Chapter 02 · Nature, land & waterCoffee, Cocoa & Agricultural Commodities
Biological control
Definition
The reduction of pest populations through the action of natural enemies: predators, parasites, parasitoids and pathogens. Approaches include conserving existing enemies (conservation biological control), releasing mass-reared agents (augmentative), and introducing enemies from a pest's region of origin (classical biological control). It is a core component of integrated pest management (IPM).
References
Definition (pest decline via natural enemies); natural-enemy categories; pesticide-treadmill and secondary-outbreak dynamics; IPM compatibility.
Overview
What it means
Biological control substitutes ecological regulation for chemical intervention. Its dynamics are systemic: broad-spectrum pesticides can kill the natural enemies that were quietly suppressing pests, triggering "secondary pest outbreaks" and a cycle of increasing chemical dependence known as the "pesticide treadmill".
Effective biocontrol therefore depends on reducing non-selective pesticide use and maintaining habitat for beneficial organisms.
How it is used
Farmers deploy biocontrol through habitat management (flower strips, beetle banks), commercial releases (parasitoid wasps in greenhouses), and classical programmes against invasive pests. In sustainability standards for cocoa, coffee and horticulture, biocontrol and IPM adoption serve as indicators of reduced chemical risk.
Why it matters
With pesticide resistance rising and pollinator and soil health declining, biological control offers pest regulation as an ecosystem service rather than a purchased input — a working example of replacing chemical throughput with ecological knowledge.