Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is viewed as an environmentally-friendly, sustainable strategy for protecting crops from insect and other pests. In 1992 the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development declared IPM the preferred pest management strategy, but IPM implementation around the world has often been slow and uneven. The premise of this article is that government intervention is a necessary (but not sufficient) condition for the speedy implementation, and sustained use, of IPM. The article reviews selected national government policy strategies, beyond simple funding of IPM research and development, which have acted to promote IPM implementation.