Pesticides

The use of synthetic pesticides in IPM is a difficult topic as it conflicts with the key issues of sustainability, environmental safety and conservation of defenders.

Therefore, Integrated Pest Management considers the use of pesticides only if all other IPM tactics are unable to keep a pest population at an acceptable level. Only as a last resort pesticides can be used to control the pest.

Pesticides have certain advantages (they are efficient in killing pests) but they have also several disadvantages (they also kill beneficial insects, risk for the user, risk for the environment, etc.). The decision to use pesticides and the selection of pesticides should therefore be made only after careful consideration of the pros and cons.

Many different types of pesticides are available. In Thailand, over three hundred different active ingredients are registered for use in agriculture. All these chemicals have different properties and are meant for specific purposes. This means that when a farmer decides to use pesticides he will still have to make a well-informed choice before purchasing a pesticide. 

The following pages provide more information on pesticides:

	Problems associated with pesticides Background information on the various risks for farmers, consumers and the environment, and other problems that are associated with the use of synthetic pesticides.
	Risk reduction Each use of pesticides has certain risks. This page provides information on the reduction of risks during handling and storage of pesticides.
	Different types of pesticides Learn more about the different types of pesticides and how they can be classified.
	Health effects of pesticides Learn more about the different chemical families of pesticides. Farmers themselves carried out health surveys to learn more about the hazardous effects of pesticides in their communities.
	Pesticides database A database with information on pesticides registered in Thailand. It allows the user to make a comparison of the characteristics of pesticides, which can be used in deciding whether or not to use certain chemicals.
	Pesticides banned in Thailand Since 1977 the use of 84 different pesticides has already been banned in Thailand.
	Pesticide residue testing Learn more about the methods that are used to detect pesticide residues in food.