EARTH SUMMIT+5 Special Session of the General Assembly to Review and Appraise the Implementation of Agenda 21 New York, 23-27 June 1997 SUCCESS STORIES FROM LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

	Mediterranean Fruit Fly Eradication in Chile
	Location	Region I, Arica, Chile
	Responsible organization(s)	Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture.
	Description	The Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) is a pest that destroys millions worth of dollars in fruit crops per year in infested areas. Although the fruit-production of the southern and central regions of Chile has been maintained pest free, its produce was still restricted from certain international export markets because of the fear of outbreaks caused by the presence of medfly in Northern Chile. The introduction of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), a type of insect "birth control", has been successful and demonstrated to be a more environment- friendly pest control method. The joint FAO/IAEA division and the IAEA's Technical Cooperation Department, supported the Chilean Agriculture Service thorough project planning, design of the sterilization facility in Chile's Arica-Lluta Valley, training of project staff, provision of expert services and specialized equipment, and administering of Chilean funds held in trust.
	Issues addressed	Pest control based on insecticides is unsustainable because of the chemical residues on fruit, the negative effects on non-target organisms and the environmental effects, and the emergence of resistance to the pesticides in the pest.
	Objectives	Eradicating the Mediterranean fruit fly; sustainable agriculture.
	Results achieved	A medfly-mass rearing facility with a production capacity of ca. 60 million sterile flies per week was completed in 1993. The continuous and systematic release of sterile Mediterranean fruit flies culminated in the eradication of this pest from the country. No wild medflies have been detected in Chile since early 1995, thereby successfully concluding a 32-year unceasing campaign against this pest. The Government of Peru and Chile have recently requested from FAO/IAEA a Bi-National Technical Cooperation project for the biennium 1997-1998, to expand the Chilean SIT to eradicate pest in the three southern most regions of Peru and to prepare for integrated control in other Peruvian Regions.
	Financing	Government of Chile (12,590,000 US$) and IAEA (316,918 US$).
	Contact	Dr. Jorge Hendrichs, Head, Insect and Pest Control Section Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture Tel +43-1-2060 21628, Fax: +43-1-2067.