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IPM CRSP wins international award
By
Miriam Rich
(540)
231-4153,
mrich@vt.edu
BLACKSBURG, Va., April 7, 2009 – An agricultural
research program managed at Virginia Tech has won an
international award for its work with pest-management
practices that show economic benefits with minimal
impact on health and the environment.
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The
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Collaborative
Research Support Program (CRSP), managed by Tech’s
Office of International Research, Education, and
Development (OIRED), was honored at the 6th
International IPM Symposium on March 24. The IPM
Excellence Awards are given every three years in
conjunction with the symposium to individuals or
organizations that show significant impact in
realizing the economic benefits of IPM activities,
reducing health risks for pest management practices,
and minimizing adverse environmental impacts of
pesticide usage. |
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S.K. De Datta accepts award on behalf
of the IPM CRSP |
“It is
a great honor to receive this award, but even more of a
tribute to the hard work of our many collaborators
around the world,” said S.K. De Datta, administrative
principal investigator for the program and director of
OIRED in his remarks on behalf of the IPM CRSP project.
“We know that, at a conservative estimate, the IPM CRSP
has brought $500 million in benefits to the countries
where we have had programs.”
The
IPM research program is one of eight Collaborative
Research Support Programs (CRSPs) funded by the U.S.
Agency for International Development (USAID). It was
cited for its work to raise living standards, reduce
malnutrition, and ameliorate health and environmental
problems through IPM methods in some of the poorest
parts of the world. The program’s research now involves
22 U.S. universities, 57 foreign institutions, and
several international agricultural research
organizations and non-governmental organizations in 32
developing countries on four continents.
These
development projects include field schools that build
farmers’ knowledge and strengthen their connections both
within and beyond their communities. The program also
provides graduate-level education to foreign students
who then reinvest their knowledge and expertise in their
home countries. Some of the most successful projects are
biocontrol of insects and diseases in vegetables;
eggplant and tomato grafting to resist soil pathogens;
and the use of pheromone lures to monitor pest
populations.
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Working closely with local farmers, the IPM CRSP
encourages them to take part in IPM program
development. Research projects are often conducted
in fields where the farmers can see firsthand how
effective the new methods and modern technology are,
an incentive to continued participation and
successful implementation. Other elements of the IPM
CRSP include developing strong ties between
non-government and government organizations,
training trainers, and facilitating technology
transfer. |
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Muni Muniappan,
Director of the IPM CRSP at the 6th International
Symposium in Portland, Oregon |
More
than 700 IPM professionals representing 25 countries
attended the two and a half day international IPM
symposium in Portland, Ore. This year’s theme was
“Transcending Boundaries.”
For more information
about the IPM CRSP, visit:-
http://www.oired.vt.edu/ipmcrsp/
CONTACT:
Miriam
Rich
(540)
231-4153; mrich@vt.edu
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