What is integrated pest management?

Integrated pest management is an ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on long term prevention of pest or their damage through a combination of various tactics or control methods such as biological control, chemical, habitat modification, modification of cultural practices and use of resistant varieties. Control actions are based on frequent monitoring of pests.

Farmers using integrated pest management found that they had better control of pests, far fewer insecticide and miticide applications, and the plants responded by being healthier and more robust.

The approach minimizes pest related losses with as little cost to the farmers and as little disruption of the environment as possible.

The benefits that farmers should expect to see after adopting an integrated pest management strategy include increases in quality and yield, this is simply because there should be improved pest control without the negatives of pesticide impact.

Pest populations can be prevented or controlled by creating inhospitable environments, by removing some of the basic elements pests need to survive, or by simply blocking their access into the fields.
What is integrated pest management?