Integrated Pest Management
The Office of Pest Management Policy is responsible for communicating across federal agencies to promote the development of pest management strategies that reduce the economic, environmental, and public health risks from pests as well as from the methods used to control them in agricultural and natural resource environments. On this page, read about Integrated Pest Management, the National Road Map for Integrated Pest Management, and the Federal Integrated Pest Management Coordinating Committee.
Integrated Pest Management
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a science-based decision-making process that combines tools and strategies to identify and manage pests. As defined in 7 U.S.C. § 136r, IPM is “a sustainable approach to managing pests by combining biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools in a way that minimizes economic, health, and environmental risks.” This law requires federal agencies to use IPM in their pest management activities and to promote IPM in their regulations, procurement, and other activities.
Pests are any organisms (including plants and animals) that pose health, environmental, economic, or aesthetic risks. An organism that is a pest in one environment may be benign or beneficial in others. IPM is relevant in all areas where pests may exist, including agriculture, forests, parks, wildlife refuges, and military bases, as well as residential and public areas, such as schools and public housing.
IPM provides economic, health, and environmental benefits. IPM practitioners use knowledge of pest and host biology in combination with biological and environmental monitoring to respond to pest problems with management tactics designed to:
- prevent unacceptable levels of pest damage;
- minimize the risk to people, property, infrastructure, natural resources, and the environment; and
- reduce the evolution of pest resistance to pesticides and other pest management practices.
Learn more about IPM from the USDA-supported Regional IPM Centers.
National Road Map for Integrated Pest Management
The National Road Map for Integrated Pest Management is coordinated by the Federal Integrated Pest Management Coordinating Committee (FIPMCC), chaired by the USDA Office of Pest Management Policy. The Road Map provides guidance to the IPM community on the adoption of effective, economical, and safe IPM practices, and on the development of new practices where needed. It defines and articulates pest management challenges across landscapes, rural and urban.
The Road Map prioritizes responses that mitigate impacts of invasive species, non-native organisms that are likely to cause economic or environmental harm, or harm to human, animal, or plant health by their introduction.
The Road Map identifies three potential approaches for strengthening IPM:
- improve economic and social analyses of adopting and implementing IPM practices, including assessing the benefits of practice adoption,
- reduce potential human health and safety risks from pests and related pest management strategies; and
- minimize adverse environmental effects from pests and related management practices.
To promote IPM development and adoption, and increase the benefits IPM provides nationally, the Road Map calls for enhanced investment in:
- new strategies and tactics for pest management,
- public and private education infrastructure, including existing land-grant university IPM and pesticide safety education programs,
- communication about the importance and effectiveness of IPM, and
- adoption and implementation of IPM plans and programs.
Read the most recent National Road Map for Integrated Pest Management (PDF, 341 KB).
Federal Integrated Pest Management Coordinating Committee
The Federal Integrated Pest Management Coordinating Committee (FIPMCC) provides leadership, management, and coordination on pest management issues, including Integrated Pest Management (IPM). FIPMCC is managed by the Office of Pest Management Policy (OPMP) in USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist, and reports to the Secretary of Agriculture through OPMP.
FIPMCC helps to identify priorities for IPM through information exchange among federal and non-federal researchers, educators, innovators, and IPM practitioners. The committee is composed of representatives of federal agencies with IPM research, implementation, or education programs. FIPMCC also includes public and private sector participants as appropriate, such as the Regional Integrated Pest Management Centers. The USDA-funded Regional IPM Centers gather information on the practice of IPM and have a broad role in communication about and regional coordination of IPM.
The history of federal IPM committees spans over 40 years; learn about the history of the Federal Integrated Pest Management Coordinating Committee (PDF, 130 KB).
FIPMCC Mission
FIPMCC’s role is to provide guidance in the establishment of goals and priorities for IPM programs across all IPM focus areas. FIPMCC provides strategic direction for federal IPM by:
- clearly defining, prioritizing, and articulating the goals of the federal IPM effort;
- making sure IPM efforts and resources are focused on those goals; and
- ensuring that appropriate measurements toward attaining those goals are in place.
FIPMCC Membership
The Federal Integrated Pest Management Coordinating Committee (FIPMCC) includes federal agencies as well as organizations in the public and private sectors. FIPMCC also coordinates with other federal committees working on pest management-related issues.
FIPMCC Federal Agencies
- Agency for International Development
- Department of Agriculture
- Agricultural Research Service
- Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
- Forest Service
- National Agricultural Statistics Service
- National Institute of Food and Agriculture
- Natural Resources Conservation Service
- Office of Pest Management Policy
- Department of Commerce
- National Marine Fisheries Service
- Department of Defense
- Armed Forces Pest Management Board
- Army Corps of Engineers
- Army Installation Management Command
- Public Health Command
- Department of Energy
- Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security
- Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes
- Department of Interior
- Bureau of Land Management
- Fish and Wildlife Service
- National Invasive Species Council
- National Park Service
- United States Geological Survey
- Department of Transportation
- Federal Highway Administration
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention
- Smithsonian Institution
FIPMCC Public and Private Sector Organizations
FIPMCC Federal Coordination
In addition to the member organizations above, FIPMCC coordinates with other federal interagency committees involved in pest management topics through the National Invasive Species Council, including:
- the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force (ANS Task Force),
- the Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds (FICMNEW),
- the Federal Interagency Committee on Invasive Terrestrial Animals and Pathogens (ITAP), and
- the Technical Advisory Group for Biological Control Agents of Weeds (TAG-BCAW).
