WHY PESTS AND DISEASES REGULATION SHOULD CONCERN MANKIND

Abstract

Nature, through balancing mechanisms, provides ecosystem services, comprising provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services for the survival of mankind (MEA, Ecosystems and human well-being: biodiversity synthesis. World Resources Institute, Washington, DC, 2005). The balance and stability is usually upset by interventions or development activities, thereby threatening survival. Maintaining the balance guarantees sustainable development. Pests and disease regulation provides one component of managing the ecosystem. This chapter highlights why pest and disease regulation is important in contributing to sustainable agricultural production and development. Continued multidisciplinary research efforts are needed to enable understanding of the biological interactions between pests, beneficial and host communities on one hand and the interactions between and among cost-effective pest management methods, soil health, climate change, food security and human well-being on the other hand. The holistic approach in developing the understanding of the role of pest and disease regulation in the ecosystem will ultimately contribute to the development of appropriate strategies for the achievement of human well-being