• Joaquín Balduque, project manager at CIHEAM Zaragoza, addresses in this article the relevance of a global approach to pest control in agriculture

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a global approach to pest control in agriculture that offers an alternative to conventional techniques, thus reducing excessive use of phytosanitary products.

The main objective is to apply long-term control strategies that combine biological, cultural and chemical methods to bring pathogen populations down to tolerable levels and keep pests below the economic threshold. The importance of IPM lies in its potential to enhance the sustainability of crop production, leading to a reduction in the harmful effects of agrochemicals on the environment, and lower economic costs for farmers.

Considering the Mediterranean within the scope of the EU, in Directive 2009/128/EC on the sustainable use of pesticides (SUD), and the Farm to Fork Strategy of the European Green Deal, IPM is increasingly recognised as a key strategy to achieve sustainable agriculture and protect the environment (European Commission, 2023).

IPM has a vital role to play in non-European Mediterranean countries, where the use of phytosanitary products can have significant repercussions on human health, the environment and the economy, particularly in countries that depend on agriculture as a main source of income.

According to Yaseen et al. (2023), several reports have indicated that crop practices can be improved by following recommendations to introduce IPM and thus enhance the management of phytosanitary products in the North of Africa. Likewise, Mazih (2015) explains how IPM is gradually being incorporated to satisfy the new market demands regarding production quality, environment and health. Furthermore, Boulahia‐Kheder (2021) observes that in Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt great efforts have been made for over a decade to reduce the use of synthetic insecticides to combat important pests such as Ceratitis capitata, commonly known as the fruit fly. This same study points out how the application of synthetic chemical insecticides can lead to excessive use of organophosphates such as malathion or dimethoate and of pyrethroids such as deltamethrin (Boulahia‐Kheder, 2021). These products can have very harmful effects on non-target species such as auxiliary fauna (i.e. entomophagous arthropods) that play an important role in the natural regulation of pests. According to Jemmazi (2019), one of the objectives for the forthcoming years should be to reduce chemical treatments wherever possible, and use biological control options in combination with IPM.

In recent years, several key IPM strategies have been providing effective results in pest control in northern African countries. Biological control based on parasitoids is raising interest as an additional component of IPM to control various fruit fly species. In addition, particularly in Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt, various environmentally friendly trap technologies have been used successfully in the protection of citrus and summer fruit crops when included in IPM strategies (Boulahia‐Kheder, 2021). Furthermore, mating disruption methods using natural pheromones applied alone or in combination with biological insecticides, give effective results in controlling Tuta absoluta in greenhouses in southern Tunisia (Chouikhi et al., 2023).

In this sense, authors such as Elimem et al. (2022) point out that IPM should be adopted without delay in Tunisia to control high levels of pests in organic citrus orchards. Likewise, Boulahia‐Kheder (2021) observes that IPM should be implemented extensively in northern Africa, ideally as part of a global biosafety system that includes quarantine measures and awareness raising in the farming community.

Day et al. (2022) state that one of the institutional and political bottlenecks is that the agricultural extension services are normally more concerned with staple crops and focus more on productivity than on environmental impacts. Berni et al. (2021) also report a gap between farmer awareness and sustainable use of phytosanitary products, and how this can be reduced to a minimum by developing community-based and participatory training models.

Given the importance of IPM in the Mediterranean area, on one hand there is a clear need for professionals with training in IPM principles and practices. On the other hand, research, outreach, and engagement with institutions and policy-makers are all crucial elements to ensure the continuous updating and transfer of knowledge and support the successful implementation of IPM. Effective communication, aimed at sharing individual and collective knowledge for the greater good, has an essential role to play in the current model of IPM.

The role of advisors, technical experts, scientists and researchers is fundamental to guarantee an effective use of IPM, therefore suitable training and education should be a main objective. Furthermore, in order to progress towards increased uptake of IPM and compliance with the provisions set out in the directives, it is essential to train the actors involved in policy-making and creating guidelines, as well as those engaged in monitoring, control and reporting activities.

CIHEAM’s remit matches this need for international training and cooperation through research project management in plant health and crop protection in IPM-related issues.

In the consortium of the H2020 project IPMWORKS, CIHEAM Zaragoza is in charge of the training task, and coordinates the design and creation of training modules for farmers and advisors based on successful experiences from the project’s network. We focus on the technical aspects of IPM and how it can be used for more sustainable production and on the methods used to guide farmers in their adoption of cost-effective IPM strategies. These modules will be used throughout the lifetime of the project to conduct training activities and all material created will be freely accessible to the public and openly available on the IPMWORKS website. CIHEAM Zaragoza also leads the work package on IPM-poIicy engagement and sustainability strategy. The objectives of this WP include interacting with policy-makers and the main actors of the food chain and keeping them informed about IPM, connecting with the policy officers entrusted with the implementation of the SUD Directive and National Action Plans through the demonstration network, as well as implementing the methods developed during the project.

References

Berni, I., Menouni, A., El, I. G., Duca, R. C., Kestemont, M. P., Godderis, L., & Jaafari, S. E. (2021). Understanding farmers’ safety behavior regarding pesticide use in Morocco. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 25, 471-483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2020.11.019

Boulahia‐Kheder, S. (2021). Advancements in management of major fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in North Africa and future challenges: A review. Journal of Applied Entomology, 145(10), 939-957. https://doi.org/10.1111/jen.12938

Chouikhi, S., Assadi, B. H., Ettaib, R., Lebdi, K. G., & Belkadhi, M. S. (2023). Effectiveness of mating disruption applied alone or in combination with bioinsecticides against Tuta absoluta in heated greenhouse tomato crops of southern Tunisia. Phytoparasitica, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12600-023-01080-z

Day, R., Haggblade, S., Moephuli, S., Mwang’ombe, A., & Nouala, S. (2022). Institutional and policy bottlenecks to IPM. Current Opinion in Insect Science, 100946. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cois.2022.100946

Elimem, M., Jendoubi, H., Lahfef, C., Limem-Sellemi, E., Ben Belgacem, L., Kalboussi, M., & Rouz, S. (2022). Further data on scale insect species in an organic citrus orchard in north-eastern Tunisia: biodiversity, abundance and natural enemies. Redia: Giornale di Zoologia, 105. http://dx.doi.org/10.19263/REDIA-105.22.07

European Commission (2023). Food Safety and Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Accessed on 23 October 2023. https://food.ec.europa.eu/plants/pesticides/sustainable-use-pesticides/integrated-pest-management-ipm_en

Jemmazi, A. (2019). Nous sommes en train de réviser notre législation pour que la lutte biologique intégrée y occupe une place de choix. La Revue De L’entreprise, 162, 51–52.

Mazih, A. (2015). Status of citrus IPM in the southern Mediterranean basin Morocco, North Africa. Acta Hortic, 1065, 1097-1104. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2015.1065.138

Yaseen, T., Hajjar, M. J., & Baogen, G. (2023). High hazard pesticides (HHPs) in Near East and North Africa (NENA), constrains and recommendations to mitigate the risk of HHPs. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(1), 1133-1151.