Vision 2020: Leadership Through Stewardship

Keith Jones, Ph.D.

Stewardship is the responsibility of all of us – from national and local authorities, crop protection product manufacturers and dealers to farmers – as the cornerstone of sustainable agriculture. It helps ensure the production of safe, abundant and affordable food. The crop protection industry is not just about making useful products available to farmers to optimise production, it is about looking after our farming communities and our planet for generations to come

In recent years, the effective and responsible use of crop protection products has become a much discussed issue from the farm gate to mass media. The crop protection industry, however, has demonstrated leadership in stewardship for decades. CropLife International’s stewardship programmes go back to 1991, when three pilot projects were launched in Guatemala, Thailand and Kenya to train farmers on how to properly apply crop protection products. The success of these projects led to additional investments over time in such training around the world. Today, the CropLife International network invests millions of dollars to educate hundreds of thousands of farmers annually on the responsible management of crop protection products and empty product containers.

In 2011, CropLife International held a workshop to continue developing its global stewardship strategy, resulting in Vision 2020. The five priority areas remain the same as our predecessor guidance document, Vision 2010: 1) Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and the responsible use of crop protection products, 2) management of empty product containers, 3) prevention and management of obsolete stocks of crop protection products, 4) implementation of the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management and 5) resistance management. Vision 2020 builds on these priorities to identify where the crop protection industry can increase its impact, outreach and monitoring of stewardship programmes based on successes and lessons learned.

What’s new in Vision 2020 versus 2010 is a greater emphasis on resistance management strategies. The need to vary chemistry to address insect pressure is clear. Farmers should only use products as directed at effective doses and rotate use or mix active ingredients with different modes of action (acting on different parts of pests). Vision 2020 also calls for more partnerships with public and local institutions. Such partnerships can add experience and expertise to increase the impact and outreach of our programmes.

Ultimately, Vision 2020 strives to involve the entire CropLife International network in stewardship programmes and clearly communicate to the public what our industry is doing and how crop protection products should be managed. We wish to enhance public understanding of the industry’s stewardship efforts and how they contribute to sustainable agriculture, food security and food safety. We also hope to promote the industry’s expertise and measurable impacts in stewardship. To these ends, Vision 2020’s strategies to accomplish its five main goals are to:

• update training materials for all regions, integrating new delivery technologies;

• increase global participation in container management programmes;

• work with partners to dispose of obsolete crop protection products;

• ensure that the global network understands and adheres to the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management; and

• develop a global strategy for resistance management that is integrated into farmer training programmes.

Stewardship is essential to sustainable agriculture, protecting the environment and public health. With Vision 2020, CropLife International and its member companies again demonstrate commitment to promoting stewardship in and out of the field now and for decades to come.

Keith Jones, Ph.D., is director of stewardship and sustainable agriculture for CropLife International. He is based in Singapore

vision 2020

The following five priority areas under Vision 2020 each have their own goals:

Integrated Pest Management/Responsible Use

Vision: To have industry-led IPM/RU programmes recognised as essential elements of sustainable agriculture and partnerships actively sought to spread and implement these programmes.

Container Management

Vision: To have empty crop protection product containers safely and responsibly managed worldwide and the crop protection industry recognised as a leader in these efforts.

Obsolete Stocks

Vision: To have a world free of obsolete stocks with measures to prevent their reoccurrence and the crop protection industry recognised as a key partner in this achievement.

International Code of Conduct

Vision: To have all members of CropLife International know, follow and promote internally and externally the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management.

Resistance Management

Vision: To position resistance management as an integral part of stewardship and pest control with an emphasis on voluntary resistance management strategies.

Detailed goals in each of these areas are available at croplife.org