Abstract
In the Okanagan/Similkameen region, the tree fruit industry value chain forms a significant part of the Agricultural Products Cluster. In 2011, 8677 acres of apples comprised 38% of the total horticulture land base. The remaining acreage was planted primarily to sweet cherries (3500 acres) and wine grapes (8100 acres). However, the tree fruit industry value chain is undergoing significant transformational change as the apple acreage has declined from 13 430 acres in 2001, a loss of 4753 acres. This change in the primary production base has had profound processing and marketing implications for the apple sector, and for the government programs such as the Okanagan Kootenay Sterile Insect Release Program (OKSIR) that provide services to the sector. A social benefit-cost analysis (B/C) was used to evaluate the OKSIR. This analysis measures both the benefits, in the form of cost savings and Sterile Insect Release services that accrue to the commercial apple and pear producers, and the benefits that non-agricultural residents receive, the consumer surplus. The study compares the Benefit/Cost ratios for both the existing Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) to control Codling moth and the use of a mating disruption (MD) technique. The net benefit for MD ($281.47/acre) is higher than for SIT ($258.65/acre). This is also reflected in the higher NPV for MD. The break-even point for SIT is 6238 acres and 1264 acres for MD. The lower acreage requirement for MD reflects the lower costs associated with MD, and supports the idea that MD is a viable method for controlling Codling moth in areas with relatively small acreages.
Highlights
Since 1992, the Okanagan Kootenay Sterile Insect Release Program (OKSIR), has been providing an Area-Wide Integrated Pest Management (AW-IPM) service to agricultural producers in the Regional District of the Okanagan Similkameen (RDOS), Regional District of the Central Okanagan (RDCO), Regional District of the North Okanagan (RDNO), and the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD)
This study compares the use of Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) and mating disruption (MD) in controlling Codling moth populations in the four Regional Districts
Three producer benefits are identified: savings in pesticide costs; savings in the cost associated with each orchardist monitoring Codling moth levels in their orchard; and revenue loss due to pre-harvest Codling moth injury associated with pesticide control
Summary
Since 1992, the Okanagan Kootenay Sterile Insect Release Program (OKSIR), has been providing an Area-Wide Integrated Pest Management (AW-IPM) service to agricultural producers in the Regional District of the Okanagan Similkameen (RDOS), Regional District of the Central Okanagan (RDCO), Regional District of the North Okanagan (RDNO), and the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) (see Figure 1). Failure to control Codling moth can result is significant economic damage to the tree fruit industry in these regions. AW-IPM in the Okanagan employs SIT in the south Okanagan and multi-lure (codling moth/leaf roller) mating disruption (MD) in the central and north Okanagan. The application of both MD and SIT in the Okanagan AW-IPM program provides an opportunity to compare the economic benefits and costs of each approach. The structure of the industry cluster is changing, and so too, the government services, such as the OKSIR, provided to the cluster change as well
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