192 Agroecology and Sustainability
Community-based study groups, study circles, field schools and other
approaches are now being integrated with wider community-based organizations,
such as IPM clubs, water-user groups, women’s organizations and local farmer
unions (Pretty and Ward, 2001). With the large-scale training and visit style exten-
sion programmes generally being phased out in most countries, it will be necessary
for local communities to become organized in ways in which they can increasingly
cover their own costs for experts. Primary school programmes on IPM are also
emerging in Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines and other countries as part of envi-
ronmental education curriculum related to Asian rice-culture. Such programmes
as Farmer Field Schools in many countries or Landcare in Australia and the Philip-
pines are providing innovative models in community-based study and action.
The future of IPM in rice in Asia, if not globally, should see the phasing out of
all Class Ia, Ib and II products, while phasing in production methods that allow
for whole ecosystem approaches. Organic pest management (OPM) alongside the
rapid expansion of certified organic rice production is certainly an area fertile for
research and training in addition to modernized IPM approaches.
Vegetable Production in Tropical Asia
Vegetables are an important part of the diet, adding valuable nutrients that would
otherwise be insufficiently available in staples such as rice or maize. New produc-
tion areas are continuously being opened up, sometimes at the expense of rice
land, to meet the demands for vegetables, particularly crucifers, carrots, potatoes,
tomatoes and beans. Many vegetable crops perform best under cool temperatures
found in higher altitudes, but, increasingly, vegetable production is expanding into
the lowlands with the release of new heat-tolerant varieties mainly bred in Asia.
But the achievement of good yields, particularly in the warm humid lowlands, is
often constrained by pests and diseases. Most vegetables are heavily sprayed and in
many places poor horticultural practices exacerbate these crop production con-
straints. In general, a lack of skills among vegetable producers and limited or no
access to sources of information on new and ecologically sound crop production
practices provide a clear rationale for why much of intensified vegetable produc-
tion in Asia is currently facing serious problems.
Problems Associated with the Indiscriminate use of
Synthetic Pesticides
The indiscriminate use of synthetic pesticides in intensified vegetable production
in tropical Asia is a serious problem (Shepard et al, 2001). Pest problems in tropi-
cal vegetable production occur frequently and are often acute. Yields are highly