Presentation: Kris A.G. Wyckhuys is a Belgian bio-science engineer and insect ecologist (PhD, 2005, Purdue). Kris works as an independent consultant exploring nature-based solutions to pest control in both temperate and tropical settings. His work is aimed at promoting biological control under an IPM umbrella and at devising sustainable farming systems that are protective of human and environmental health. Over the past 25 years, he has gained hands-on expertise in a range of cropping systems including smallholder maize in Central America, cotton in China, horticultural crops in the Andes, soybean in the US Midwest and the European greenhouse sector. He has conducted consultancy work for entities such as FAO, CIRAD, GRET or EFSA, amongst others. At present, Kris is involved in several research / integrated rural development projects in Asia, Latin America and Europe. He is also a Guest Professor at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences CAAS (China), Honorary Associate Professor at University of Queensland (Australia) and Jinshan Scholar at Fujian Agricultural and Forestry University (China). He was previously employed at the CGIAR as tropical fruit entomologist (in Colombia) and cassava entomologist (in Vietnam). During 2013-2017, Kris joined hands with FAO to roll out biological control against the invasive cassava mealybug across Southeast Asia – a well-orchestrated, multi-country campaign which reconstituted crop yields by 5-10 tonnes per ha and now annually yields min. US$ 3 billion in enhanced profits for Asia’s cassava industry. This while effectively curbing pesticide use on a ~5 million ha crop at a continental scale. Kris is a passionate advocate of biodiversity friendly agriculture and has over 150 publications in peer-reviewed journals. Some of those e.g., on the insect biodiversity decline or the economic pay-off of non-chemical crop protection have been featured in the global press.
