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Profitable Farming Without Pesticides
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15334 |
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Section : |
NATURAL SCIENCE
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8 / 1989 |
3,064 Words |
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J. Patrick Madden
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Consumers, environmentalists, and farmers are growing increasingly alarmed about the adverse impact of synthetic pesticides and other agricultural chemicals. Because of these rising fears, the market for foods certified or alleged to be "chemical-free" is growing so rapidly in many areas that produce managers of major food retailers are unable to obtain enough fruits and vegetables to meet the demand.
"Organic" farming lies at the rather purist and orthodox end of a continuum of farming methods. Many organic farms are self-proclaimed as such. Others are certified by legal or voluntary organizations or authorities. A dozen states have adopted legislation defining or regulating the sale of foods called "organic," but the industry is replete with confusion and controversy over the establishment and enforcement of "organic" standards. There are currently 490 organic farmers in California, for example, with a total of 41,000 acres under natural cultivation. On average, seven farmers per week are applying for certification by the State's voluntary private certification organization, California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). Texas and Washington have legally enforced standards of organic certification.
"Organic" farmers, by whatever definition, account for a very small but rapidly increasing share of the market for some foods, as more consumers demonstrate a willingness to pay premium prices for foods certified or alleged to be pesticide-free. But with premium prices and the promise of higher profits at stake, unscrupulous farmers and wholesalers inevitably make fraudulent claims that chemically produced foods are organically "kosher." Each new organic food scandal leads to greater pressure by consumer groups and organic farmer organizations for mandatory national definition and enforcement of standards by a federal agency such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Others, however, are wary of turning control of the standards and definitions over to the USDA, an agency that since 1981 has held a dim view of organic farming. Partly in response to this confusion, about a thousand stores across the United States have begun offering fresh fruits and vegetables labeled "Nutriclean," certified free of common pesticide residues based on chemical analysis done by an independent firm based in California.
The problem of Alar in apples is only the most recent episode of increasingly familiar battles over chemicals in our food. Other crises, such as the European embargo of U.S. beef produced with growth hormones and the discovery of pesticides in groundwater, have sent a strong message to farmers: Chemicals considered safe and harmless yesterday may be banned tomorrow as a health or environmental threat.
Meanwhile, conventional agriculture is highly dependent on manufactured chemicals. Farmers spent $16.8 billion on manufactured inputs in 1987, including $5.1 billion for fertilizers and $4.6 billion for pesticides. Chemical control of various insects, weeds, and other pests, often considered the key to the abundance and prosperity of American agriculture, is now under severe stress due to charges of environmental damage, water contamination, human health risks, and declining effectiveness.
Historically, farmers and the publicly supported agricultural research and extension system have devoted little effort to increasing the productivity and profitability of low-input agriculture. The world's largest
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