Transcript Apo Island - EcoTipping Points Project

Escaping the Pesticide Trap:
Non-Pesticide Management in India
Ingredients for Success
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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 didn’t 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.
Rapid results
 First season’s 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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.