The term ‘alternatives’ has different meanings. Quite often it is used to talk about alternative chemical pesticides in terms of less toxic chemical pesticides. However, the history of chemical intensive agriculture shows that often pesticides initially judged as positive alternatives themselves turned out to be problematic after some years. A second use of the term ‘alternatives’ refers to non-chemical or bio-pesticides and yet a third use relates to alternative plant protection systems or non-chemical pest management strategies.
In its definition of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), the Code of Conduct advocates a holistic approach to plant protection where prophylactic measures to avoid the occurrence of pests play a key role in plant production
(see
FAO Code Art. 2).