What approach involves farming practices aimed at reducing pest establishment, reproduction, and survival?

Cultural pest control refers to farming practices designed specifically to minimize conditions that facilitate pest establishment, reproduction, and survival. This approach emphasizes altering the environmental factors that pests thrive in, such as crop rotation, proper sanitation, intercropping, and selecting plant varieties that are less susceptible to pests. By focusing on modifying the farming environment and practices, this method helps in creating unfavorable conditions for pests, thereby significantly reducing their population and impact.

While integrated pest management encompasses a broader strategy that combines various techniques for pest control, including biological, cultural, chemical, and mechanical methods, cultural practices alone specifically target the reduction of pest establishment and proliferation through strategic agricultural modifications. This tailored method is essential in sustainable agriculture, aiming to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides while promoting healthy crop growth and biodiversity.