Constraints to the implementation of IPM programs in the U.S.A.: A course outline

Abstract

To develop and implement the pest management programs of the future, students in crop protection should be educated about the economic, social and institutional contexts in which these programs will operate. To this end, an overview of selected constraints to the implementation of IPM in the U.S.A. is presented. A broad range of constraints is addressed, including institutional conflicts, cosmetic standards, the lack of incentive to develop and use alternatives to chemical control, difficulties in communication and acceptance by growers, risk-aversion, difficulties in organizing area-wide control programs and the complexity of agroecosystems.