Book reviews and resources

Natural Crop Protection in the Tropics

Natural Crop Protection in the Tropics has grown from a small pocket guide to a hefty hardback version with a more rigorous, text-book style presentation. This new edition heralds its status as ‘the bible’ for those working with alternatives to synthetic pesticides and it definitely deserves a place on your bookshelf ! 

The first edition of this pioneering, practical anthology of natural pest and disease control methods was printed in 1986 and referenced around 170 documented sources. The book became popular worldwide, with translations into eight languages. In this updated and expanded edition, the author cites over 600 references from the scientific and practitioner literature, including web-based articles. The layout and organization is clear, easy to follow and well illustrated with line drawings, tables and photos. You can either search for a particular pest problem and its control options, or look up a botanical species or other control method. For American bollworm, for example, distribution, lifecycle and damage are briefly described before going into detail on the various cultural and physical methods and crop management aspects of controlling bollworm. A welcome addition in this section is summary information on key natural enemies for each pest. These are followed by a list of insect-controlling plants validated for American bollworm and the relevant pages on which to find them. The plant section has been expanded to give information on side effects on humans and on non-target organisms, in some cases. Since some of these preparations can be toxic or irritant, it is good to see the inclusion of hazard symbols, cautionary advice and risk descriptions where appropriate. Information on persistence and application frequency, as well as detailed ‘recipes’, is given and in a few cases, reports of ineffectiveness against certain pests. Non-botanical methods such as ash, lime, kerosene, soap, vegetable oils, cow dung and urine, flour and milk are also described and an overview of control methods appropriate for plant diseases, slugs and snails, nematodes, termites, rodents and birds.
    The book contains sections on principles of preventative crop protection and plant health; intercropping; promoting natural enemies; baits and traps; and practical advice on preparation of biofertilizers and plant tonics, providing a much more holistic framework than the earlier edition. Thirty pages are devoted to methods of storage protection. There is a useful section on web-based information sources and databases for IPM, botanical toxicology, research and training. Even a book of this scope and depth cannot claim to be fully comprehensive and readers will, no doubt, spot some omissions. For example, whitegrubs which can pose serious problems in annual crops in many regions, do not merit a section under pests, nor is there any mention under non-plant-based methods of the widespread use of fermented cow urine for insect pest control. The ability of certain crop plants, e.g. rice and cotton, to tolerate or compensate for certain levels of damage by insect pests could also have been addressed, especially as this is a key learning point in the curricula of Farmer Field School (FFS) training for IPM. Perhaps the author and sponsors could consider setting up a web-based, interactive forum for feedback, information sharing and for updating future editions. 
    A most valuable addition is the section Letting Information Come to Life, featuring eight case studies from Africa, Asia and Latin America, whose authors describe recent field experiences in farmer training, experimentation and promotion of the use of natural pest control methods. The Honduran cases describe the differences between farmers’ and researchers’ knowledge of insect pests and their natural enemies, and how discovery-learning encouraged farmers to design their own pest control methods, based on their new knowledge about insect lifecycles and feeding habits. Testimonies from Indian farmers show how they are adapting knowledge gained in FFS training to tackle pest problems in rice and cotton, while the Zimbabwean study describes FFS training and participatory research in an organic cotton project with women and men farmers. Different aspects of the process of participatory technology development, which brings together farmers, researchers and facilitators, are illustrated by cases from Thailand (rice and vegetables), Peru (potato tuber moth) and Kenya (vegetable pest and disease control). Finally, an assessment of a small-scale neem processing plant is described from Kenya.
    The case studies provide useful insights into how participatory approaches can draw on and complement formal, scientific and farmers’ traditional research pathways. They also give fascinating examples of the dynamic nature of experimentation and adaptation in natural control methods and of agroecosystem design. One Indian cotton farmer describes how they are manipulating cowpea as a trap crop for pests and an attractant for natural enemies and staggering planting times to ensure that cowpea pests will be available season-long as food for ladybirds. The Thai farmers have abandoned certain botanical preparations tested because it is too difficult to get hold of the plants or the preparation has proved to be phytotoxic. They are improving other preparations, by omitting labour-intensive chopping of plant material, or addition of new plant species to increase efficacy against certain pests. The Kenyan research compared not just efficacy of different traditional methods and commonly used pesticides but assessed the labour requirements, produce quality and other costs and benefits. For example, the farmers opted for a physical control method for cutworms, rather than ash application, because this method keeps the pests alive and available for natural enemies.
    Apart from illustrating interesting methodologies and technical findings, these case studies also reflect the changing attitudes among the conventional research community towards farmers’ knowledge over the period since Natural Crop Protection was first published. There is now a growing recognition of the need to work closely with and learn from farmers to develop locally-specific solutions to pest problems, but that neither formal research nor indigenous experimentation alone will necessarily produce the most useful answers. The cases examined point out important issues of understanding stakeholder aims, motivation and learning processes, and developing partnerships and new forms of inter-institutional collaboration when conducting joint research with farmers. Hopefully these studies will encourage more researchers and practitioners to investigate natural pest control methods with a better understanding of, not only the biological processes, but the human, socio-economic and institutional factors involved too.

