This presentation deals with how the pluralistic extension system can spread Integrated Pest Management.

1. SUSTAINABLE STRATEGIES FOR CLIMATE
SMART INSECT-PEST MANAGEMENT BY
EXTENSION SYSTEMS
By
Pushpa Singh
RAU, Bihar, PUSA

2. Introduction
Refers to any change in climate over time, either due to natural
variability or as a result of human activity (IPCC, 2007)
 Higher temperatures and frequent shift within seasons
 Changes in average normal rainfall and subsequent variation in
water availability
 Extreme natural events like floods, droughts, cyclones causing
disasters
 Change in atmospheric gas composition

3. Global Warming and Climate Change
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
The atmospheric conc. of CO2 in 2005 - 379 ppm,
• Preindustrial levels – 280 ppm
• Currently – 380 ppm
• By the end of this century – 560 ppm
Temperature
• Temperature increased by 0.740oC in 20th century
• Sea level raised by 17 cms
• Increase by 1.4 – 6.4oC by the end of this century
• Increase in the frequency, intensity and duration of floods, droughts and heat
waves.
Precipitation
• Increased significantly in eastern parts of North and South America, northern
Europe and northern and central Asia,
• Declined in the Sahel, the Mediterranean, southern Africa and parts of south
Asia
IPCC,2007

4. Effect of Climate change on Crop Pest Dynamics
Insects being ectothermic are highly sensitive to temperature
(Bale et al., 2002)
 Direct impact of change in climatic factor on the insects’ physiology
and behavior (Parmesan 2007)
by host plants, competitors or natural enemies (Lastvka 2009;
Thomson et al., 2010).
 larger crop canopy, dense foliage, more relative humidity making
micro- environment more favourable to pests
Increase in the nitrogen content of plants, cause sudden resurgence of
pest population
Climate change will cause change in factors like temperature, CO2
concentration, precipitation, natural enemies and their host plant
influencing the physiology, abundance, phenology and distribution of
the insect pests (Lastvka 2009).

5. Temperature influences insect behavior, distribution, development,
survival, and reproduction (Bale et al., 2002)
 increase in temperature by 2oC insects might one to five
additional life cycles per season (Yamamura and Kiritani 1998)
 accelerate the development of insects resulting in more cycles of
generations more crop damage per year. (Awmack et al., 1997)
 increase in global temperature species directly limited by
temperature will expand northward in the northern hemisphere
southward in the southern hemisphere as rapidly as their dispersal
mechanisms will allow other species expansion will be limited by
either vegetation range or by host range
The geographic areas that are presently not favourable due to low
temperature may become favourable with increasing temperature

6. ….. Herbivorous insects
1. Extension of geographical range
2. Increased over wintering
3. Changes in population growth rate
4. Increased number of generations
5. Extension of development season
6. Changes in crop pest synchrony
7. Changes in inter specific interaction
8. Introduction of alternative hosts
Bale et al. (2002)

7. Impact of climate change on insect pest dynamics of Agriculture
 concentration of carbon dioxide increase the nutritional status, will
change the interaction decide the overall production of agriculture.
With the rise in winter temperature the duration of hibernation of
pests may decrease, increasing their activity
uncongenial pests due to low temperature at present may become
suitable as there is rise in temperature
 small change in temperature can result in changed virulence as well
as appearance of new pests
 will affect relationships within host, pest, natural enemy due to
change in phenology and their synchronization leading to new pests
new management strategies define role of stakeholders and decision-
makers at different levels: policy-makers, researchers, extension
workers and farmers.

8. Pest Management under Climate Change Scenario
IPM - prevention, monitoring, correct disease and pest diagnosis,
development acceptable thresholds, and optimum selection of
management tools and the management strategies include genetic
control, cultural control, biological control, and chemical control
Pest-warning systems are one of the key point IPM
 reducing spray frequency, decreasing the health and environmental
hazards of pesticide use and also eco-safe
 weather based pest forewarning system forms the ‘Expert System’
or ‘Decision Support System’ for pest management
use and benefit of such pest fore-warning system will increase in the
changing climate perspective

9. Adaptation Strategies for Agricultural Extension System
essential to increase adaptive skill of rural communities, researchers
national policy-makers so they are better connected in changed
climate perspective
as changes have become faster and dramatic farmers would benefit
highly from support to help develop sound and area specific
adaptation strategies.
 FFS will help new challenge of climate change by effectively using to
develop curricula to gather and analyse information on variability and
effects of climate change, to develop local coping strategies towards
climate-resilient farming systems.
.

