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Due to the known harmful effects of pesticides to humans and wildlife, there is a growing use of pesticides
alternatives to reduce pesticide exposure in homes, in gardens, in public areas managed by local governments, in schools, and in agriculture.
These alternatives include pesticide use reduction, integrated pest management, and promotion of organic foods and fibers. In addition, there are new regulations governing the use of pesticides.
Pesticide Use Reduction
Use-reduction strategies are often labeled "alternative agriculture" or "sustainable agriculture." These terms
generally refer to a variety of practices, including crop rotation, integrated pest management, reduced chemical inputs, and organic farming. Many of these are centuries-old successful
farming practices that were abandoned with the advent of chemical pesticides. The reduction of pesticide use in agriculture is driven both by concerns about the costs of the chemicals
themselves and by concerns about the risks to health and the environment. Today, however, farmers still face barriers to the adoption of alternative practices, including a lack of adequate
research and training for farmers on alternative practices and, in some cases, private bank loans that require periodic pesticide treatments.*
Integrated Pest Management
Since 1972, some Texas agricultural producers have used a pest population management system known as Integrated
Pest Management (IPM). IPM stresses safety for human health and the environment, prioritizes pest prevention, and uses least toxic methods in the control of pests.
According to the National Research Council, IPM "rests on a set of ecological principles that attempt to
capitalize on natural pest mortality."* IPM strategies are now being extended to schools, offices, and home gardens.
For agricultural purposes, Texas A&M scientists define IPM as the use of two or more of the following
practices: growing pest-resistant crops, crop rotation, using beneficial insects, scouting fields to determine pest populations, and using an economic threshold approach that indicates when a
pest population has reached a density level such that the cost of crop damage exceeds the cost of controlling the pest.* Pesticide use is a component of IPM, but rather than relying on routine applications whether needed or not, the system relies on targeted applications for specific pests.
The Texas Agricultural Extension Service highlights some of the following as specific benefits of IPM :*
- In excess of 19 million pounds of pesticides were applied to Texas cotton in the late 1960s, prior to implementation of
IPM methods. By the mid-1970s, pesticide use had dropped to about 2.3 million pounds as a result of multiple-tactic IPM programs for cotton.
- An IPM program for vegetables in the Rio Grande Valley reduced insecticide use by 66 percent on carrots processed for baby
food, soups, and frozen foods. Using IPM, a single carrot grower increased her profits by $22,000.
- IPM programs for Texas pecans have increased yields by 80 pounds per acre. Profits have been increased by $306.25 per acre
for irrigated pecans and $37.15 for dryland pecans.
- Citrus producers in the Lower Rio Grande Valley using IPM programs reduced insecticide applications by 33 percent and
increased per-acre net returns by $75.00.
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FYI
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For more on IPM use in schools see a 1999 analysis conducted by the Southwest
Regional Office of the Consumers Union entitled Pesticide Report Card: Texas Schools Score from A to F in the Integrated Pest Management
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Source: http:www.texascenter.org/txpin/rights
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IPM strategies can also be applied in homes, parks, schools, and other
nonagricultural settings. The Structural Pest Control Board has, for example, initiated an IPM program to reduce the amounts of chemicals used in public
school structures and grounds. This program, mandated by state legislation passed in 1991, required all public school districts to prepare IPM plans by
September 1995 and places other restrictions on pesticide use in schools.*
Under the Texas IPM rules, public school districts must have in place:
- Strategies that rely on the best combination of pest management
tactics that are compatible with human health and environmental protection;
- Proper identification of pest problems;
- Monitoring programs to determine when pests are present or when pest problems are severe enough to justify
corrective action;
- Use of non-chemical management strategies whenever practical; and
- Preferential use of least-toxic chemical controls when pesticides are needed.*
The overall success of IPM efforts in Texas, however, is difficult to ascertain. Data on pesticide use are not being
collected to determine the success of alternative practices on a comprehensive basis, making it difficult to evaluate
whether, where, and to what extent IPM is actually helping to reduce pesticide use and pesticide risks.
Organic Food and Fiber Production and Distribution
In 1988, the Texas Department of Agriculture developed one of the first organic farm certification programs in the
United States. Under this voluntary program, the department inspects and certifies producers and other businesses that
process or handle organic food or fiber. To receive "organic" certification, these operations must comply with the
department's growing and handling standards. Producers who comply are able to use "Certified Organically Produced"
labels on their products. A 1993 state law prevents a person from labeling, marketing, or presenting their products as organic without Texas Department of Agriculture certification.
In 2002, there were 152 organic farmers in Texas, and 52 organic processors certified under the state's program.* In addition, the Texas Department of Agriculture certified as organic approximately 30,000 acres of cotton,
wheat,soybeans,corn,rice,and peanuts.*Texas is home to 25 percent of the country's organic cotton farms, currently
filling an important niche in the cotton industry.*
Under the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, the USDA published proposed rules establishing, for the first time,
uniform national standards for growing and processing organic foods, including vegetables, fruits, grains, livestock, and
poultry.The Organic Foods Production Act also required the creation of a National Organic Standards Board to serve as
an advisory committee to help develop the new national standards, which the United States Department of Agriculture adopted as federally enforceable rules in 2002.
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