Environmental Good News

Environmental Good News Post 

Non-Pesticide Management

Pesticides were introduced in Andhra Pradesh, India around 20 years ago after cotton was also introduced into the region. The farmers in the area were already producing groundnuts, sorghum, chili, and rice as cash crops and welcomed the introduction of cotton as it would be lucrative for them. The cost of insecticides was low when cotton was first being farmed, because there were not many cotton eating/killing bugs or pests in that region at the time. The farmers began to use the pesticides and insecticides on all of their crops  which led to more cotton bugs like worms and caterpillars becoming prevalent. The pests began to evolve resist the pesticides so more was needed more often. Farmers and those who dealt with the insecticides and pesticides in close proximity began to notice health issues. The toxins also pervaded the water supply and left the region sick with headaches, rashes, sickness, nausea, acute poisoning, and vision problems. Farmers even noticed deaths in livestock that fed near the sprayed areas. The farmers would spend a lot of money on pesticides and then more for their health issues, and even more money to try and keep the pests and insects under control. The debt trap lead to suicides in the villages and negative societal effects. With these issues a project began in 2008 to lead farmers in Andhra Pradesh away from pesticide usage, and into a technique called Non-Pesticide Management.

Non-Pesticide Management utilizes the principles of biological pest control through natural predators, trap crops, plant nutrition, field cleanliness, and plant population control. This initiative included around 3,171 villages in Andhra Pradesh where they used many pesticide alternatives. A chili-garlic solution and a cow dung/urine solution were used on the cotton plants which killed and repelled the insects effectively and naturally. Bird perches are set up around the fields to encourage the birds to eat the pests. Another common method is trap crops. Trap crops are planted away from cotton fields and attract the insects where they are manually removed. Some common plants are marigolds, castor, and green gum. These alternative methods do require a lot more manual/ physical labor but leave the farmers healthier and allows them to continue to grow their crops. An NGO, SECURE or Socio-Economic and Cultural Upliftment in Rural Environments, has helped farmers begin and be successful in the non-pesticide management. Some villages have been declared pesticide free in the past years. Villagers report that more birds have returned to the area which makes pest control a bit easier, there was no insecticide smell surrounding the village, and there were no more cases of insecticide poisoning. Farmers have a larger income as well because they no longer have to spend money on insecticides and various costs that come with pesticide usage. 

A video story of the Andhra Pradesh pesticide removal, an overview of the Non-Pesticide Management utilization. 

Unfortunately, this method of non-pesticide management is not used as commonly as it should be. The farmers who undertook the hard work of no pesticides on their crops were extremely brave. This management requires a lot of manual labor, but overall the farmers were better for it. They grew healthier crops and became healthier themselves without all of the toxins. Though the usage of this management is not widespread there is hope that more farms and villages will realize the benefits of non-pesticide farming.