Gabriele Stoll, Natural Crop Protection in the Tropics. Letting information come to life. AGRECOL/CTA, Margraf Verlag, P.O.Box 1205, D-97990 Weikersheim, Germany, Tel +49 79 34-30 71, Fax +49 79 34-81 56, margraf@compuserve.com, DM 108/EUR 55, 2000, 376pp.

Consumers give US EPA ‘C-’ for pesticide regulation
The Washington-based Consumers Union has given the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) an overall grade of ‘C-’ for its implementation of the Food Quality Protection Act (FPQA). The law is designed to reduce exposure to pesticide residues, especially in relation to children and infants. 
    The report looks at the EPA’s performance to date in four key implementation areas:

• Development of the science policies that frame the EPA’s implementation of the FQPA;

• EPA’s definition of what constitutes a ‘reasonable certainty of no harm’;

• Reducing the risk from pesticide exposures in the home;

• The impact of the EPA’s effort to reduce dietary risk from pesticide exposures.

A Report Card for the EPA – successes and failures in implementing the Food Quality Protection Act, is available at www.ecologic-ipm.com/ReportCard_final.pdf (not available in published paper form).

Pesticides and health
This is a concise and practical guide for medical practitioners, the first of its kind, much needed in other industrialised countries. The briefing kit aims to raise the index of suspicion about pesticides among doctors by summarising a wealth of studies linking these chemicals to: skin disease, cancer, respiratory disorders, neurological and behavioural effects, and reproductive and immunological disease. It provides up to date information on diagnosis and treatment, advocating that physicians add their voices to the demand for the precautionary principle in the regulatory system.

Pesticides and Human Health: a Resource for Health Care Professionals, Physicians for Social Responsibility and Californians for Pesticide Reform, www.igc.org/cpr

Order direct from Amazon.co.uk

The future of pesticides in the US
The Future Role of Pesticides in US Agriculture, produced by the National Academy of Sciences, explores the role of chemical pesticides in the decade ahead. The book recommends research and development, programme, and policy initiatives for agriculture authorities and other stakeholders in the public and private sectors.
    The book presents overviews of key factors in chemical pesticide use including alternatives to chemical pesticides, such as microbials, natural product fungicides and other biopesticides. There is a focus on problems in pesticide use, especially in relation to concerns about the health of agricultural workers, the ability of pests to develop resistance, and issues of public perception about pesticides.

The Future Role of Pesticides in US Agriculture, National Academy Press, 12 Hid’s Copse Road, Oxford, OX2 9JJ UK, Fax +44 (0)1865 862763, December 2000, 301pp. Order direct from Amazon.co.uk.

Order the latest edition (600 pages, 31 January, 2002) direct from Amazon.co.uk

UK pesticide guide
The Pesticide Guide lists pesticides approved for use in the UK. It includes products which have full or provisional approval for use in agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Herbicides, insecticides, fungicide and other pesticides are all covered.
    For each product the complete list of approved uses is given, including off-label approvals on minor crops. The crop/pest guide allows easy identification of the pesticides likely to be used for the control of specific weeds, diseases insects and other pesticides on each particular crop.

The UK Pesticide Guide 2001, British Crop Protection Council, Bear Farm, Binfield, Bracknell, Berks, RG42 5QE, UK, Fax +44 (0)118 934 1998, 2001, 598pp. Order the latest edition (600 pages, 31 January, 2002) direct from Amazon.co.uk

The farming business
This original view of farming and food production approaches the subject from the point of view of trade, focusing on the small businesses that began as grain merchants, chemists and seedsmen and developed in some cases to large agrochemical corporations. Pesticides are only a small part of the story, but the Crop Protection chapter contains an interesting historical account of the forces and personalities that shaped the strategies of different corporate players in the industry. 
    Commenting on the campaign of trade unions against the phenoxy herbicide 2,4,5-T in the 1970s and 80s the author comments: ‘The campaign marked a sea change in the public’s attitude to scientists and politicians over questions of product safety.’

Farming, Food & Politics: The merchant’s tale, Diane Montague, IAWS Group plc, Dublin, 2000, 392pp.

[These reviews first appeared in Pesticides News No.51, March 2001, p22-23]