Specialist opinion: ‘Adopting IPM on commercial farms’ – An insight from New Zealand

IPM has been a recognised methodology in New Zealand for several decades, but its uptake was slow to non-existent in the arable sector. But with 2019 seen as a turning point in terms of the future availability of chemical crop protection options, New Zealand is now seeking to develop a ‘lighter touch’ approach and transition to using agchem solutions only when absolutely necessary.

During the recent CropTec20 show in the UK – which was hosted and presented as a virtual, online event – Prof Alison Stewart from New Zealand shared her experience of developing and implementing IPM on commercial farms. She is the CEO of the Foundation for Arable Research in New Zealand.

Prof Stewart said there are a large number of global challenges out there for agriculture in every country in the world, and New Zealand is no different. “We have issues around food security, climate change, sustainability and so forth, and these are going to offer up opportunities for arable growers, but they’re also creating a number of challenges around farm biosecurity, and in particular how we actually manage pests and diseases on our farms.” Which is the focus of her presentation.

Watch Prof Stewart’s presentation below, or go to YouTube here.