Perspective: service‐based business models to incentivize the efficient use of pesticides in crop protection

BACKGROUND: Specialized agricultural services are a new trend in agricultural production around the world, especially in developing countries. However, the growing impacts of specialized agricultural services on pesticide application intensity are unclear. In regions facing pesticide overuse, do specialized agricultural services exacerbate or mitigate the problem? RESULTS: Based on province-level panel data from China from 2004 to 2018, this study examines the impact of specialized agricultural services on pesticide application intensity, considering both direct and indirect (i.e. spatial spillover) effects. The dual impacts of specialized agricultural services on pesticide application intensity in China are identified. First, specialized agricultural services directly increase pesticide application intensity, likely due to increased cultivation and specialized management of land that was previously abandoned or marginally managed. Second, there is a negative indirect or spatial spillover effect of specialized agricultural services on pesticide application intensity, likely due to technology and efficiency diffusion enabled by the cross-regional provision of specialized agricultural services. The net impact of specialized agricultural services on pesticide application intensity is negative. CONCLUSION: Crop protection services are regarded as the core force to promote the reduction of pesticide application intensity. Steps should be taken to promote the research and development, demonstration, and promotion of new technologies and equipment for crop protection services, particularly the development of crop protection by drones.

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The dual impacts of specialized agricultural services on pesticide application intensity: Evidence from China

Qian

Wang

et al. 2022

“…Bayer®) and IPM strategies that incorporate these private products in locally adapted IPM approaches may help incentivize involvement of these companies in IPM information dissemination. Alternative business models have already been put forward in the past (such as those based on efficient pesticide service provision), 44 and a future research direction is to potentially pilot IPM knowledge diffusion programs with substantial private sector involvement.…”

Section: Potential Research Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspective: enhancing economic evaluations and impacts of integrated pest management Farmer Field Schools (IPM‐FFS) in low‐income countries

Rejesus

Jones

2020

Over the last few decades, the use of Farmer Field Schools (FFS) have been considered one of the best approaches to disseminate integrated pest management (IPM) practices that aim to reduce reliance on and misuse of chemical pest control methods in agriculture. However, the published empirical literature has been decidedly mixed in terms of the effectiveness of the IPM-FFS approach to improve economic outcomes in the short-term (e.g. reduce chemical use, improve profits), and the potential for scaling-up and IPM dissemination in the medium-term. This article briefly explores the empirical IPM-FFS literature and draws implications for future research directions that can potentially enhance IPM knowledge diffusion methods (including IPM-FFS) and increase the economic impact of IPM techniques in low-income countries. We find that promising research directions to improve understanding of IPM dissemination and IPM impacts will need to involve: (i) interdisciplinary long-run studies using rigorous evaluation methods; (ii) in-depth assessments of spillover effects; (iii) careful examination of IPM and IPM-FFS impact heterogeneity; (iv) evaluation of novel IPM packages with herbicide-and genetics-centered components; (v) piloting and impact assessments of alternative IPM knowledge diffusion structures; and (vi) piloting and impact analysis of IPM dissemination and learning programs with private sector involvement.

“…Service‐based approaches where agro‐chemical companies charge fees per hectare would decouple crop protection company profits from pesticide sales and naturally incentivize the efficient use of pesticides and thus the adoption of IPM. The potential of this approach is explored in a companion article …”

Section: Challenges For Improving Eco‐efficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The potential of this approach is explored in a companion article. 46 The next method to increase eco-efficiency is technological innovation. Eco-efficiency targets are likely to encourage firms to focus research and development efforts on programs and products that are more environmentally efficient or aware.…”

Section: Challenges For Improving Eco-efficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Eco‐efficiency as a strategy for optimizing the sustainability of pest management

Magarey

Klammer

Chappell

et al. 2019

Self Cite

Agricultural industrialization and the subsequent reliance on pesticides has resulted in numerous unintended consequences, such as impacts upon the environment and by extension human health. Eco‐efficiency is a strategy for sustainably increasing production, while simultaneously decreasing these externalities on ecological systems. Eco‐efficiency is defined as the ratio of production to environmental impacts. It has been widely adopted to improve chemical production, but we investigate the challenges of applying eco‐efficiency to pesticide use. Eco‐efficiency strategies include technological innovation, investment in research and development, improvement of business processes, and accounting for market forces. These components are often part of integrated pest management (IPM) systems that include alternatives to pesticides, but its implementation is often thwarted by commercial realities and technical challenges. We propose the creation and adoption of an eco‐efficiency index for pesticide use so that the broad benefits of eco‐efficient strategies such as IPM can be more readily quantified. We propose an index based upon the ratio of crop yield to a risk quotient (RQ) calculated from pesticide toxicity. Eco‐efficiency is an operational basis for optimizing pest management for sustainability. It naturally favors adoption of IPM and should be considered by regulators, researchers, and practitioners involved in pest management. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry