Impact evaluation indicators of an Integrated Pest Management program in vegetable crops in the subtropical region of Jammu and Kashmir, India Rakesh Sharma a , Rajinder Peshin b, * , Uma Shankar c , Virender Kaul c , Sushma Sharma d a Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, India b Division of Agricultural Extension Education, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, India c Division of Entomology, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, India d Department of Zoology, GGM Science College, Jammu, India article info Article history: Received 29 June 2014 Received in revised form 3 October 2014 Accepted 19 October 2014 Available online 8 November 2014 Keywords: IPM Evaluation indicators Pesticide use Drivers of pesticide use abstract A reduction in the amount of active ingredients by weight (low-dosage pesticides replacing pesticides with a higher dosage) is not a strong indicator to measure the impact of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs because the toxicity of the pesticides to humans and the environment is not considered. Although, pesticide use frequency is a good indicator to measure the impact, it does not consider the qualitative aspect of the use of more toxic pesticides of low dosage. The field environmental impact quotient (FEIQ) developed at Cornell University, USA, considers the toxicological aspect of the pesticides used. A field study was conducted to evaluate the long-term impact on vegetable Integrated Pest Management-Farmer Field School (IPM-FFS) Program, implemented in the 2000s, in the sub-tropical Jammu region of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. A sample of 80 IPM-trained and 60 non-IPM farmers were selected for the study. Pesticide use by weight in the non-IPM villages was greater in the cases of cauliflower and eggplant by about 19 and 39%, respectively, but in the case of cabbage and okra it was less by 12 and 26%, compared to the IPM villages. The mean numbers of pesticide applications were lower in the IPM villages by 23, 22 and 40% on cauliflower, okra and eggplant, respectively. Overall, the IPM-trained farmers had reduced pesticide use (active ingredients), by weight by 10%, and by treatment frequency by 29% in vegetable crops. The FEIQ of pesticide use was higher in the IPM villages compared to the non-IPM villages, as the farmers trained under the IPM program applied more toxic pesticides. Pesticide retailers were the key source of information on pesticides for both IPM-trained and non-IPM farmers and they affected the farmers' selection and use. Our study explains that FEIQ of pesticide use in combination with the amount of pesticide-active ingredients and application frequency are good indicators to measure the impact of IPM programs on agriculture. Under the IPM programs, mass media should be utilized to get accurate information about the judicious use of pesticides to as many farmers and pesticide retailers as possible, as reaching 108 million farmers through Farmer Field Schools (FFSs) is not possible. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Small-scale vegetable production has made India the second largest producer of vegetables in the world, next to China. India produces 156.33 million tons of vegetables annually from an area of 8.99 million hectares, with an average productivity of 17.4 t/ha (NHB, 2011). The area under production of vegetable crops has increased about three-fold in the last six decades. This has resulted in about a nine-fold increase in vegetable production (Kodandaram et al., 2013). High yielding varieties, off-season cultivation, hybrid vegetable seeds, and high external inputs contributed to a three- fold increase in productivity. However, monoculture and exces- sive use of pesticides resulted in dramatic changes in insect pest outbreaks leading to minor pests emerging as major pests. The extent of crop loss due to insects varies with the crop type, crop location, damage potential of the insect pests involved, and the cropping season. Overall, insect pests inflict crop losses of 30e40% in vegetable production (Shivalingswami et al., 2002). The * Corresponding author. Fax: þ91 1912263891. E-mail address: rpeshin@rediffmail.com (R. Peshin). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Crop Protection journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cropro http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2014.10.014 0261-2194/© 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Crop Protection 67 (2015) 191e199