permaculture

Workshop Module 9: Integrated Pest Management (IPM) 271

Creative thinking : Make a community IPM plan

Method : Group planning exercise

Tools : Large paper, markers

References : PC Book MOD 9 – Integrated Pest Management

Objective : Participants create an IPM plan for their communities

The goal of this exercise is for participants to create an IPM plan for a community using
as many aspects of IPM as possible. The plan should include:

• Short-term, medium, and long-term objectives (e.g. 3 months, 1 year, 5 years).


• Techniques for the whole community as well as for individual farms and gardens.


• An integrated approach to gardens, farms, animals, and community forests.


• A plan for testing techniques and for spreading information. Note: The more
  farmers that use IPM, the better the results are for everyone.


• Information from the many lists of local materials and techniques for IPM that
  the participants have created from other exercises in this module.

Step 1 - Orientation

The facilitator can give a brief review of IPM basics including how IPM works through:

• Healthy, living soil. • Using natural pest predators.


• Healthy environment. • Open-pollinated, non-hybrid seeds.


• Using baits and traps. • Use of animals in pest control.


• Using natural pesticides. • Biological controls.


• Good crop management, including:
  
  
  • Crop rotation.
  
  
  • Natural patterns for garden shapes.
  
  
  • Crop diversity, not monoculture.
  
  
  • Pest barrier crops.
  
  
  • Companion planting.
  
  
  
  

Step 2 - Workgroups make IPM plans

• Ask the participants to split up into smaller work groups and have each
  workgroup make an IPM plan.

Step 3 - Presentation with feedback and inputs

• After each workgroup has created their IPM plans, they can present them to the
  entire group for feedback and other suggestions.

See PC Book MOD 9 – Integrated Pest Management for more information about
these techniques.

EXERCISE

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