ABSTRACT
Agroecological alternatives to synthetic pesticides, designed to lower the numbers of pest insects while lessening their impacts on the crop, depend on a range of beneficial interactions between different components of the agroecosystem. These interactions take many forms (Chapter 15, pp. 211-213), but only come about when diversity and complexity are a central priority in agroecosystem management. Only with high diversity is there a potential for beneficial interactions.
