monoculture next to edible forest garden

Hi,  some years ago i started a forest garden. I just let everything grow to study the plants , i planted some pionner trees and then let everything grow.  SOme time later my land became full of native plants and a lot of plants that locals call "bad weed" and that they usually kill with  herbicides but for me they are not "bad weed" some of them are nitrogen fixers  and meet different ecological functions.
Next to my land there are other lands where people cultivate grapes( a monoculture using hervicides and in a non-ecological way)  for wine production.
A few days ago one of the owners of these lands told me that letting everything to grow in my land is bad for their monoculture land because my land generates insects and pest that spread to their land infecting their plants.  But my land is full of different plants in a chaotic way... I told then i dont think thats true because "biodiversity generates resilience".  

They want me to put herbicides in my land because they say my herbs affects in a negative way their grape production.


What do you think?  Is it true what they say that having a lot of plants  ( a lot of what they call bad weed) affects negatively their land?

They also say that my land not only spread diseases and insects to their land but also that it affect the fertility of their land.  Can this be possible?  Having a chaotic full of plants and herbs land next to a monoculture affects negatively the production of the monoculture?

What do you think? And what do you recommend?
In what way my land affect my neighbours?  Are they right or wrong?

Thanks in advance

R.

They're wrong. The only thing drawing grape pests to their land is an abundance of grapes.

If you wanted to make sure, you could focus on planting lots of pollinator hosts, food and habitat, and plants that attract predatory insects that would eat your neighbour's pests.

I would ask them about what specific pests they are having problems with, and you could find out what specific plants draw predatory insects to eat them. You could plant those on your shared border, and when they notice fewer disease problems on that end of the vineyard, you can show them the plants.

They might be swayed in their thinking by the fact that you care enough to ask more about the situation and find out other solutions.

Otherwise, they're just being monocroppers. They're seeking an easy answer to many complex issues, and that is the result of their thinking.

-CK

2 pest that attack their monoculture lands are  phylloxera and oidium.


And is it true that my land can affect the fertility of their land?  How can that be possible?

No it can't. Besides, it's likely that your systems will promote greater fertility than theirs.

Actually, it's you that may be contaminated by their overuse of chemical fertilizers, which can contaminate the groundwater.

The only real danger your systems pose to them is that you grow "weed" species that produce seed that could easily spread to their property.

You might want to suggest that they mulch heavily around their grapes. That would prevent any such spread.

-CK