Indiscriminate use of insecticides in onion cultivation with intensive agronomic practices affected both farm profitability and the environment. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an approach which uses increased information to make pest control decisions and also uses multiple tactics to manage pest populations in a way that is both economically efficient and ecologically sound. This study evaluates the economic and ecological benefits of onion IPM. Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ) measures the potential impact of pesticides on human health and environment. This pesticide risk indicator model was applied on pesticide management and practices in onion on a dataset of 264 farmers part of them practicing integrated pest management in onion. Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ) for various pesticides used by onion farmers was taken from published sources and the EIQ field rating was calculated for the different group of farmers. EIQ field rating for environment is low for IPM farmers (387) and it is higher for non-IPM farmers (517). Hence the study reveals that adoption of IPM will enhance the environmental quality, human health and soil health.
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