Pest Management Alliance Grants Awarded 2019

Back to Funded Pest Management Alliance Grants (2007 - present)

Project Summaries

Expanding IPM Adoption Among Affordable Housing Providers
Sponsor: Regional Asthma Management & Prevention
Principal Investigator: Anne Kelsey Lamb
Funding totals: $172,500

Pest infestations are a common problem, especially in multi-family rental housing. Too often, infestations are addressed by routine spraying of pesticides, which may be ineffective at long-term reduction of pest populations because it fails to address the cause of the infestations. This project will increase the use of IPM among affordable housing providers, organizations that build and manage subsidized housing for low-income individuals and families. Two to three affordable housing providers in the Bay Area will be supported in transitioning their properties to IPM, by providing tools and hands-on technical assistance, along with financial support to partially cover costs associated with the change in pest management. The implemented IPM techniques will be evaluated in the last year of the project and the findings and lessons will be disseminated to 7,000 affordable housing providers statewide to encourage them to consider IPM. In addition, the findings will be shared through listservs and trainings.

Media contact: Anne Kelsey Lamb, Principal Investigator, 510-285-5500, Anne@rampasthma.org

Dissemination and Training for Citrus Spray Application Expert System Adoption in California
Sponsor: Kearney Agricultural Research & Extension Center (UC ANR)
Principal Investigator: Peter Ako Larbi
Funding totals: $194,591

This project is intended to raise general awareness of the need for efficient spray application and provide active and specific guidance on how to achieve it in complex field situations. Pesticide applications increasingly rely on models based on many factors, which can be difficult to calculate independently. Pesticide application frequency or quantity will be reduced in citrus by increasing efficiency using an expert system (ES) that leads the user to best practices of pesticide application. Field conditions are complex and shift often, and the ES is intended to be agile and easy to use. Initial deployment will be for airblast sprayers on citrus and the ES will be tested as a planning and evaluation tool for applicators and their supervisors, a tool for pesticide training meetings, and  an educational tool for agricultural students at the high school and college level. Project funding will support field days, conference presentations, and grower meetings to increase knowledge and adoption of the ES.

Media contact: Peter Ako Larbi, Principal Investigator, 559-646-6577, palarbi@ucanr.edu

For content questions, contact:
Tory Vizenor
1001 I Street, P.O. Box 4015
Sacramento, CA 95812-4015
E-mail: Tory.Vizenor@cdpr.ca.gov