SIF 2022 Interview with Walther Enkerlin Hoeflich

I have been dedicating most of my professional career in trying to promote and develop sustainable pest control methods within an integrated pest management approach, including the sterile insect technology. The technique is effective and environment-friendly. It is based on the mass production and sterilization of these insects, which are released on target areas where the pest is doing damage. What the National Plant Protection Organizations can do to continue promoting the use and adoption of this technology? Well, there are a number of things that can be done, including reflecting these tools, these technologies, in the policies of the National Plant Protection Organization, so that it can be picked up by the farmers, by the private sectors. We need also to improve or provide more resources into capacity building. This technology requires some minimum infrastructure and know-how, so we need to invest more in capacity building. This can be done through a number of mechanisms, including the technical cooperation projects. And also we need to involve more financial institutions, like the World Bank or the BID, or mechanisms such as the STD, to be able to create this capacity and fund these initiatives for this innovative technology. We also need to raise the awareness, not only the awareness of the direct beneficiaries and the decision makers, but also the awareness of the general public, as this is an inclusive technology. It is a participative approach, where you need all the stakeholders, all the interested parties involved in the implementation.