IPM: dreaming of a world without pesticides

Pesticides are bad. You know it because you want the best for your family and get informed, try and read the labels in the grocery store and buy organic when you can afford it. But then, other than choosing the more expensive produce, you probably end up wondering: “what’s next? What is the alternative?” If the organic bananas coast so much more, it must be impossible farmers to join. Maybe it is not! Let’s talk about integrated pest management (IPM).

But first some history: the dark side of scientific progress

The first half of the XX century brought along major developments in science and industry, with quick fixes to many common inconveniences. The field of agriculture was one of the beneficiaries of this process, with fantastic new products promising to get rid of pests, diseases, weeds. These were powerful chemicals and in 1962 Rachel Carson, a zoologist working in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a book called Silent Spring. The text detailed how pesticides travelled through food chains, affecting many other species—even humans.

Conventional pesticide application practices spray without distinction of the actual needs of the plants.

This exposé rose concerns among common citizens and lawmakers alike. While response was not as swift as it should have, it opened a long debate that culminated with the prohibition in 1972 of DDT, one of the worst offenders. In the following 30 years, many laws were passed around the world, calling to reduce pesticide use, to regulate application and to create “safer” versions, when possible.

Acute effects of pesticides can include birth defects, organ damage and cancer, but it is mostly a risk for those in direct contact with them over a long period of time. Unless you grew up in a farm in less regulated times, you are probably not a risk. However, continued exposure to trace amounts of pesticides have been linked to asthma-like symptoms, rhinitis or dermatitis.

Conventional agriculture aims to achieve uniformity and large sizes.

What IPM looks like on the farm

Addressing pest control without pesticides is not necessarily expensive or hard, but it does require a change of mindset and new habits. For farmers wanting to ensure they are not part of the problem, integrated pest management is a playbook of techniques for change that rely on older traditional practices, amped up with technological advancements for precision farming.

How is it done?

• Farmers team up with nature: introduce or encourage beneficial insects and microbes (think lady beetles, parasitoid wasps, and Bacillus thuringiensis) that work as natural predators to the pests.

• Farm for prevention: rotate crops, intercrop, plant flower strips, keep fields clean, and prune on time to break pest cycles and attract helpful insects. Understanding that each species plays a key role in the ecosystem helps nudge the plants that help crops thrive.

• Protect without chemicals: use nets, row covers, pheromone traps, and simple mechanical removal. Have you seen big yellow billboards in the middle of the field? Those can be used as mechanical traps, because many insects are attracted by the bright color.

• Get precise with tech: monitor pests with drones, remote sensing, and predictive tools so actions are targeted—not blanket sprays.

• As a last resort, apply low-toxicity, targeted pesticides sparingly and only where needed. In this case, responsible farms protect their workers with full personal protective equipment, even if the application is of biologicals.

Responsible farms protect their workers with full personal protective equipment, even for the application of biologicals.

Why IPM pays off (for your family, farmers, and the planet)

When farms switch to IPM, you see multiple wins: fewer pesticide applications overall, more beneficial insects where flower strips and habitat are added, healthier soils from legumes and cover crops, and steadier yields that don’t ride the “spray, resist, repeat” treadmill.

In IPM projects in which growers cut pesticide use substantially, they reported growing beneficial insect populations and significant savings for farming families. On average integrated pest control costs 20% less, because pesticides are expensive and require specialized infrastructure for safekeeping and application. On the longer term, IPM also leads to fewer boom-and-bust pest cycles thanks to better monitoring and natural controls. Cover and diverse plantings boost soil carbon and nitrogen, and a healthy soil also means reliable yields, which protects these families’ livelihoods.  

We support these interventions because rather than getting a one-size-fits-all solution, farmers work directly with agronomists to create the approach that works for them. While changing the way in which it has conventionally done over the last century can be at first challenging, most realize that that safer practices can be both practical and profitable.

Because so much of our food is tied to places beyond the U.S., supporting strong farming practices everywhere matters. “Local” isn’t always available—or enough. But choosing and championing food grown with IPM gives families here at home what we all want: safer food, thriving farms, and ecosystems that last.

Friends of Sustainable Agriculture (FSA) powers the Sustainable Agriculture Network’s (SAN) on-the-ground IPM and biodiversity work worldwide—helping farmers reduce risk, protect pollinators, and grow the food we count on. If this resonates, please donate to FSA and help scale these solutions for families and farms everywhere. Together, we can make safer, pesticide-smart farming the norm.