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The Center's work will address five objectives: 1) to develop signature Global Food Security programs and foster their sustainability, 2) to establish and maintain multistate information networks, 3) to build partnerships and address challenges and opportunities, 4) to review and evaluate outcomes and impacts of IPM implementation and communicate the successes and the value added by IPM programs, and 5) to manage funding resources effectively. <P>All of these objectives will be carried out in the context of two overarching goals: 1) to improve the cost benefit analyses of adopting IPM practices and 2) to reduce the environmental and human health risks associated with managing pests.
Non-Technical Summary: <BR>The Western Integrated Pest Management Center (WIPMC, or the Center) will advance the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) Global Food Security priority area and the goals of the National Roadmap for Integrated Pest Management in the western United States (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and the Pacific Basin Territories). Center activities and programs will advance Global Food Security by leading and supporting programs that implement IPM solutions to enhance sustainable food systems and boost U.S. agricultural production. Roadmap goals will be advanced by Center activities that lead to improved economic benefits of IPM adoption and reduced potential risks to human health and the environment caused by pests and the use of pest management practices. <P> Approach: <BR> In carrying out these objectives and advancing these goals, the Center will provide regional leadership and coordination to facilitate integration of sustainable IPM activities across states, purposes, programs, and pest disciplines and among individuals, institutions, and regions. By offering competitive grants, supporting communication networks, obtaining ongoing stakeholder input about IPM needs, and fostering collaborations and partnerships, the Center will provide a centralized regional platform for addressing critical IPM needs and integrating IPM research, extension, and education in the West. This approach also ensures the Center will be responding to food security challenges on a global scale. The leadership and funding opportunities provided by the Center will bring together the institutional and individual expertise needed to successfully address high-priority pest management issues confronting farmers, pest managers, the non-agricultural public, and others in the West.