Issues > May 7, 1997 (#39) > Book Review: Pest Management at the Crossroads by Chuck Benbrook

Book Review: Pest Management at the Crossroads by Chuck Benbrook

Pest Management at the Crossroads

by Chuck Benbrook (Consumers Union, 1996, paperback, $29.95)

For at least 20 years, an alternative approach called Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which relies primarily on biological and ecological interventions such as using pests' natural enemies, has been recognized by experts in the field as sounder and safer than chemical-dependent pest control. But the transition to IPM has proceeded slowly.

What will it take for U.S. food production systems to adopt IPM strategies that move us away from chemical saturation? Pest Management at the Crossroads explores in detail and provides a thorough discussion of the fundamental steps needed to implement this critical transition.

Chuck Benbrook, Ph.D., lead author and respected agriculture expert, leaves no stone unturned, knowing all too well that a multifaceted strategy is ultimately essential. Benbrook guides us carefully through every necessary change--from those involving government services and programs, and their priorities, purposes, and research agendas, to those that would improve the accessibility of information to farmers. He urges increased consumer education and marketplace activism as key to building popular support for biointensive IPM use in food production. When consumers demand products grown with IPM methods, growers and others in the industry will be encouraged to provide them.

Pest Management at the Crossroads arrives for our use at just the right time. It's the toolkit for all of us who have long been concerned about the adverse effects of current food production practices on health and the environment, and want a safer, saner, sustainable food system.