Beyond IPM: Introduction to the Theory of Holistic Pest Management

About 15 years ago, we asked ourselves why the methods developed by the research institutions for the management of pests were almost not used by small landholder farmers. It seemed obvious to us that conventional pest control called Integrated Pest Management was based on a reductionist approach. In reviewing the literature on the subject, we found that our concern was not new or unique. The agreement of some authors with our ideas reinforced our efforts to find a holistic approach to pest management. We took two central ideas to develop the holistic approach: First, pest management actions must put the farmer at the center of the system. Second, pest management must consider not only both pests but the other important components of the system in question. This approach based on the farmers and the systems in which they are immersed, is called Holistic Pest Management or HPM. In this book, I present the philosophy and practice of HPM, a new paradigm of pest management.

This book provides a new approach to pest management that consumers will not find in other books related to the subject This book provides information to the consumer that makes it possible to propose pest management programs with a holistic approach The consumer will find in this book a detailed guide on how to implement the holistic approach to pest management The philosophy and methods of Holistic Pest Management have application in other fields of knowledge where threats to the welfare of human beings and their natural resources are presented Therefore, the book may be of interest to different consumers than those interested in pest management

Autorentext

Juan F. Barrera is a senior researcher at El Colegio de la Frontera Sur located in Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico where he has been a faculty member since 1983.

His research interest is primarily in ecology, biology, behavior and pest sampling, as well as biological control and pest management in tropical crops, with an emphasis on the coffee berry borer.

He has published over 70 papers, 40 book chapters and 10 books.

He is a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences, the National System of Researchers of the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico, and the Entomological Society of America. He was president of the Mexican Society of Biological Control.

Inhalt

1. Introduction: Beyond IPM.- 2. The Nature of Integrated Pest Management.- 3. The Need for a Holistic Approach to Pest Management.- 4. Theoretical Support of Holistic Pest Management.- 5. Methods for analysis of Holistic Pest Management.- 6. Implementing Holistic Pest Management.- 7. Holistic Science in Pest Management: Winds of Change. <p