ENABLING SMALLHOLDERS TO TACKLE THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED BY INTEGRATED CROP MANAGEMENT IN CONTRASTING CULTURAL SETTINGS, IN THE PHILIPPINES AND PACIFIC ISLANDS

摘要

Growing various kinds of vegetables, native and exotic, offers smallholders in South-east Asia and the Pacific islands both opportunities to increase their cash income and to improve the nutrition of their families. However, this valuable source of improved livelihoods is often jeopardized by outbreaks of pests, diseases and weeds, which can cause severe losses in quantity and quality to vegetable crops. In an understandable reaction, to try to protect their crops and income, smallholders often respond by spraying their vegetables with pesticides (broadly defined to include insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and related agrochemicals), using whatever products are available through local agricultural input suppliers. These products are often purchased and applied without an accurate diagnosis of the problem and their use is based on an inadequate understanding of their mode of action and possible side effects.