According to the organic farmer, how should the insects that are some…

The correct answer is Option (2) → They should be kept at manageable levels by a complex system of checks and balances.

Organic farming relies on natural predation instead of chemicals to control pests. The organic farmer believes that a landscape with more variety is more sustainable. Pests are not wiped out, because the useful predatory and parasitic insects that feed on them would then have no food or hosts and would also die.

Option (1) They should be eradicated with chemical insecticides. — Incorrect. Wiping out pests with chemical insecticides is what conventional farming does. These chemicals kill useful and harmful forms alike, which the organic farmer avoids.

Option (2) They should be kept at manageable levels by a complex system of checks and balances. — Correct. The organic farmer keeps pests at manageable levels through a complex system of checks and balances among the organisms of a living ecosystem, such as predators feeding on pests.

Option (3) They should be removed along with weeds by spraying weedicides. — Incorrect. Weedicides are chemicals used to remove weeds, and they also pollute the soil. Spraying them is a chemical method, not the organic farmer’s way.

Option (4) They should be controlled by growing genetically modified pest-resistant crops. — Incorrect. Genetically modified pest-resistant crops, such as Bt cotton, are a product of genetic engineering. The organic farmer’s approach is to balance pests with their natural enemies, not to rely on such crops.

NCERT Extract:
Microbes as Biocontrol Agents – “… A key belief of the organic farmer is that biodiversity furthers health. The more variety a landscape has, the more sustainable it is. The organic farmer, therefore, works to create a system where the insects that are sometimes called pests are not eradicated, but instead are kept at manageable levels by a complex system of checks and balances within a living and vibrant ecosystem.”