Agroecological Approaches to Combat Pest Resistance

The widespread and repeated use of chemical pesticides and single-mechanism resistance traits has driven the evolution of resistant pest populations worldwide, eroding the long-term effectiveness of conventional pest control. Agroecological approaches—including habitat and crop diversification, biological control, push-pull strategies, and landscape-level management—offer alternative or complementary pathways to suppress pest populations while reducing the selective pressure that drives resistance evolution. This article reviews the empirical and theoretical evidence for these approaches, drawing on case studies from Sub-Saharan Africa and broader meta-analytic evidence, and considers how agroecological principles can be integrated with genetic resistance-management strategies for transgenic crops.