Which pest control approach minimizes chemical use while considering environmental impact?

Biological control is recognized as an effective pest management strategy that minimizes chemical use and considers environmental impacts. This approach involves the use of natural predators, parasites, or pathogens to manage pest populations. By leveraging the existing ecosystems, biological control can help maintain a balanced environment and reduce reliance on synthetic pesticides, thereby minimizing chemical residues and potential harm to non-target organisms, including beneficial insects and wildlife.

Additionally, biological control strategies can enhance biodiversity within agricultural systems, contributing to improved resilience against pest outbreaks and promoting sustainable farming practices. Traditional chemical control methods, while effective in managing pests quickly, can lead to negative environmental effects, such as pesticide resistance and ecological imbalance. Cultural practices, which involve agronomic techniques to reduce pest problems, and mechanical control, which utilizes physical methods to remove or block pests, are also important but may not always minimize chemical use to the same extent as biological control.