About this Research Topic
Most pest management research and innovation, including tools and solutions, are done in the context of large-scale, commercial farming. Yet most farmers (over 80%) are smallholder in operation. These farmers and their families are part of contexts, cultures, incentives, and economics that are often vastly different, yet so often ignored by mainstream crop pest researchers, organizations, and investments. To provide solutions for smallholder farmers, the motivations, economics, and context must be first studied and understood. To ensure food security and livelihoods of over 500 million small-scale farmers worldwide, massive new investments in research for small-scale pest management are needed, based on learnings from the past efforts and building on new and emerging opportunities, and challenges. This Research Topic within Frontiers in Insect Science will examine small-holder pest management context and offer solutions for research, policy and investment to help the majority of the farmers worldwide deal with both indigenous and invasive pests in their ever changing ecological and socio-economic contexts.
The goal of this Research Topic is to highlight that the vast majority of the investment, research, and innovation for global pest management goes to supporting the approaches and tactics that work for large-scale, commercial farmers worldwide. We seek to highlight the urgent need to refocus this effort, so that the overwhelming majority of farmers can benefit from new investment and effort. Food security and improving household livelihoods would be bolstered by a new focus on the farmers and their contexts and needs, rather than the unilateral focus on technologies.
We seek manuscripts that focus on the needs, aspirations, and local context of pest management decisions by most farmers globally. Most pest management research and innovation is done for the context of large scale, commercial farmers. Much of the innovation is focused on technologies and tools appropriate for these farmers. To develop pest management approaches useful to small-holders a new approach is needed; one that focuses on the needs, aspirations, and economic context of small-holder farmers. This approach focuses less on the technologies and sale of inputs, and more on the positive outcomes for the farmers and their families. We seek manuscripts that contribute to this new vision, via meta-analyses, case studies, reviews and policy recommendations.
The goal of this Research Topic is to highlight that the vast majority of the investment, research, and innovation for global pest management goes to supporting the approaches and tactics that work for large-scale, commercial farmers worldwide. We seek to highlight the urgent need to refocus this effort, so that the overwhelming majority of farmers can benefit from new investment and effort. Food security and improving household livelihoods would be bolstered by a new focus on the farmers and their contexts and needs, rather than the unilateral focus on technologies.
We seek manuscripts that focus on the needs, aspirations, and local context of pest management decisions by most farmers globally. Most pest management research and innovation is done for the context of large scale, commercial farmers. Much of the innovation is focused on technologies and tools appropriate for these farmers. To develop pest management approaches useful to small-holders a new approach is needed; one that focuses on the needs, aspirations, and economic context of small-holder farmers. This approach focuses less on the technologies and sale of inputs, and more on the positive outcomes for the farmers and their families. We seek manuscripts that contribute to this new vision, via meta-analyses, case studies, reviews and policy recommendations.
Keywords: crop pest management, small-holder farmers, food security, poverty
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
