Ecological Basis for Low-Toxicity Integrated Pest Management 191has developed interesting radio messages to get the word out on a large scale that
early spraying of insecticides during the first 40 days of the crop is not only unnec-
essary but increases the risk of higher pest populations later in the crop. The radio
messages are accompanied by field-based plant compensation participatory research
groups in many cases (Heong and Escalada, 1998). This programme has been
effective in increasing awareness of the adverse effects of insecticides on natural
enemies and the role of plant compensation in recovering without yield loss from
early season pest damage and has resulted in reduced early insecticide sprays.
Study groups of various types are now common in many rice systems. They are
reported from organic agriculture, rice–duck groups, Australian rice farmer asso-
ciations and many others. The FAO Community IPM Programme in Asia (Mat-
teson et al, 1994) has promoted study groups now called ‘Farmer Field Schools’
under which structured learning exercises in fields (‘schools without walls’) are
used to study both ecosystem level dynamics transferable to other crops (preda-
tion, parasitism, plant compensation) as well as specific rice IPM methods. Already,
more than 1.5 million farmers have graduated from one or more season-long Field
Schools in Asia over the past decade with good cost-effectiveness as an extension
methodology (Ooi et al, 2001).
Table 9.1 Financial analysis of ten IPM field school alumni and ten non-alumni farms
from impact assessment in Lalabata, Soppeng, Ujung Pandang, South Sulawesi,
IndonesiaIPM Alumni (Rp. 000/ha–1) Non-alumni (Rp. 000/ha–1)
Ploughing 105 84
Planting 113 102
Weeding 49 47
Harvest 67 59
Seeds 18 21
Urea 80 96
SP36 30 12
KCl 25 12
ZA 41 0
Pesticides 7 28
Irrigation 25 25
Total costs 560 501
Yield (kg/ha–1) 6633 5915
Returns 2786 2485
Income 2226 1983
Difference +243Note: Farm gate rice price Rp. 420/kg.
Source: FAO, 1998