Agriculture produce is susceptible to a range of vertebrates and insect pest infestation causing both pre and post-harvest losses of about 30-50%. To safeguard the crops from the ravage of these insect pests, synthetic pesticides are tremendously used in agro-ecosystem. These toxic chemicals may or may not be doing their indented job but unquestionably imprint adverse implications on environment, biodiversity, human health and international trade. Therefore, it is imperative to monitor these toxic chemicals from field to fork and devise environment friendly products and sustainable strategies to minimize crop losses and conserve biological resources. This (IPEP) was created under a comprehensive re-structuring exercise of Pakistan Agricultural Research Council to reduce pesticide use through best pest management options that are economically feasible, environmentally safe, and socially acceptable. |