Pesticide analogies revisited
gardenbetty@earthlink.net
Wed, 10 Jun 1998 18:45:34 -0400
>
> At 05:05 AM 6/10/98 -0300, Daniel Worley wrote:
> >At 23:36 6/8/98 , you wrote:
> >> I've been able to reduce my
> >>chemical usage to nearly half and I don't think it is fair to say that
> >>I'm in the same camp as those who use full rates. Isn't this what
> >>sustainable agriculture is all about? (as well as other aspects) Or is
> >>the goal of sustainable ag to get everyone to be organic?
> >
> > I don't know about others Steve, but I am not strictly "Organic" now and
> >have no intention of becoming so in the forseeable future. Not that I
> >wouldn't like to, but in my particular situation, I do not have now, nor do
> >I see in the future, a viable option. Reduction of chemical usage to the
> >lowest level you can live with is about all that can be expected. What
> >that level is for each of us must be determined at the personal level.
> >
> > But we each need to strive for a lower level and not use them
> >indiscriminately.
> >
> > --Dan in Sunny Puerto Rico wrote
> Do you think lower is safer? seems to me sanet folks are going for less
> usage and lower levels do the think the reason is because lower chemical
> use is safer? Seem like the gov. is even going for less in better if so
> why does the head of the USDA feel organic food is not safer.
> . Why is it so hard to cop to the fact that organic or as close to organic
> as you can get is safer.one guy reduces pesticides in half now is that
> safer? if he reduces it by 75% is that safer yet? what about 100% and
> still grow good food is that even safer? There is good,better and best
> never let it rest till the good gets better and the better gets best. the
> key word is safer.
> >
Just a quick point: Up until roughly the 1940s we grew all our food without
synthetic chemicals and had agricultural productivity equal to or greater than
we currently have. Crop losses due to insects have only increased since we
started using pesticides. (studies by Cornell University and USDA) Agriculture
has been "organic" for most of human existence. The use of agrichemicals (and
other chemicals of other types) and the corresponding exponential rise in
cancer have occurred in only the past 50-60 years. We did fine without
chemicals for millennia. Is it too late to reverse the trend?
dawn
garden resources of washington
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