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Non-pesticidal Management (NPM) describes various pest-control techniques which do not rely on synthetic pesticides. This technique is based on an idea that pests are a symptom of disturbances to the environment. This approach to pest management focuses on natural processes and the utilization of local resources to restore ecological balance. An understanding of crop ecosystems, and insect biology and behaviour is fundamental to this approach, as the outcome is not to eliminate the pest but to prevent them from reaching damaging levels. This type of pest management has been used in areas of Andhra Pradesh since 1999.

Principles of NPM
Some examples of Non-Pesticidal Management techniques include:
 * Introduction of natural predators.
 * Use of naturally occurring insecticides, such as Neem tree products.
 * Use of trap and border crops which attract or deter the insects away from the fields.
 * Pest larvae which were killed by viruses can be crushed and sprayed over fields, thus killing the remaining larvae.


 * Healthy plants and soil— Choosing crops based on soil type, pest resistance and their water usage. Seeds may also be treated to prevent disease. planting at the right time can also be a beneficial way to reduce pests.


 * Insect biology and behaviour—


 * Biological Processes—Crop ecosystem should be diverse by growing inter crops, trap crops, border crops in place of mono cropping. Once the insecticide sprays stopped, natural enemies of crop pests gradually establish and exercise control of crop pests.


 * Natural Pesticides—


 * Management skill:Selecting crop based on soil, water resources, climate and local pest problems that occur regularly, crop rotation, adjustment of sowing dates to avoid endemic pests, setting up light and pheromone traps, keeping sticky traps and bird perches.


 * Local resources:Using locally available organic amendments for soil improvement and pest control. The extracts are prepared and used as prophylactic or curative measures aimed to restore the disturbed natural balance.


 * Labor:Shunning chemical inputs and out of shelf products farmer should invest his labor as main investment like regular monitoring of the crop and following methods like deep summer ploughing and shaking plants to dislodge pod borers in pigeonpea.


 * Community approach:Pest problem of a farmer not only depends on the crop and management practices of one farmer in isolation. To a large extent it depends on crops cultivated by neighboring farmers and measures taken by them. Hence, identification of activities that necessitate group action and implementing them would be most important aspect in NPM /sustainable agriculture.