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Bio-pesticides

Farmers face many challenges and constraints in terms of agricultural inputs. Synthetic pesticides are often difficult for farmers to access or afford and may have low community acceptance. Moreover, knowledge of how to properly and safely apply synthetic inputs is often limiting or confusing. For these reasons, many communities choose natural over synthetic options for managing pests. Options using natural and local ingredients include bio-pesticides that famers make on site. Benefits of bio-pesticides include the potential for increased resilience to pests and nutrient deficiencies and a sense of empowerment as farmers solve challenges with creative and sometimes simple, on-farm derived techniques that are less costly than synthetic inputs. ECHO resources and training focus on creation and use of bio-pesticide products that are appropriate for the context in which they are used and that effectively maintain soil and crop health.

  1. Towards the use of biopesticides

    2024-08-01 Biopesticides are one alternative to synthetic pesticides that farmers can utilize as part of an integrated pest management plan.Natural pesticides are made from plant extracts (leaves, fruit, hulls, seeds, etc.) and are accessible to small-scale producers. Certain plants, minerals, or organic...
    Natural Pesticides

  2. Online Information Service for Non-Chemical Pest Management in the Tropics

    Key Resource OISAT is an information management concept on non-chemical pest management in the tropics comprising two components: OISATInfo is a web-based information tool offering trainers, extension workers and farmers a quick access to up-to-date information for their work and for organizing agricultural...
    Integrated Pest Ma... Biocontrol

  3. Techniques de préparation et d'utilisation de pesticides biologiques

    2023-02-14 Theme Produire et consommer bio
    West Africa

  4. Experiments to Control Millipedes with Locally Available Ingredients

    2023-07-13 Millipede species can cause severe damage to various crops. We have heard reports of heavy damage from West Africa, but also more recently from Uganda. Effective chemical controls are expensive and difficult to obtain for many rural farmers. Thus, we are trying to identify locally available...
    Milipede Pest Control

  5. Tithonia and neem fermented liquid for termite control

    2022-10-03 Tithonia is known for its high nitrogen content, palatability as a livestock forage, and rapid growth throughout the tropics and subtropics. Network member Tim Tanner has also experimented with using it, as well as neem, to control termites before planting trees.
    Termites

  6. TOAM Poster - How to make a natural pesticide

    Poster - How to make a Natural Pesticide. Some natural pesticide ingredients and the pests they repel. Kilomohai Training Materialshttp://www.kilimohai.org/kilimohai/training-materials
    Pesticide

  7. How to Make Natural Pesticides

    2020-06-22 This booklet tells you how to use red chilli peppers to help keep pests away from your crops. Taken from "Footsteps 54" - the literacy publication of Tear Fund, used with kind permission. Illustrations on pages 4, 5 and cover courtesy ofClipArtEtc. This edition published in the United Kingdom in...
    Pest Management IPM Downloads

  8. SAWBO - Natural Insecticide from Neem Seeds

    Naturally occurring insecticidal compounds can be extracted from neem seeds and sprayed onto crops to prevent pest insect damage. This 2 minute and 33 second animation explains how to sort neem fruits, dry them, remove their outer shells, sort the seeds, grind them, mix the powder in water,...
    Pest Management Natural Pesticides Neem SAWBO Insecticide JCB

  9. Neem

    Key Resource
    1984-04-20 This technical note was published in the early 80's when there were relatively few sources of information on, or seed for the the neem tree. In recent years much progress has been made in each of these areas. The information contained in this technical note is still quite valuable. A good source...
    Neem Neem Oil Seed Oil Pest Control Pest Management

  10. Low Resource Control of Leaf Cutter Ants

    2023-03-28 Few things are as devastating as surveying your full garden one day only to wake up the following morning to find every leaf stripped from your crops with nothing but a trail of a few semi-circular fragments of your precious plants leading away from your garden. I am not sure there is any other...
    Leaf Cutter Plant Management Ants

  11. Integrated Pest Management

    Key Resource
    2022-05-20 The current global situation calls for a multi-pronged approach to pest management. To be widely applicable, this approach must provide farmers with options to control pests at various scales of production (from small farms to very large operations) with a diversity of resources. Integrated pest...

  12. Production of Beuvaria as an Integrated Pest Management Method

    2016-02-02 In this talk, Kittichai gives an overview of integrated pest management (IPM) and one IPM technique, the use of fungi beuveria as a natural insecticide. Kittichai shares how beuveria can be replicated and used in community development projects
    Asia

  13. Pesticidal Plants

    2020-01-01 The global biodiversity and climate emergencies demand transformative changes to human activities. For example, food production relies on synthetic, industrial and non-sustainable products for managing pests, weeds and diseases of crops. Sustainable farming requires approaches to managing these...
    Natural Pesticides Pesticidal Plants MDPI Open Access Books Downloads

  14. Mealybug Control

    1996-01-19 Information about controlling cassava mealybug (Phenacoccus manihoti) without commercial insecticides.
    Crop Pests Pesticide Cassava Pest Control Biological Control Mealybug

  15. Soil Solarization A Nonpesticidal Method for Controlling Diseases, Nematodes, and Weeds

    1997-01-01 This publication is a brief introduction to soil solarization, a nonpesticidal method of controlling soilborne pests by placing plastic sheets on moist soil during periods of high ambient temperature. 12 pages, illustrated, photos.
    Soil science Soil Management Soil Amendments

  16. Integrated Management of the Fall Armyworm on Maize : A guide for Farmer Field Schools in Africa

    2021-01-06 127 pp. : ill. Gift of Dr Abram Bicksler Jan 25, 2023 Fall armyworm (FAW) - or Spodoptera frugiperda - is a dangerous transboundary pest native to the Americas that has been spreading rapidly in Africa since 2016, causing significant yield losses to crops. Farmer education and community action...
    Agricultural Pests Crop Pests Maize Africa

  17. Parasitic Plants in African Agriculture

    Key Resource
    2019-03-21 This Technical Note provides an overview of parasitic plants of agricultural significance in Africa. Parasitic weeds cause drought stress and stunted crops. Affected plants include cereal grains (e.g., sorghum [Sorghum bicolor] and maize [Zea mays]) and grain legumes (e.g., cowpea [Vigna...
    Weed Control Parasitic Plants Weeds Striga Push-pull

  18. Options for Snail Control

    2024-04-01 ECHO’s agricultural staff often receive questions about ways to control snails naturally. This article shares some practical, low-resource options for control from OISAT and two ECHO Network Members.
    Slugs Snails Pest Control

  19. Preventing Insect Damage of Stored Seed Using Low-Cost Control Options

    Key Resource
    This article is from ECHO Asia Note # 37. Seed saving in sub-tropical and tropical climates is challenging. Without equipment designed to maintain dry and cool environments, the quality of seeds may quickly deteriorate. High temperature and humidity during storage increase seed metabolism and...
    Seed Storage Bruchids Pest Control