There is no silver bullet for sustainability in field pest management

Currently, there is a perception that the exclusion of chemical products used to control pests is an immediate solution for healthier and more sustainable agriculture. However, considering the extent of agricultural areas in Brazil and the progress achieved in the last 15 years, it is clear that the challenges in this sector are enormous. In fact, it is important to consider that chemical control is still the main tool used by farmers and that its adoption is not always carried out properly, which undoubtedly leads to a series of problems that affect sustainability in the field. This has to change, as it is unacceptable.

This instability has driven the development of research in the search for innovations that contribute to equating and parameterizing the binomial of agriculture and the environment. However, knowing closely the continental dimension that rural Brazil assumes, as well as its diversities and complexities of landscapes in regions with specific characteristics, it appears that it is impossible to affirm that a technology, however revolutionary it may seem, can achieve resolve this issue separately.

Therefore, excluding agrochemicals from the rural producer's toolbox greatly restricts their range of options. The adoption of selective chemical products with high performance and low environmental impact will contribute to the preservation of natural enemies and pollinating agents present in cultivation areas. At the same time, the application of selective products will allow the integration of this tool with the release of predatory mites, microwasps, bacteria, fungi and viruses, all biological products with registrations granted by the regulatory bodies in force in the country. The joint use of control tactics is the most coherent and viable way for farmers to migrate from an imbalanced production system to a more stable environment that is less dependent on the exclusive use of chemicals.

However, pointing the way to sustainability in pest management in the field is just the first step in a long journey that must begin with education and knowledge transfer. It is not enough to have new options displayed on distributor and reseller shelves if their intrinsic characteristics are not completely understood and assimilated by professionals in the sector. Knowing the benefits, restrictions on use and the most appropriate way to use each technology, as well as understanding how to correctly integrate it into different pest management strategies is essential for the success of its adoption. To this end, the support provided by manufacturers and input suppliers is extremely important, including to preserve the useful life of the technologies offered.

Agriculture of the future requires increasingly more professionalism and awareness of the consequences of each action taken in the field. As in a game of chess, only the professional who understands all the rules imposed by the environment and who, above all, maintains a good strategic vision during all moves, wins. Producing more and more, preserving the environment, the health of rural workers and end consumers is a minimum condition for success in the field.