Cheaper? No.

Efficient? No.

Reliable? God no.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliminate_Sparrows_campaign#Origin

In 1955, farmers reported that sparrows were damaging crops. When Mao Zedong, then Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, received these reports, he said sparrows were harmful pest birds and should be eliminated.[1][2] In the second half of 1955, while organizing the drafting of the Agricultural Development Outline (i.e., the Seventeen Articles on Agriculture), Mao Zedong decided that sparrows, rats, flies, and mosquitoes were "Four Pests" to be removed.[3][4] In January 1956, after discussion by the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party and formal adoption by the Supreme State Conference, the expanded version of the Draft Outline was adopted. Article 27 of the Draft Outline stipulated that starting from 1956, rats, sparrows, flies, and mosquitoes should be more or less eliminated in all possible locations within 5, 7, or 12 years, respectively.[3][4][5][2] Sparrows were suspected of consuming approximately 2 kg (4 pounds) of grain per sparrow per year.[6]

In the autumn of 1956, a group of biologists, including Zhu Xi, a Chinese pioneer in cell biology, objected publicly to classifying sparrows as pests and eliminating them, but their objections were ineffective.[3][4][5] On January 18, 1957, the Beijing Daily published an article by Zhou Jianren, then Vice Minister of Education, titled "Sparrows are Clearly Pest Birds", concluding that "there is no doubt sparrows are pest birds" and "pest birds should be eradicated without hesitation", proposing:

Society has changed, but some of the old ways of thinking and viewpoints still remain. In the past, many people saw themselves as subservient subjects of nature, afraid to even consider transforming it, let alone see themselves as masters of nature... The concept of equilibrium has also hindered people's determination to transform nature... Equilibrium only emphasizes the static aspect, ignoring the fact that biological history is a process... (Belief in) equilibrium instills a fear that nature would descend into chaos if it lost its balance.[3][2]

Considering that original works are discarded, it's strange how effective they're at plagiarizing them