found in water were primarily due to excess
pesticide use by farmers.
FAO Report on Safe and Efficient Application of Agrochemicals and
Bioproducts quoted in "Application in Asia". Pesticides News 38
Dec.'97.
In today's agriculture crop protection products (CPPs) play an essential
role. Oerke et al. surveyed the yield of the eight most important
world crops in different regions. They concluded, that with today's level
of crop protection, only 58% of available crop yields are obtained, 42% are
still lost to diseases, insects and weeds, which could have been saved if
optimal crop protection measures were taken.
Dr. Jochen Wulff, (Bayer AG), "Technological Opportunities for
Sustainable Agricultural Development".
"Use of pesticides on farms
in Africa, Asia and Latin America in growing flowers for export is exposing
workers to unsafe working conditions and dangerous chemicals resulting in
blindness, vomiting, respiratory problems, skin complaints and miscarriages
in pregnant women. Most of these health problems are avoidable providing
that proper safety procedures are followed including the wearing of
protective clothing and not working with plants that have just been
fumigated. Most of the manufacturer's recommendations continue to be
ignored. Other health problems are caused by use of chemicals that are
banned but continue to be used, even when less toxic alternatives are
available."
The Farming World, BBC World Service quoting ICFTU report
(International Confederation of Free Trade Unions) May '97.
India reported that hundreds of people die due to food poisoning each
year. A survey of pesticide residues in food samples collected in 12 states
found residues in 85% of samples, with 43% above the recommended doses - a
possible indication that pesticides have not been used correctly.
FAO Report on Safe and Efficient Application of Agrochemicals and
Bioproducts quoted in "Application in Asia". Pesticides News 38
Dec.'97.
"More farmers are aware that
resistance to pesticides is an issue and that it is something that must be
confronted. The important thing now is that there a number of new selective
pesticides that are extremely useful and it's important that the same
mistakes aren't made with these new pesticides as have been made with the
old ones in the past. This means using them more wisely in a targeted and
appropriate manner. It also means using them within a resistance management
programme which might mean rotating different classes of chemistry so that
any one class of chemistry isn't repeatedly used to avoid resistance to
that class building up in the future."
Dr Matthew Cahill, (IACR-Rothamsted, UK) - The Farming World, BBC World
Service.
In conservation tillage, herbicides take over the role of ploughing and
harrowing. Only these chemicals make this environmentally-friendly method
possible. In vulnerable areas in the USA, conservation tillage has reduced
erosion by up to 95%. This technique has also been used with success in
Brazil and Argentina, both on small and large farms threatened by erosion.
Conservation tillage is estimated to increase the soil's organic content by
3-4% per decade. This contributes to a continuous improvement in soil
fertility.
Dr. Jochen Wulff, (Bayer AG), Technological Opportunities for
Sustainable Agricultural Development p.7.
"Resistance to propanil in
jungle rice (Echnonchloa colona) is an increasing problem in Costa
Rica. Alternative experimental strategies to combat the problem include the
use of synergists - chemicals which, when mixed with pesticides, boost
their effectiveness. The amount of propanil can be halved when used with
synergists in field experiments."
Dr Bernal Valverde, (CATIE, Costa Rica) - The Farming
World, BBC World Service.
A recent farming 'success' at the Rodale Institute achieved
grain-equivalent yields from organic farming that were 21% lower, and
required 42% more labour. If the whole world were to accept a 21% cut in
its current grain yields, it would take an additional 147 million hectares
of land to grow our current grain crops. That's 558,000 square miles,
nearly equal to the total land area of Great Britain, Germany, France,
Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy. The public has been told the
organic approach is "kinder to the environment". The public has
not been told that its low yields would force us to destroy
millions of square miles of additional wildlands.
D.T.Avery, (Director of Global Food Issues, Hudson Inst, Indianapolis,
IN, USA) "Saving the planet with pesticides, biotechnology and
European farm reform", BCPC Conference, Brighton, UK Nov. '97.
The high tech solution is to increase productivity of remaining land by
pumping the ground full of chemical fertilizers and using machines to
plough up compacted soil. Such methods, with fungicides and pesticides
thrown in, have so far managed to feed most of the world's population, but
not without enormous environmental and financial costs. No more than a
quick fix that puts back nothing into the soil, these cannot continue
indefinitely.
Meg Gordon quoting Stuart Pimm, (University of Tennessee, Knoxville,
USA) New Scientist 17 Jan '98 p.30. 
"Crop protection is both a
challenging and rewarding business. Our products, services and technologies
are among the most important tools used to achieve sustainability in
agricultural production."
Wolfgang Samo, (Head of Agribusiness Division, Novartis Crop
Protection), Carta Nova, The Charter of Novartis Crop Protection, February
1997.
It should be noted that the chemical industry is also working
intensively to develop a range of products which meets present day
requirements. Improved safety and environmental tolerability are being
achieved through the use of less toxic products which work in new ways and
act more specifically in the pest organism, have lower application rates,
and come in better packaging.
Candida B. Adalla (Department of Entomology, Los Baños
University, Philippines) Courier Agrochem Extra - Special Issue 1997 p.15.
The responsibility of a company making crop protection products does not
end at the factory gates. As one of many measures, therefore, Bayer has
decided to act locally in regions of the world where much still needs to be
done. One example of this is the training campaign on Integrated Crop
Management in Brazil, which is carried out together with a number of
organizations.
Annick Dollacker, (Bayer AG), Courier Agrochem Extra - Special Issue
1997 p.16. Available in French, Spanish and English from Bayer AG,
Landwirtschaftzentrum Monheim, 51368 Leverkusen, Bayerwerk, Germany.
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