We are part of the IPM group of the Plant Protection Service of FAO, and deal with theimplementation of IPM projects from institutional to farmer level

FAO's experience has shown that:

• IPM is about people: to succeed it has to be a farmer driven process;
• IPM increases the sustainability of farming systems. It improves ecological sustainability, as it relies primarily on environmentally-benign processes including the use of pest resistant varieties, the actions of natural enemies and cultural control. It improves social stability because it is institutionalized at the level of the farming community and local government. Finally, IPM programmes are economically sustainable as they reduce farmers' dependence on procured inputs.
• IPM addresses far more than purely pest management. It offers an entry point to improve the farming system as a whole.
• The farmers' field school concept can be used to address other farming situations and extension problems.