Dear readers, I have been addressing some aspects of biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems, since, without a doubt, at present I consider it to be a fundamental element for achieving the sustainability of these agricultural and livestock areas. For the Latin American Scientific Society of Agroecology, the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity is one of the most important challenges that humanity has to face in these times, due to the fact that a high percentage of terrestrial ecosystems in the world have been transformed into agroecosystems.
In this sense, I must mention that my country Venezuela does not escape from this situation, since there are large extensions of land (natural ecosystems) destined for agriculture and livestock, but much of it is based on the exploitation of monoculture with resistant plant varieties, supported by the use of a range of chemical products of artificial synthesis and high technology, which are generally not within the reach of most farmers and have caused the loss of the fertile layer of soils, decreased biodiversity, pollution, reduction of labor among other deficiencies.
On the other hand, I consider that the main cause of the appearance of pests is the loss of biodiversity; agriculture is a human activity that implies the reduction of biodiversity, and this leads to the loss of the characteristics of natural communities; therefore, we seek to increase a functional biodiversity that offers ecological services similar to the natural ones and that favors a preventive pest management under the conditions that prevail locally for agricultural and livestock exploitation.
Taking into account the serious problem mentioned above and the advantages provided by functional biodiversity to agroecosystems, the use of biological and organic controls is feasible. To this end, the National Institute for Agricultural Research (INIA) has been trying for several years to include ecological practices in Venezuelan agriculture, such as integrated pest management (IPM) based on biological control in fruit trees, Participative research has been carried out including the producer as the main actor in the incorporation of biological agents in different areas of the country, among which we can highlight the southern area of Lake Maracaibo, specifically the municipalities of Francisco Javier Pulgar, Sucre and Colón.
In the same vein, dear readers, researchers such as Altieri y Nicholls(2007), state that in modern agroecosystems, experimental evidence suggests that biodiversity can be used to improve pest management. Some studies have shown that it is possible to stabilize insect populations in agroecosystems by designing and constructing plant architectures that maintain populations of natural enemies or have direct deterrent effects on pest herbivores. Therefore, it is advisable to replace simple systems with diverse ones or to add variety to existing systems, in order to achieve changes in the habitat that favor the abundance of natural enemies and their effectiveness.
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- Altieri, M. and Nicholls, C. 2007. Agroecological conversion of conventional production systems: theories, strategies and evaluation. Ecosystems Journal. Vol. 16 (1) p 3-12.
- Socla. 2009. Agroecological thinking: foundations and applications. Colombia. Editor Altieri, M. 364 p.
- Zambrano, C. and García, R. 2006. Integrated pest management in tropical fruit trees. Venezuela. Printing Karol Productions C.A. 334p.
