Question

During the sparrow campaign in China, the farmers killed all the sparrows creating an imbalance in the ecosystem. Which of the following options would have been logical and safe to protect the crop against locusts?

• A. Spray the crops with pesticide
• B. Hand pick them off the crops
• C. Bring in predators that feed on locusts
• D. Burn the branches with locusts

Answer 1

The correct option is C Bring in predators that feed on locusts

$\bullet$ The Chinese government had initiated the anti-sparrow campaign in the misconception that the sparrows were responsible for the low crop yield.
$\bullet$ Some scientists cut open the stomach of the sparrows to find the remains of harmful insects instead of grains and realised that the sparrows had contributed to the yield by consuming the harmful locusts.
$\bullet$ But it was too late to take any action because by that time the sparrows were extincted. The logical option would have been to introduce a natural predator to control the locust population instead of using pesticides which will further make the soil infertile.