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

1. Escaping the Pesticide Trap:Non-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 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.

11. 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.

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.