Pests or Pesticides? Which is more difficult to manage?

Knowledge Spectrum Series – Webinar No. 13

[A part of the Learning Network on Agroecology and Food Systems]

📅 16 May 2026, Saturday | 🕐 3:00 to 4:30 pm IST 

💻 CSA Zoom and YouTube | 🌐 In English | Free to attend

(The Zoom link will be shared with registered participants only)

Context

The International Day of Plant Health (IDPH) is observed every year on 12 May, established by the UN General Assembly. It builds on the momentum of the International Year of Plant Health (2020), raising public and policymaker awareness of the critical role plant health plays in achieving the UN 2030 Agenda.

The 2026 theme — “Plant Biosecurity for Food Security” — focuses on preventing the entry, establishment, and spread of harmful pests and diseases. The premise is clear: prevention is far more effective and cost-efficient than response. FAO estimates that up to 40% of food crops are lost every year to plant pests and diseases, with severe consequences for food security and farming livelihoods worldwide.

At the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA), we have spent over two decades asking what this global framing often leaves out: have the tools deployed in the name of plant protection — chemical pesticides, herbicides, and GMO crops — become a systemic threat in themselves? The field evidence from Indian farms says yes. Pesticide-resistant pest populations are growing. Herbicide-resistant weeds are spreading. Beneficial insects are in steep decline. Soils are losing biological life. And farming families are carrying the health and debt burden of a system that promised security but delivered dependency.

The 2026 theme’s emphasis on prevention over response aligns directly with what CSA’s Non-Pesticidal Management (NPM) approach has demonstrated across thousands of farms: that ecological, knowledge-based, farmer-centred protection is not only possible — it outperforms chemical dependency over time.

This session is CSA’s contribution to the global conversation on plant health — grounded in field evidence, not ideology.

Webinar on Plant Health

In Session 13 of the Knowledge Spectrum Series, we return with a conversation that goes to the heart of this contradiction. Dr GV Ramanjaneyulu, Agricultural Scientist and Executive Director of CSA, will unpack:

• The real cost of pesticide and herbicide dependency on Indian farms
• What GMO crops promised, and what the field evidence actually shows
• How NPM and agroecological alternatives address pest pressure — without the collateral damage
• Practical questions from the field, answered

Join us on 16th May 2026, to ask the question that biosecurity frameworks often leave out: What are we securing our plants against — and at what cost?

Registration Link ← : Click here

Who Should Attend?

This session is designed for Farmers, NGOs in agriculture, professionals, extension staff, consultants, and agriculture enthusiasts and students who engage with these questions in their daily work and want a grounded, evidence-based conversation — not a sales pitch in either direction. The discussion will be hosted online by Dr GV Ramanjaneyulu. Please find more details below:

About the Speaker

Speaker – G.V. Ramanjaneyulu, Founder & Executive Director, Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA)

Dr GV Ramanjaneyulu is an Agricultural Scientist specialising in agroecology and sustainable pest management. As Executive Director of CSA, he has led the development and field-scale implementation of Non-Pesticidal Management (NPM) across India — from its early roots in Punukula village, Andhra Pradesh, to a state-wide programme spanning 18 districts that reduced pesticide use by 50% by 2010. His published work critically examines Bt cotton’s claims, herbicide dependency, and ecological alternatives. He has co-authored foundational NPM texts and contributed peer-reviewed research on sustaining agriculture-based livelihoods without chemical inputs. 

Webinar Series

The Knowledge Spectrum Series was designed as an open online platform to facilitate meaningful dialogue on Indian agriculture and agroecology. The sessions brought together practitioners, scientists, policy watchers, and community leaders to unpack key challenges and 

emerging opportunities, while addressing frequently asked questions (FAQs) and debunking widespread myths.

Over the past year, KSS has hosted a diverse set of webinars, accessible here:

 🎥 Knowledge Spectrum Series Playlist on CSA’s YouTube Channel – Krishi TV

Topics covered earlier included:

• Establishment of Bioresource Centres
• Foundations and distinctions of organic and natural farming practices
• Learnings from the NGGB Scheme in Chhattisgarh
• Understanding the Agri Infrastructure Fund (AIF)
• Role of Nitrogen in Plant-Soil Systems
• Direct-Seeded Rice (DSR) – Its practical perspectives
• Regenerative agriculture and systems thinking
• Grant for Agroecology Program (GAP) and funding strategies
• Seed Bill 2025: What it means for farmers and farmer cooperatives