We find beneficial microorganisms and use them as preventive pest control, combined with good agriculture practices.
Arie Uses Microorganisms to Protect Her Crop
Arie Sulistyani is a farmer and microbiologist from Indonesia. She farms corn, vegetables, chili and horticultural plants.
In her laboratory, Arie studies the microbes that live on healthy plants to see if they can be used for natural pest protection.
“We find beneficial microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi or yeast, and we use them as preventive control for pests,” she says.
The most common and successful microorganism is Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a naturally occurring bacterium that has been used to control several destructive pests such as caterpillars in vegetables.
Arie shares her findings with farmers in surrounding villages to help them control pests as part of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. With IPM, pest management is about using all available tools in the crop protection toolbox.
Introducing natural predators is another example of how farmers can protect their crops. In Indonesia, where rats cause serious damage to crops, Arie says farmers can place birdhouses in their fields to attract owls – a natural enemy of rats.
“We must use good agriculture practices, we must monitor crops continuously, we have to develop natural enemies for protection, and we must train farmers so they are experts in their practice.” Chemical intervention can be important, but must “only be used when necessary,” she says.
Arie has a Master’s Degree in Agriculture from Gadjah Mada University. She works for the Department of Agriculture in Purweorejo District as a civil servant. She started the Women Farmers Group that encourages and empowers women to grow food.