Integrated Pest Management

Integrated pest management (IPM) is a system that incorporates many methods of dealing with pest problems. IPM systems may include the use of pest-resistant crop varieties; the modification of habitat to make it less suitable for the pest; the use of pest-specific predators, parasites, herbivores, or diseases; and pesticides when necessary. However, because IMP systems do not have an exclusive reliance on the use of pesticides, they are a key element of any strategy to reduce the overall use of these chemicals, and thereby avoid the toxicological and ecological damages they cause.