Pest management is considered to be more important than eliminating pests completely. It is not less than any nightmare for organic farmers to control pests. So we have listed a few effective techniques to make pest control in organic farms a bit more manageable for farmers. All of these tips are tried and tested by some of the big and experienced farmers in the country and across the globe.
- Crop Rotation: Pests attack on similar kinds of crops so if you cultivate the same types of plants over and over again, pests are likely to grow rapidly. Crop rotation is the method that farmers use to grow different species of crops every alternate season. This is an efficient way of avoiding pests since they get used to the types of crops that are being grown in the farms. This method not only eliminates the possibility of rapid growth of pests but also increases the fertility of the soil over time making it a ‘ win-win’ situation for the farmers.
- Intercropping: If you have a big farm, it is advised to grow two or more types of crops in the field simultaneously. Pests usually attack one type of plant so it is clever to grow the same species at a distance so as to keep the pests away from the hot plant.
- Crop Diversity: It is essential to cultivate different types and species of plants and crops on the field not only to keep the pests away but also to increase the fertility of the soil at the same time. By increasing the species of fruits and vegetables that are been cultivated in the farm, farmers can easily reduce the chances of pest infestation and protect the crops from getting damaged by pests.
- Use pests against itself: A few western farmers have cleverly come up with the brilliant idea of using pests to fight pests. This trick can be used to eliminate the pests that damage the crops. Farmers can use predatory insects such as ladybugs or mites, that eat up pests that damage crops. It is a quick and effective way of getting rid of pests without doing much.
- Using Organic pesticides: Keeping everything organic is very crucial for organic farmers to maintain the quality of their crops. Hence, organic pesticides are farmer’s best friends and go hand in hand in getting rid of the pesticides plus maintain the agricultural outputs by not disturbing the fertility of the soil. Since it is organic, it does not have harmful chemicals. Thus, it does not harm the crops and affect the quality of the agricultural products being produced. In India, neem is commonly used as a pesticide. There is another alternative that is a spray ‘Zhol Mol’, a natural pesticide in liquid state. It’s key ingredients are neem leaves, timur, livestock urine, timur making it completely organic, very healthy for crop growth and for increasing the soil fertility over time. Even a lot of commercial farmers have turned to using organic pesticides for the wonderful results it gives in the long run.
