Towards a Biodiverse Agroecology: Stakes and Main Concepts

This introduction to the 2013 symposium workshop “Using Biodiversity” presents major challenges and core concepts for applying biodiversity in agroecosystems. It contrasts the post-war and green revolution paradigms—characterized by monocultures, high external inputs, and reduced biotic interactions—with an agroecological approach built on range complementarity, ecological principles, and enhanced resilience. The authors describe how diversifying crops and integrating plant-animal interfaces can optimize resource use, limit pest invasions through spatial heterogeneity, and reduce reliance on chemical inputs. They emphasize the need for new genetic objectives, decision-support tools, and diagnostic technologies to realize this paradigm shift.