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GM WATCH NOTE:

* For the opposing view of Christine Gould, of the industry group CropLife International, see:
'GM crops are compatible with sustainable agriculture' http://www.scidev.net/Opinions/index.cfm?fuseaction=readopinions&itemid=468&language=1

* For examples of the remarkable success of sustainable agricultural approaches in developing countries, see:

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE: GLOBAL HIGHLIGHTS http://www.members.tripod.com/~ngin/article2.htm

Farming solutions (without GM)
http://www.farmingsolutions.org/
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G. V. Ramanjaneyulu argues that insect-resistant crops will eventually require an increased use of pesticides, and that farmers around the developing world will suffer as a result.

Thousands of farmers in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh have committed suicide since the 1990s, and many of these deaths have been blamed on so-called pest disasters. This refers to the way farmers' heavy use of pesticides has led to increased resistance in pests, which in turn has caused substantial crop losses and a slide into crushing debt.

Given this situation, what should be the response to those suggesting that we apply high doses of toxins over extended periods, irrespective of whether the pests are present? After all, this is what supporters of genetically modified (GM) insect-resistant crops are encouraging farmers to do.

We do not have to look far to find well-established and credible alternatives, namely the use of integrated pest management (IPM), or even non-pesticidal management and organic farming.

These strategies are based on the farmers' own knowledge, management skills and labour, rather than external farm inputs. Their demonstrated effectiveness shows that farmers can manage insect pests successfully and affordably without resorting to chemical pesticides - or to insect-resistant GM crops. [1]

The experience of these farmers suggests that widespread use of such GM crops violates the principles of sound pest management.

Weighing the costs

It is generally accepted that under IPM, insecticides should be applied only when the projected cost of damage from pests is greater than the estimated cost of control measures, and only after all other effective insect-control techniques have been considered.

Furthermore IPM practitioners look at the entire range of pests associated with a crop, rather than individual insect species. They seek to understand all the factors regulating pest populations within a particular context. Finally, they devise and implement strategies to keep the pest population below level at which growing the crops becomes uneconomic - known as the 'economic threshold level' (ETL).