Yet more than 800 million people worldwide do not get enough to eat. Between 1990 and 1997, one-third of the world's children under the age of 5 were underweight. One child younger than 5 years old dies from hunger and related causes every 2.7 seconds. Both farmers who grow crops for subsistence and those who grow for profit often plant their land so frequently that the soil cannot replenish its nutrients. This overuse hurts the soil and crop yields in the long run.
Some farmers also use chemical fertilizers and pesticides to yield bigger crops with fewer losses.
But some of these chemicals can damage people's health and harm the environment. IPM programs help farmers find alternatives to chemicals for controlling insects, weeds, and crop diseases. For example, some IPM farmers control weeds with predator bugs. In Indonesia, Cornell's program helps cabbage farmers manage insects. Farmers who limit their chemical use can have healthy crops and hardy land.