One of the key aims of the Plantwise programme, led by CABI, is to reduce pesticide misuse. Through plant clinics, farmers are provided with a range of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) options by plant doctors who emphasise pest monitoring and prevention options before direct control measures.

Country surveys carried out in Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam in 2017 revealed that, after attending plant clinics, both men and women farmers had reduced the frequency of pesticide applications on their crops, replaced the most toxic chemicals with safer alternatives, increased the use of non-chemical options to tackle pests and diseases, stopped applying pesticides on the advice of friends and agro-dealers, and reported a dramatic decrease in health problems.