Work programme 4: Promote policy environment more favorable to the development and application of IPM strategies for sustainable agriculture.

Background

The SP-IPM partners affirm that IPM is their preferred plant and animal health strategy and that, through collaborative research and related activities, they will promote understanding and adoption of IPM by farmers. A vital ingredient in this affirmation is the establishment of a policy environment favorable to the adoption of more sustainable crop protection strategies, including IPM. This will involve both an appropriate regulatory framework and economic policies that actively favor the search for sustainable solutions and investing in developing human capital at the rural level.

Principal activities

  • Review and promote activities and outputs of SP-IPM partner organizations on the development and introduction of botanical and biological pest management agents and constraints encountered
  • Promote research links of SP-IPM partner organizations to the implementation of international conventions and other instruments relevant to pest management
  • Guide crop protection research projects by partner organizations for consistency with the SP-IPM position on the use of synthetic pesticides and guiding principles for IPM; and assess inconsistencies and provide recommend corrective measures
  • Assist to provide IPM solutions to developing country production constraints resulting from new MRL requirements in the EU and other important export markets
  • Assist national governments to meet their obligations to international conventions that are pertinent to IPM

Top
Achievements
  • Inter-Institutional agreement to exclude persistent organic pollutants and other hazardous synthetic pesticides from all IPM research and outreach activities conducted by SP-IPM partners.
  • IIWG reviewed an evolving a IPM policy framework under development by FAO/Global IPM Facility to guide SP-IPM research organizations to effectively contribute to IPM policy reform e.g., identify and analyse mechanisms to feed research outputs into policy-making processes; and use policy processes to support IPM research; analyse policy framework and identify information needs to enhance the uptake of IPM
  • SP-IPM collaborated with UNIDO on a consultative workshop to search for and promote alternatives to banned/restricted POPs. The workshop explored strategic alliances between researchers, national implementing programmes for POP enabling activities and the industry to develop pilot projects through which the partners will encourage national compliance with Stockholm Convention on POPs.