Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a strategy for managing pests that emphasizes preventing pests through various methods like using natural predators, changing farming practices, and working with nature rather than against it.
IPM is a sustainable approach that uses scientific information and traditional knowledge to manage pests, aiming to lower the costs and risks to people and the environment. It combines different strategies to grow healthy crops and eliminate the use of pesticides, which helps protect human health and the environment.
IPM supports healthy crops with minimal disturbance to ecosystems and encourages natural pest control. This approach increases farm productivity by reducing crop losses and promotes healthy ecosystems through services like pollination and rich soils. IPM can also lead to safer food and higher farmer income due to lower production costs and better crop quality.
Some traditional, non-chemical pest control methods are being used by farmers in Malawi, such as using botanical plants like neem, fish bean (tephrosia), and wild basil (mphungabwe) to control pests on crops like maize, beans, tomatoes, and bananas. IPM strategies include protecting and designing habitats that attract beneficial predators such as: lizards, chameleons, spiders, frogs/toads, predatory wasps, and more.
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