Biopesticides in Environment and Food Security: Issues and Strategies

Drivers behind food security and crop protection issues vis-avis the food losses caused by pests include rapid human population increase, climate change, loss of beneficial on farm biodiversity reduction in per capita cropped land, water shortages and pesticide withdrawals. Integrated pest management, therefore becomes a compulsory strategy in agriculture, which offers a toolbox of complementary crop and region specific crop protection solutions to address these rising pressures. IPM aims at more sustainable solutions by using complementary technologies and one of them is the use of bio-pesticides including genetically modified cropping systems. The aim is to reduce pests below economic thresholds utilizing key ecological services particularly bio-control systems via semi chemicals bio-pesticides precision pest monitoring tools, and rapid diagnostics. In fact we are facing twin problems of environment and food security for the expanding population and it is necessary to ensure adequate pesticide free food. The eco-friendly nature of bio-pesticide products suggests environment safety and safety for natural enemies and non target organisms. However their adoption and use have lagged behind due to certain quality standards and interest by big industrial houses and cumbersome regulatory procedures. The present book is an attempt to critically debate over all these issues and suggest a road map for future.