Simplifying environmental risk management for pesticides - a computer-based risk management tool for landholders and extension personnel.

Increasing concern for the protection of natural environments has placed increased pressure on landholders to be more environmentally responsible in their use of farm chemicals, especially pesticides. The Australian sugarcane industry, stretching over 2000 km of sensitive coastal catchments, uses significant quantities of agricultural chemicals, particularly herbicides. Making responsible management decisions on the selection of pesticides and their application, where wide climatic and landscape variability can have significant impacts on the fate of applied chemicals, can be complex and overwhelming. A new computer-based software package has been developed to assist landholders in the sugarcane industry to make responsible decisions that are applicable for their particular location. The integration of the science-based understanding of the processes influencing off-site movement of pesticides is combined with site-specific information to develop simplified risk assessment of the proposed management action. While there are other knowledge-based/expert systems and models available, none of these cover the full site-specific situations where local rainfall patterns, soil characteristics, farm design and critical spatial and temporal dimensions are used to assess risk. The paper describes the key features of the package and outlines how the system can be effective for landholders, extension and educational personnel.