Development of Integrated Pest Management system in Agricultural Production in Cameroon and the Central African Sub Region

Abstract

Due to the increasingly global concerns related to food self-sufficiency and food security in the developing countries, it seems imperative to critically appreciate the relevance and advantages of applying the “Integrated Pest Management (IPM)” concept in view of developing a long lasting and more competitive agricultural system in Cameroon and the Central African sub region. The goal of this reflection is to encourage stakeholders to contribute to IPM development. It presents the historical context and evolution of IPM, defines the concept, explains key components for the development of an IPM program, presents IPM techniques currently developed, and finally, proposes an inter-institutional collaboration scheme that integrates potentialities of different stakeholders while showing the advantages of developing and promoting this crop protection approach particularly in Cameroon and the Central African sub region. IPM is a multidisciplinary decision support system for the selection and use of pest control tactics, harmoniously coordinated into a management strategy, based on cost/benefit analyses that take into account the interests of and impacts on producers, society, and the environment. This approach coordinates the use of the biology of the pest/pathogen, environmental information and available technology to limit unacceptable levels of crop damages. The setting up of an IPM program is possible through six main stages with the following key components: (i) the decision making process including determination of the Economic Injury Level and Action Threshold through pests’ surveillance and monitoring; (ii) collection and retention of approved, most appropriate and innovative control techniques; and (iii) devising management strategies against pesticide resistance. IPM concept is thus a strong advocacy tool for sustainable agriculture, serving as a framework for the development of research and application of a variety of control approaches, with benefits represented in terms of environmental protection and human security. These techniques are underutilized in Cameroon and the CEMAC sub-region, though the achievements gained through the few programs developed so far in this domain are significant and must be enhanced through further valorization of the rich flora of the sub-region by developing efficient biological alternatives to chemical pesticides.