Program Development and Funding for the Integrated Pest Management Institute of North America

Goal: To broaden the adoption of IPM practices nationwide, thereby reducing pesticide risks and promoting a healthy environment.

Integrated pest management (IPM) protects the environment by conserving beneficial insects and other natural pest enemies, delaying pesticide resistance, and reducing ecological and human health risks through decreased pesticide use. Despite these advantages, IPM adoption in the United States has remained well below its potential, in part because consumers have had few ways to identify and choose products grown using IPM practices.

Several regional certification programs have successfully increased IPM adoption by identifying IPM-grown products and raising consumer awareness. Building on these successes, the IPM Institute developed a national initiative to expand IPM adoption by:

• Establishing a single, credible national certification mark for IPM-grown food products;

• Developing rigorous, science-based IPM standards in collaboration with land-grant university specialists, Extension agents, grower organizations, and other stakeholders;

• Conducting independent compliance audits;

• Educating consumers about the benefits of IPM; and

• Providing technical assistance to growers, food processors, wholesalers, and retailers.

The IPM Institute plans to work closely with existing programs and interests (e.g., Cornell University’s licensed IPM label program; the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy; World Wildlife Fund; American Farmland Trust; UMass Extension; Mothers and Others; The Food Alliance) to reduce the confusion of competing, regional labels.

Client: The IPM Institute

TerrAqua’s role: Help develop the program and its funding.