10.  FFS and other participatory approaches help farmers to collect ,
analyse agro-ecosystem information for better decision-making.
In this model IPM climate change can be introduced in the process
of continuous innovation/adaptation of agriculture,
which will strength local knowledge and creative adaptation,
supported by scientific insight as well as a scientific realistic
approach
helping local institutions and farmers to adapt to climate change
strong facilitators on participatory approaches with flexibility in
programming and funding by national institutions, government
Field advisory services, using mobile phone participation in
extension classes and workshops, need to restructure extension
strategies in a manner that strategic, anticipatory and participatory
aspect all receives suitable attention

11. rural knowledge centre should be established providing computer
aided and internet connected information services
offering proactive advice to farm families on land use and cropping
systems, based on likely monsoon behaviour, ecological efficiency
and trends in prices and markets
farming system approach will lead to ecological farming thereby
conserving the bio-resource and biodiversity
Public–private partnerships
Institutions like ICAR, SAUs, govt. developments and other
organizations like NGOs, seed companies,
 farmers’ associations, civilized societies , private entrepreneurs
involvement in
 promoting pest management transfer of technology can take us long
way in facing challenges of climate change

12. Information technology and Extension system
importance of ICT in developing agricultural, research, education and
extension to improve quality of life in rural area is well established
 agricultural extension mechanism is becoming dependent on IT to
provide appropriate and location specific technologies
for the farmers to furnish timely and proficient advice
Recent communication technologies when useful to conditions in
rural areas can facilitate
advanced communication,
boost participation, disseminate information and distribute knowledge and
skills
 Crop loss models, representing a dynamic interaction between pests
and host is necessary for forecasting losses by pests
Accurate and timely information to farmers concerning possible yield
losses due to occurrence of a pest can be done by IT

13. Pre requisites for Agricultural Extension System (AES)
Regular training and knowledge up-gradation of extension workers
functionaries at various levels
strong and updated information, documentation and publication support
institutional network for synergetic support, having full knowledge of
weakness and constraints of system developing and linkages
Strong information, documentation and publication support are pivotal and
IT can play significant role
 therefore ICT can play a big role in blending different perspectives
(Meena et al.,2012).

14. Conclusions
 new challenge to the resilience of the ecosystems
restore and enhance resilience in agro-ecosystems with understanding its
essential features by stakeholders
requires a good understanding of local agro-ecosystems, from farmer to
policy levels
 to make decisions that respect ecological balance of pests and their natural
enemies, and
 to enhance system resilience, coordinated action in crisis prevention
 dealing with trans boundary pests
 pest outbreaks and effects of climate changes on pest behaviour will only
result from agro ecosystem enhanced productivity and resilience

15.  New learning processes and modalities for changed behaviour of insects in
climate change scenario problem assessment and solving is important at
the level of farmers, extension, research and policy
 forming new partnerships and alliances to connect main
stakeholders, including farmers, at national, regional levels to address the
new challenge of pest management in changing climate
 Remote sensing , and GIS system can be helpful in developing
forecasting systems of insect pest. To achieve these goals
entomologist, agro-meteorologist, agronomist and statistician have
to work as a team, only then some workable prediction models can
be developed.

16.  Best use of the basics of IPM such as field monitoring, pest
forecasting, recordkeeping, and choosing economically and
environmentally sound control measures will be most successful in
dealing with the effects of climate change.
 This can be achieved by working on experiences from field communities
facing local changes to countries facing similar problems, connecting
them at regional levels, involving relevant institutions from research to
extension to policy, ensuring their attention to the problems of food
security at community level in a context of climatic change.