Author
Listed:
- Stefan Toepfer
(Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, CABI Joint Laboratory for Biosafety, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China)
- Tao Zhang
(Beijing Plant Protection Station, Beijing 100026, China)
- Buyun Wang
(Beijing Plant Protection Station, Beijing 100026, China)
- Yan Qiao
(Beijing Plant Protection Station, Beijing 100026, China)
- Haomin Peng
(Xing’an Plant Protection Station, Xing’an County, Guilin 541300, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China)
- Huifeng Luo
(Xing’an Plant Protection Station, Xing’an County, Guilin 541300, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China)
- Xuanwu Wan
(Sichuan Provincial Plant Protection Station, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China)
- Rui Gu
(Agricultural Information Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China)
- Yue Zhang
(Agricultural Information Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China)
- Han Ji
(Agricultural Information Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China)
- Min Wan
(Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, CABI Joint Laboratory for Biosafety, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China)
Abstract
This 5-year study addresses how improved quality of agricultural extension may lead to more sustainable pest management. We studied 112 agricultural extension workers trained as plant doctors under the Plantwise program in China. They run 70 plant clinics in Beijing, Guangxi, and Sichuan provinces. We analysed 47,156 recommendations issued by these plant doctors to 13,051 different growers between 2012 and 2017, and this for 250 different plant health problems on 91 crops. We also interviewed growers who had taken queries to plant clinics. On average, 86% of plant doctors provided comprehensive integrated pest management recommendations to the growers, with a 16% improvement in comprehensiveness over years. This most often included advice of synthetic pesticides (66%) with its frequency not much changing with time. In contrast, as a likely result of Plantwise interventions and China’s pesticide reduction policies, recommendations for biological control increased from 2% to 42%, pest monitoring by 8%, and cultural control by 11%. Recommendations of problematic plant protection agents as listed in the Montreal Protocol, Stockholm or Rotterdam convention, or as highly toxic under WHO’s toxicity classification were already rare in 2013 (1.9%) and nearly phased out by 2017 (0.2%). About 92% of growers implemented the advice, suggesting that agricultural extension services may contribute to changes in agricultural practices at scale. Further investment in such agricultural extension services may be warranted instead of phasing them out.
Suggested Citation
Stefan Toepfer & Tao Zhang & Buyun Wang & Yan Qiao & Haomin Peng & Huifeng Luo & Xuanwu Wan & Rui Gu & Yue Zhang & Han Ji & Min Wan, 2020.
"Sustainable Pest Management through Improved Advice in Agricultural Extension,"
Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-20, August.
Handle:
RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:17:p:6767-:d:401829
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