payoff to public investments in pest-management R&D: general issues and a case study emphasizing integrated pest management in California

Pest-management technologies have had to adapt to address evolving pesticide resistance problems and changes in regulations driven by environmental and human health concerns. Integrated pest management, founded in the University of California, is an important example. Using California as a case study, this paper describes the post-World War II history of agricultural pest-management technology, documents the development and use of chemical pesticides, describes the role of public research, and measures the benefits and costs for five important commodities, emphasizing integrated pest management.