By Finbarr Horgan
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| Native stingless bees pollinate sunflowers at an ecologically engineered site in Rizal. |
Ecological engineering is a management strategy that strengthens the rice field’s natural capacity to cope with pests by building biodiversity. Field tests of this technology using fruits and vegetable crops to attract beneficial insects in rice paddies reduced pest populations. Results also showed that farmers’ practice of using insecticides sustained higher planthopper and leaffolder damage compared to control and ecologically engineered fields. These were some of the results of research activities under the
Ecological engineering approaches to restore and conserve ecosystem services for pest management project launched in 2013. The goal of the project was to reduce the environmental impact of rice farming and promote sustainable rice production.
