Group Proposes Pest Management Award
Five recognized international specialists have recently signed a well documented proposal to the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (SIDA) suggesting that the agency create an annual juried monetary award for "progressive pest management" in the "South" (southern hemisphere, developing nations).
According to the proposal, the award would honour South-South collaboration, innovative thinking, and responsive action that furthered the aims of progressive pest management leading to IPM, pesticide reduction, or "informed, judicious and environmentally sound pest management in tropical agriculture."
The award's goal is stimulation of increased information availability in the South where, the proposing group says, it is insufficient, leaving "most pesticide end users in developing countries" to "rely solely on sales promotion material and other information from the pesticide manufacturers and the dealers." The group identified a need for "neutral information and awareness raising including alternatives to chemical pesticides."
The proposal notes that the progressive pest management approach comprises three basic elements: 1.) establishing control of pesticides; 2.) reducing the use, risks and dependency of [on] pesticides; and, 3.) taking action for IPM. The footnoted, 6-page proposal can be accessed from http://georgeeks.googlepages.com/home by clicking on "read letter to Sida here."
(Georg Ekström)
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