Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a sustainable decision-making process that uses information on pest biology, environmental data, and technology to manage pest damage in a way that minimizes both economic costs and risks to people, property, and the environment.
From food and farming to homes and communities, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) encompasses many settings, disciplines, and people, but this fact is not always apparent. This initiative aims to highlight the IPM network by demonstrating how real-world challenges are solved by real-life people implementing IPM.
This initiative began in 2022 with a national needs assessment to inform resource development and direction. The “This is IPM” website, social media channels, and companion podcast highlight the many IPM successes and impacts in food security as well as human health and wellbeing.
IPM provides effective, all-encompassing strategies for managing pests in all arenas, including all forms of agricultural production, military landscapes, public health settings, schools, public buildings, wildlife management, residential facilities, and communities. This also includes public lands including natural, wilderness, and aquatic areas.
IPM provides effective, all-encompassing strategies for managing pests in all arenas, including all forms of agricultural production, military landscapes, public health settings, schools, public buildings, wildlife management, residential facilities, and communities. This also includes public lands including natural, wilderness, and aquatic areas.
The Regional Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Centers serve as a hub for multi-state partnerships and communication networks, linking researchers, growers, extension educators, commodity organizations, environmental groups, pest control professionals, government agencies and others. The Centers help NIFA and its partner institutions identify, prioritize, and coordinate national pest management research, extension, and education programs.
Under the Crop Protection and Pest Management (CPPM) funding umbrella by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the Regional Coordination Program (RCP) funds the Centers with a charge to:
Through regional pest management information networks, collaborative team building, and broad-based stakeholder participation, we aim to more broadly implement research-backed results.
The CPPM program supports projects that will ensure food security and respond effectively to other major societal pest management challenges with comprehensive IPM approaches that are economically viable, ecologically prudent, and safe for human health. The outcomes of the CPPM program are effective, affordable, and environmentally sound IPM practices and strategies needed to maintain agricultural productivity and healthy communities.
In September 2000, NIFA established four Regional Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Centers, the Northeast, North Central, Southern, and Western, as a means of strengthening its connection with stakeholders and research and extension programs throughout the United States.
The “This is IPM” Initiative is managed by the Southern IPM Center. The Regional IPM Centers are supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture through agreement 2022-70006-38002. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. government determination or policy.
