Background:
The SP-IPM is a inter-institutional partnership program of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The SP-IPM was established in 1996 as part of the CGIAR response to Agenda 21 action plan formulated by the United Nations 'Earth Summit', convened in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Agenda 21 identified integrated pest management (IPM) as a key element in sustainable agricultural development. The SP-IPM defines IPM as:
| “Integrated
Pest Management is an approach to enhancing crop and livestock production,
based on an understanding of ecological principles, that empowers
farmers to promote the health of crops and animals within a well-balanced
agro-ecosystem, making full use of available technologies, especially
host resistance, biological control and cultural control methods.
Chemical pesticides are used only when the above measures fail to
keep pests below acceptable levels, and when assessment of associated
risks and benefits (considering effects on human and environmental
health, as well as profitability) indicates that the benefits of
their use outweigh the costs. All interventions are need-based and
are applied in ways that minimize undesirable side-effects.” |
 Source: IITA |
IPM development and promotion requires better understanding of farmers’
perceived needs and applying participatory approaches to elucidate the
biological, ecological, and sociological processes that underpin agriculture,
and then using this understanding to solve the problems that arise when
these processes are disrupted. The SP-IPM embodies the determination of
the International Agricultural Research Centers and their partners to
promote this new approach as the preferred crop protection strategy of
farmers in the developing world.
| The
SP-IPM mission is to increase the quality and usefulness of IPM
research and outreach for higher productivity and sustainable profitability
of cropping systems and improved livelihood of people, particularly
in the developing world |
The SP-IPM activities are in pursuance of the CGIAR mission and in full accord with the articles of UNCED Agenda 21 and the Convention on Biological Diversity. The CGIAR Mission is "through research and related activities,...to contribute to sustainable improvements in the productivity of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in developing countries in ways that enhance nutrition and well-being, especially of low-income people."
To achieve its mission, the SP-IPM gives priority to areas where inter-institutional and inter-regional collaboration could make a decisive contribution to finding a solution. There are five work programmes:
- Work programme 1: Promote inter-institutional partnerships (break isolation barriers) for increased effectiveness of IPM research and outreach
- Work programme 2:Develop/promote holistic and ecological approaches/methodologies for IPM technology development and harmonize these across localities
- Work programme 3: Develop/promote effective communication and learning models for informed IPM decision making leading to higher, sustainable and healthier harvests
- Work programme 4: Promote policy environment more favorable to the development and application of IPM strategies for sustainable agriculture
- Work programme 5: Foster broader awareness of the impact and benefits of IPM leading to the wider adoption of more sustainable crop protection strategies
While the principles of IPM are universal, the needs of farmers are individual and location specific. SP-IPM therefore implements its activities with a diverse range of NAREs to bring the benefits of IPM to farmers. Currently, the major operational sites for the SP-IPM are tropical highlands of Latin America; tropical mid-altitude zones in Africa; tropical lowlands of Central America; dry and semi-dry areas; sahel zones in Africa; and humid and sub-humid tropics
Membership
The SP-IPM membership has broadened from an early focus
on the international agricultural research centers to include other institutions
that are active on the international IPM research ‘scene’.
The recently enlarged SP-IPM comprises representatives of CIAT,
CIMMYT, CIP,
ICARDA, ICRISAT,
IITA, IPGRI,
IRRI, WARDA,
ICIPE, AVRDC,
CABI Bioscience,
FAO/Global
IPM Facility, International
Association for the Plant Protection Sciences (IAPPS); CropLife
International (representing private sector crop protection industry)
and World Bank
(Department of Agriculture and Rural Development). Additionally, the SP-IPM
contributes to raising the income and living standards of farmers largely
through strategic alliances with inter-governmental and sub-regional organizations
which guide the agricultural development agenda in member countries. Collective
ownership of the program by these partners promotes transparency in decision-making
to further increase the quality and usefulness of IPM research.
Development
investors:
The
SP-IPM is supported by the CGIAR
and the governments of Switzerland,
Norway and Italy. The first set of SP-IPM pilots site activities were
initiated with funds from the World Bank. The activities of the farmer-participatory
research and learning project were co-sponsored by the Swiss
Agency for Development and Cooperation, the Global IPM Facility, the
Systemwide Program
on Participatory Research and Gender Analysis (PRGA). Additional support
for the global Tropical
Whitefly IPM project has been provided by Danish International Development
Assistance, the Department for International Development of the United
Kingdom, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research,
the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the United States
Agency for International Development and the United Sates Department of
Agriculture.
The SP-IPM gratefully acknowledges the support of these donor partners
and the assistance of all institutions and persons who continue to provide
advice, information and materials in the execution of planned activities.
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Highlights |
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