The War on Bugs

The big chemical and "life sciences" corporations are saying again that we need their products (fertilizers, pesticides, and genetically modified plants to "feed the world" and avert mass starvation. My question for Will Allen: Is there any more truth in these statements than there was in the old days when people were hawking terrible stuff like lead arsenate and nerve poisons? And, if not, what IS the best strategy for feeding an expanding world population?

While much of the discussion is focused justifiably on the farmers, comment should also be made on the overuse of pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers by homeowners. The overuse and misuse of these products has lead to water pollution in many of our communities. My father was a landscaper and though he helped his clients achieve the monocultured lawn desired by many suburbanites, he did not apply any chemicals to our lawn. Our lawn was composed of an assortment of grasses and weeds. The thatch was left on the grass and the lawn was never watered. Even in the hottest August in NJ, the lawn remained green and lush while our neighbors lawns withered under the attack of insects and lack of water. I follow my father's practices and I have had my neighbor admire my lawn. Maybe its time for homeowners to go more green in order to protect our water resources from contamination.

I found Will's comments disturbing and misleading! Organic growers do use "pesticides". They have products to control fungi(fungicides), insects(insecticides), weeds(herbacides) and other farm pests. The only differance is the "organic" pest killer must be created naturaly versus syntheticaly. If applied improperly, organic pestides can be just as toxic to humans (if not more) than commercial chemicals.