Escaping the Pesticide Trap: Non-Pesticide Management in India Ingredients for Success

1
Escaping the Pesticide TrapNon-Pesticide
Management in IndiaIngredients for Success
2
The Crisis The Beginnings

• Cotton production spread among small farms as a
  cash crop.
• Cotton required chemical insecticides and
  fertilizers new to
• these farmers!
• Commercial dealers (a) sold seeds and
  chemicals on credit
• (b) guaranteed purchase of cotton crop (c)
  provided information
• about use from multinational corporate
  suppliers.
• Early years made profit because cotton pests
  had not moved in.

3
The Crisis The Trap

• Cotton pests plagued fields, requiring regular
  spraying.
• Weak pests died while resistant pests lived and
  multiplied.
• Farmers reacted by spraying more pesticides
  more often.
• Insecticides killed predators birds, wasps,
  beetles, spiders.
• Without predators, forced to spray or the
  harvest would be lost.
• Insecticides damaged soil, requiring more
  chemical fertilizers.

4
The Crisis The Decline

• Input expenses went up so much farmers lost
  money on cotton.
• Farmers debt deepened since inputs were bought
  on credit.
• Desperation led to illegal side-jobs
  indentured labor for kids.
• Education was set aside, assuring continued
  cycle of poverty.
• Insecticide poisoning spread illness, hospital
  bills, death.
• Farmers trapped in cotton production because
  agrochemical
• dealers required full debt repayment if they
  stopped buying.
• Suicide rate soared to highest in India as debt
  escalated.

5
Non-Pesticide Management (NPM)

• Scientists devised system for using no chemical
  insecticides.
• Planting Neem trees, which have natural insect
  repellants.
• Applying Neem leaf/seed solution, chili-garlic
  solution,
• cow dung and urine to repel pests.
• Fighting pests by applying naturally occurring
  viruses.

6
Non-Pesticide Management (NPM)

• Planting trap crops that lure away insect
  pests.
• Burning heavily infested branches.
• Using colorful sticky boards to trap pests.
• Lighting small bonfires to kill bollworm moths.
• Building bird perches to attract insect-eating
  birds.
• Plowing deeply between crops to wipe out pest
  pupae in soil.

7
Outside stimulation and facilitation

• Venu Madhav came to Punukula as worker for NGO
  SECURE.
• Took villagers to distant farm that used NPM.
• Scientists put together a package of NPM
  methods.
• SECURE found and coached a villager willing to
  risk NPM.
• Two SECURE staff members stayed in Punukula to
  help.
• After Punukula success, Center for Sustainable
  Agriculture
• trained women in several thousand other
  villages to use NPM.

8
Strong local democratic institutions and enduring
commitment of local leadership

• First adopter Margam Mutthaiah -- strong and
  dedicated leader
• NPM grew in a widening circle until entire
  village used it.
• Village council and farmers association
  supported and helped.
• Women pressured men to use NPM and prepared
  materials.
• NPM spread to existing women self-help groups
  across region.

9
Co-adaption between social system and ecosystem

• Farmers organized to make eco-friendly NPM a
  reality.
• Farmers used local Neem trees instead of costly
  insecticides.
• Improved health of people and ecosystem.
• Soil nourished by Neem cakes and animal dung.
• NPM techniques allowed birds and livestock to
  thrive.
• Instead of chemical fertilizers they started
  vermi-composting.

10
"Letting nature do the work"

• NPM methods repelled, trapped or killed pests.
• Neem leaves and seeds contain natural insect
  repellants.
• Repellants affected specific pests and didnt
  harm other life.
• Pests could not build resistance to such
  diverse methods.
• Birds and pest predators returned, so less Neem
  needed.
• Putting Neem cakes in soil improved nitrogen
  content.

11
Rapid results

• First seasons harvest with NPM as big as with
  insecticides.
• Immediate and dramatic drop in production
  costs.
• The next year (1998), 20 farmers joined in
  using NPM.
• Within a few years, farmers cleared their
  debts.
• By 2004, village council declared Punukula
  pesticide-free.
• By 2008, 340,000 farmers in 3170 villages using
  NPM.

12
Overcoming social obstacles

• Insecticide dealers demanded full debt payment
  if farmers
• stopped buying insecticides.
• Farmers banded together to fight this demand.
• Dealers punished NPM users by paying less for
  their cotton.
• Farmers formed a marketing cooperative and
  found fair prices.
• Convinced State to ignore corporate lobbyists
  support NPM.

13
Social and ecological diversity

• Punukula farmers received a diversity of
  technical assistance.
• The Neem tree has a variety of natural
  pesticides and defenses
• which prevent development of resistance by
  pests.
• Used a diversity of NPM methods for unique
  qualities of pests.
• Diversity of pest predators restored natural
  controls!

14
Social and ecological memory

• Neem traditionally used in health beauty
  products and to
• protect stored grains from pest insects.
• NPM used ecological memory of birds and pest
  predators.

15
Building Resilience

• Healthier society and ecosystem helped sustain
  their gains in
• the face of unexpected challenges.
• Pesticide poisoning stopped and health and
  vitality returned.
• Less spent on agricultural chemicals and
  hospitals allowed
• farmers to pay off debts and achieve
  financial resilience.
• Children rescued from indentured servitude
  started schooling.
• Commitment secured by teaching NPM in schools
  and training
• women in self-help groups across the region.

16
Building Resilience

• Women built income making and selling NPM
  materials.
• Farmers expanded to new crops and businesses.
• Success bred confidence, solidarity stronger
  social support.
• Community united and made demands on
  government.
• Villagers worked on community projects, such as
  purifying
• village water setting up a cotton gin to
  boost income.