Mission & Values

Our Mission

Founded in 1996, the Dietrick Institute for Applied Insect Ecology offers learning opportunities in ecologically–based pest management.

We help people learn practical strategies to benefit from biodiversity in soil and aerial food webs. Among the many benefits is plant resistance to and natural biological control of pests and disease. We partner with farmers and others (including agricultural educators) in observing agroecosystems and growing resistant plants and habitats in farming systems with increasing biodiversity and decreasing pest problems.

Our Values

We believe in ‘farmers first’—that civilization is entirely dependent on farmers and agriculture (including forestry and fisheries) is central to human economies. Healthy communities are our context, diversity our strength, interconnectedness our perspective, growing food, fiber and medicine our focus, and learning our objective. Consultation among women and men in equal partnership and with farmers of color, e. g. Black, Latino and Asian, and those holding Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge, who have been denied access to land and resources — together contribute to understanding problems, finding solutions, and acting responsibly for future generations.