Pest management, the organic way

Chemical insecticide use can be discouraged by introducing organic pest management techniques.

The period between the discovery of the insecticidal properties of Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) by Paul Muller and the publication of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson played a significant role in establishing chemical agriculture in the global food production system. The use of synthetic (artificial) pesticides and the so-called green revolution rooted the flow of synthetic chemicals in the food chain. Spraying chemical insecticides has become the most popular approach to reducing insect-pest populations, currently due to their easy availability, instant results, and cheaper products. The Stockholm Convention banned persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and several countries have restricted different pesticides. However, the use and misuse have remained relatively high, and the permitted pesticides are also not in harmony with the agroecological balance. Long-term environmental deterioration, increase in cultivation expenses, and adverse effects on soil, water, air, and plant biomass that multiply every year, are certain and inevitable.