Nine Sustainability Initiatives Collaborate to Tackle Highly Toxic Pesticides

The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Coalition believe that reducing the use of highly toxic pesticides and offering relevant information about non-chemical pest control alternatives is critical in a world where around two million tonnes of pesticides are consumed every year1and inappropriate or improper use can affect human health, contaminate water sources, food crops and the environment more broadly.

The new app combines technology and scientific knowledge to create an effective and easy-to-use tool for auditors and decision-makers managing farms, fields and forest plantations.

The development of the app was possible thanks to the ISEAL Innovations Fund, the scientific support of the Oregon State University’s Integrated Plant Protection Center (OSU-IPPC), data facilitation from CABI and the collaboration of the IPM Coalition members: Better Cotton Initiative, Bonsucro, Fairtrade, Forest Stewardship Council, GEO Foundation, Global Coffee Platform, Rainforest Alliance, Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials, and the Sustainable Agriculture Network.

IPM Coalition members work together towards the common goal of improving knowledge and sustainable use of agrochemicals, including reducing or eliminating highly hazardous pesticides. The app has been launched to make the pesticide information on the Coalition’s online database more widely available for the countries covered.