The Role of Grower Education in Biological Control

To be successful, biological control programs need to be explained and demonstrated to farmers, the public, and governmental officials responsible for formulating agricultural and environmental policies (Van Driesche 1989a; Andrews et al. 1992). Agricultural extension employees and the public communication media play key roles in this process. This chapter considers: (1) the needs of farmers for concepts and specific information concerning biological control; (2) media resources used to train farmers and other groups; (3) improving knowledge of extension agents about biological control; (4) explaining biological control to politicians; and (5) communicating with environmental groups.