“Ecological Pest Management," the fifth episode in“What is Sustainable Agriculture?” animation series, introduces key components of ecological pest management and is intended to complement more detailed training materials.

Dig Deeper: Ecological Pest Management

Information for farmers, ranchers, educators and researchers who are seeking to use ecological pest management practices.

Stories from the Field

Here are some of the ways SARE grantees are improving farm and ranch sustainability with ecological pest management.

Virginia farmer Patrick Johnson

Using Locally Sourced Wood Chips for Effective Weed Management

" "Locally available hardwood mulch not only controls weeds when properly applied, but also helps with water retention, and can help increase production of vegetable crops." Patrick Johnson, NANIH Farm and Garden " THE CHALLENGE Weed control can be a constant struggle for organic growers, who cannot use the herbicides typically employed by conventional farmers.…

Seed samples taken from weeds suspected to have developed herbicide resistance

Equipping Farmers with Tools to Manage Herbicide-Resistant Weeds

" "Montana State University Extension agents and crop consultants mentioned that this was a much-needed educational program for dealing with herbicide resistance." Prashant Jha, Montana State University " THE CHALLENGE Herbicide-resistant weeds have emerged in many parts of the country as one of the biggest threats to the sustainability of agriculture. A recent survey revealed…

Resources and Learning

Browse all of SARE's resources on ecological pest management. Examples include:

Tomatoes and Mulch

Pest Management

Good organic pest control and management entails weed control, weed prevention, organic insect control and plant disease control, all of which rely on approaches and techniques such as integrated pest management, biological control, ecological strategies, physical control and shade cloths. In this section, you’ll find some overlap between the weed, insect and pathogen sections. Please […]

Crop Rotation publication cover

Crop Rotation on Organic Farms

Crop rotation strategies that can be applied under various field conditions for conventional or organic crops to improve soil quality and health, and manage pests, diseases, and weeds