In a healthy natural habitat, pest infestations are controlled by pest predators and if the balance is right, pest numbers are kept to a minimum and plants can remain healthy because that damage is negligible. This includes life that resides in the soil, on the soil or in plants. Unfortunately all life, pests and predators are wiped out when a farmer sprays to control the pest levels. Chemical pest control wipes out the natural control and in monoculture (the practice of single crop fields) the habitat is not ideal for pest predators. So how do we tackle the problem in the transitional phases? Farmers firstly need to provide the ideal habitat for pest predators. My experience is that pest predators do not necessarily require specific plant types in which to live, they require structure in the form of shrubs, trees, grass and a healthy soil adequately covered with dead plant matter. The provision of this structured habitat for predators will take some time to establish properly, so until we have created the right environment, we still have to contend with the pests. This can be done in a controlled manner; (a) by teaching farmers what are predators or pests (b) teaching the farmers to 'scout' their fields and record pest and predator numbers and to use given pest/predator numbers as a guide as to when to spray and (c) to spray using chemicals that pose the least threat to the natural environment.
As already stated, the transition will take time, and until such time the natural balance is achieved and the farmer understands what is required to maintain that balance, some 'modern farming' practices will have to be used, but only as a last resort and only in a strictly controlled way.
More to come......................
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