In November, 1986, in response to serious pest infestation that threatened 70% of Java’s rice, President Soeharto issued a directive (Inpres 3/1986) that put into place a set of practices that provided Indonesia with relative food security and continuing high production for nearly a quarter century. These practices have been gradually undermined and similar pest problems to those of the mid-1980s have begun to recur. This presentation looks at previous pest infestations and compares them with the current situation and prospects for the future.