Field Crop 2025, Vol.8, No.6, 274-283 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/fc 280 6.3 Outcomes of IPM adoption Integrated Pest Management (IPM) sounds like a theoretical term, but when applied to fields, its effects are actually quite practical. The most obvious change is that less pesticides are used. The application rate of insecticides per hectare has significantly decreased, not only saving money but also causing less suffering to the soil and water (Manjunath, 2022). Interestingly, despite the reduction in input, the output has not declined. In many places, cotton has become more stable and high-yielding, and farmers' income has also risen accordingly. Ecologically, the differences can also be seen: the number of natural enemies has started to rise, pests no longer break out in a one-sided manner, and the balance of cotton fields is gradually being restored. What's even more surprising is that people are also changing. Through projects such as the farmers' Field School, cotton growers have developed their own judgments on pest identification and the timing of pest control, and no longer rely entirely on external instructions. It can be said that IPM brings not only new methods for pest control, but also a transformation that makes agriculture more autonomous and sustainable. 7 Environmental and Socioeconomic Impacts 7.1 Ecological benefits of reduced pesticide use With less pesticide used, the ecological environment of the cotton fields will immediately be different. The number of natural enemies began to recover. "Industrious little workers" like ladybugs and predatory beetles increased again, while pests decreased (Ouyang et al., 2020). With less use of chemical agents, pollution in the air and water has decreased accordingly, and the risks to non-target organisms, especially beneficial insects and wild animals, have been greatly reduced. Intercropping, protective biological control and other practices have enabled the self-regulating ability of the ecosystem to come into play again, significantly reducing the frequency of pest outbreaks. The vicious cycle of "more pesticides being sprayed and more pests being treated" in the past has also been alleviated by reducing the use of broad-spectrum pesticides. More importantly, such ecological transformation is often long-term, and the resilience of the ecosystem is also enhanced accordingly. 7.2 Economic returns for smallholder and large-scale farmers The use of pesticides has been reduced and money has been saved. For small-scale farmers, this change is the most direct. In countries like China, India, South Africa and Argentina, the promotion of genetically modified insect-resistant cotton combined with biological control has led to an increase in the output and profits of many farmers. Less spraying of pesticides means less purchase of pesticides and less labor, and the cost will naturally decrease. This is a practical relief for small-scale growers who are short of funds and have limited labor. On the other hand, intercropping and ecological control methods make it easier to control pests and diseases, reduce yield fluctuations, and make profits more stable. For large-scale farms, this system not only reduces input but also optimizes the production structure, making it more sustainable. 7.3 Social and policy dimensions Less pesticide is used, and it is not only the cotton in the fields that benefits. The most direct change is actually people. The number of poisoning incidents among farm workers has decreased, and the health risks in rural communities have also declined accordingly. This kind of improvement is often overlooked because it is not as immediately visible as output. Meanwhile, the promotion of technology has become a crucial link. Without training and guidance, even the best biological control methods are hard to be truly implemented. The seemingly trivial links such as farmers' field schools, technicians going to the countryside, and experience sharing sessions actually determine whether ecological control can be sustained in the long term (Baker et al., 2020). Of course, the role of policies should not be ignored either. Subsidies, rewards, regulatory support, and even market-oriented incentives can all promote the wider acceptance of biological control and intercropping (Jacquet et al., 2022). However, very often, it is the internal forces within the community that truly play a decisive role. Community-based integrated pest management is not merely a pest control method; it provides a reason for communication among farmers and builds trust. Everyone learns from and helps each other. Ecological prevention and control is no longer just a "technique", but has become a more cohesive production method.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzNA==