Pest and Pesticide Management

Use

In order to effectively control pests and diseases, pesticides must be applied correctly. To help ensure the correct application and use of pesticides, the following set of guidelines have been developed:

Guidelines for personal protection when handling and applying pesticides [2020]
These guidelines are intended to provide guidance on pesticide risk reduction through reduced exposure by effective personal protection with special attention to the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). First, they provide technical information on personal protection and on the selection and use of PPE. Second, in line with the FAO/WHO International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management, they address policy issues and recommend measures to improve personal protection and specifically the use and availability of adequate quality and affordable PPE.

Guidelines on good practice for ground application of pesticides [2001] (also available in French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese)

The guidelines are aimed at decision-makers, managers, field supervisors and spray operatives. They cover the application of pesticides using any ground based field crop sprayers, including operator carried and tree and bush crop sprayers.

Guidelines on good practice for aerial application of pesticides [2001] (also available in French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese)

These guidelines have been prepared to offer practical help and guidance to all those involved in using pesticides for food and fibre production as well as in Public Health programmes. They cover the main terrestrial and aerial spray application techniques.

Guidelines on organization and operation of training schemes and certification procedures for operators of pesticide application equipment [2001] (also available in French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic)
These guidelines consider the training, testing and certification of those who actually operate pesticide application equipment. Even the most well designed and maintained sprayer can do immeasurable damage in the hands of an unskilled operator and the importance of these guidelines should not be underestimated.

Guidelines on procedures for the registration certification and testing of new pesticide application equipment [2001] (also available in French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese)

These guidelines outline a further way by which governments can influence pesticide safety by controlling the quality of the pesticide application equipment manufactured in or imported into the country. By incorporating into national legislation, a requirement for manufacturers and importers to declare that application equipment meets standard of safety and durability, it should be possible to gradually reduce and eventually eliminate substandard equipment from the market.

Guidelines on the Organization of Schemes for Testing and Certification of Agricultural Pesticide Sprayers in Use [2001] (also available in French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Russian)

This publication covers the testing and certification of the sprayers currently applying pesticides on commercial farms. They address an urgent need in many countries to ensure that where pesticides are used in crop production, they are applied through equipment, which is safe and fully functional. The issue applies to both large, field crop and orchard sprayers as well as operator-carried equipment.

Guidelines on minimum requirements for agricultural pesticide application equipment

An important objective of these guidelines is to assist FAO and other agencies to ensure that sprayers purchased are safe to users and to the environment as well as being efficient and durable in operation. Even the cheapest sprayer models should meet minimum standards of safety and durability.

Guidelines on standards for agricultural pesticide application equipment and related test procedures 

The FAO guidelines on standards are based on existing international, European and national standards and other published references. They also draw on the in-depth knowledge and experience of international sprayer standards of the experts assigned to the project and on the authors’ experience of pesticide application in the developing world.