Habitat provision for natural pest management in small-scale protected cropping and the potential for scalability

Abstract: Small-scale organic and agroecological producers cultivate diverse planting
combinations to promote biodiversity and support natural pest management. Plant diversity
within the polytunnels of Coventry Agroecological Living Lab (CALL) participants was
recorded and grower practices were examined. Growers were found to actively select and
combine plants to ensure the provision of shelter and forage known to benefit natural pest
enemies. They also demonstrated strong awareness of pest-predator interactions which
informed management techniques. The awareness and actions of smaller growers offer valuable insights for scaling up biodiversity-based pest management, and the potential for larger growers to adopt beneficial practices.