The wonder and importance of biological control in farming and agrifood systems

Simplemente agotado … how tired!! Sunburned, running low on water and my trousers caked with mud—that’s how my first day of field research in the Yeguare River valley, Honduras, ended back in 2002. From that day on, for two years, I imagined myself aboard Darwin’s Beagle or the Victoria, the carrack...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor principal: Wyckhuys, Kris A.G.
Formato: Blog Post
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2024
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/168517
_version_ 1855541263605956608
author Wyckhuys, Kris A.G.
author_browse Wyckhuys, Kris A.G.
author_facet Wyckhuys, Kris A.G.
author_sort Wyckhuys, Kris A.G.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Simplemente agotado … how tired!! Sunburned, running low on water and my trousers caked with mud—that’s how my first day of field research in the Yeguare River valley, Honduras, ended back in 2002. From that day on, for two years, I imagined myself aboard Darwin’s Beagle or the Victoria, the carrack on which Magellan had circumnavigated the globe. On my daily journey of ecological discovery and exploration, I was alone yet more connected than ever. Magnifying glass in hand and aspirator bottle at the ready, my days were spent scanning maize plants’ foliage for the six-legged creatures that devoured farmers’ crop pests. Those bugs kept me going: I was hooked on the mystery, surprise, and beauty of a seemingly simple, yet utterly complex farmland ecosystem. To cite the late E.O. Wilson, I could have spent “a lifetime in a Magellanic voyage” around those maize stalks! Filled with a sense of wonder, every day brought a revelation, a new interaction logged, and a piece of the food system sustainability puzzle uncovered. Most of my days ended tired … yet truly inspired.
format Blog Post
id CGSpace168517
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2024
publishDateRange 2024
publishDateSort 2024
publisher International Food Policy Research Institute
publisherStr International Food Policy Research Institute
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1685172025-01-03T19:12:05Z The wonder and importance of biological control in farming and agrifood systems Wyckhuys, Kris A.G. biological control agrifood systems farming systems Simplemente agotado … how tired!! Sunburned, running low on water and my trousers caked with mud—that’s how my first day of field research in the Yeguare River valley, Honduras, ended back in 2002. From that day on, for two years, I imagined myself aboard Darwin’s Beagle or the Victoria, the carrack on which Magellan had circumnavigated the globe. On my daily journey of ecological discovery and exploration, I was alone yet more connected than ever. Magnifying glass in hand and aspirator bottle at the ready, my days were spent scanning maize plants’ foliage for the six-legged creatures that devoured farmers’ crop pests. Those bugs kept me going: I was hooked on the mystery, surprise, and beauty of a seemingly simple, yet utterly complex farmland ecosystem. To cite the late E.O. Wilson, I could have spent “a lifetime in a Magellanic voyage” around those maize stalks! Filled with a sense of wonder, every day brought a revelation, a new interaction logged, and a piece of the food system sustainability puzzle uncovered. Most of my days ended tired … yet truly inspired. 2024-12-30 2025-01-03T19:12:04Z 2025-01-03T19:12:04Z Blog Post https://hdl.handle.net/10568/168517 en Open Access International Food Policy Research Institute Wyckhuys, Kris A.G. 2024. The wonder and importance of biological control in farming and agrifood systems. IFPRI blog. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://www.ifpri.org/blog/the-wonder-and-importance-of-biological-control-in-farming-and-agrifood-systems/
spellingShingle biological control
agrifood systems
farming systems
Wyckhuys, Kris A.G.
The wonder and importance of biological control in farming and agrifood systems
title The wonder and importance of biological control in farming and agrifood systems
title_full The wonder and importance of biological control in farming and agrifood systems
title_fullStr The wonder and importance of biological control in farming and agrifood systems
title_full_unstemmed The wonder and importance of biological control in farming and agrifood systems
title_short The wonder and importance of biological control in farming and agrifood systems
title_sort wonder and importance of biological control in farming and agrifood systems
topic biological control
agrifood systems
farming systems
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/168517
work_keys_str_mv AT wyckhuyskrisag thewonderandimportanceofbiologicalcontrolinfarmingandagrifoodsystems
AT wyckhuyskrisag wonderandimportanceofbiologicalcontrolinfarmingandagrifoodsystems