Food security, pre- and post-harvest food losses and integrated pest management

The world population could increase from 5.7 billion to about 8.7 billion by the year 2030, but at the present time, more than 800 million people in developing countries are undernourished. The achievement of food security for the ever-growing world population is the first priority of the third millennium. Increases in agricultural production per se and at all costs is not the solution to the problem. It should be achieved within the context of sustainable agricultural and rural development. One of the underlying causes of food insecurity is poverty. When food is scarce many people lack the funds to ensure a balanced diet. An increase in the purchasing power of the undernourished rural and urban population is essential for food security. The reduction of pre-and post-harvest food lasses is an important contribution to the increase of food availability. Pre-and post-harvest food losses are location and situation specific. Inappropriate handling and storage of fruits and vegetables from harvest to consumption and underdeveloped marketing channels are main causes of losses in these commodities. Pesticides play an important role in the prevention of food losses. While the use of pesticides in developed countries seemed to have reached its ceiling, a strong increase in pesticide use in coming years is expected in developing countries. The integrated pest management (IPM) approach for pest control was formulated in the 1960s as a reaction to the over-reliance on pesticides. In IPM as much use as possible is made of combined natural controls of pests while pesticides are used only as a last resort. IPM strategies are being used on an increasing scale in developed and developing countries. It is FAO's experience that cost effective and environmentally safe plant protection can only be achieved when farmers are empowered to take informed decisions on the most appropriate production and protection methods for their particular situation.