Author Description

Achieving the theoretical goal of integrated pest management (IPM), maintaining pest populations at levels below an economic threshold through a combination of tactics, has so far proved difficult to attain. Production systems, particularly specialized commodity production based on economies of scale, place constraints on IPM, but managing agroecosystem health is an alternative that incorporates IPM into its multiple goals and benefits. This chapter describes the shift in focus required for agroecosystem health from particular commodities to diversified landscapes and agroecosystems, from pest suppression to ecosystem services, from technological inputs to ecological knowledge and experience, and from management by individuals to management by human populations and organizations. The chapter presents some detailed case studies of IPM via agroecosystem management and looks ahead to future research trends in this area.