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From: rab@mimsy.UUCP (Bob Bruce)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,sci.bio,sci.misc
Subject: Re: pesticides
Message-ID: <7952@mimsy.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 12-Aug-87 10:28:57 EDT
Article-I.D.: mimsy.7952
Posted: Wed Aug 12 10:28:57 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Aug-87 01:47:41 EDT
References: <4960@ihlpa.ATT.COM> <246@etn-rad.UUCP>
Reply-To: rab@mimsy.UUCP (Bob Bruce)
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742
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Xref: mnetor misc.consumers:2447 sci.bio:562 sci.misc:427

In article <246@etn-rad.UUCP> jru@etn-rad.UUCP (0000-John Unekis) writes:
>       Unfortunately the alternative to the use of pesticides is
>       world famine. One thing that would help the cause of 
>       environmentalists gain credibility and even respect in the
>       public view would be a constructive alternative that would still
>       allow us to feed our growing population.  ...
>

I disagree.  If you have been paying attention to current events
you know that the problem in the world today is not a shortage of
food.  Just the opposite, the problem is crushing surpluses of almost
every imaginable agricultural commodity.

Surpluses depress prices.  Lower prices reduces production in
third world countries that cannot afford to subsidize their
farmers with billions of dollars.  So when droughts or crop
failures occur third world  farmers, having planted only
subsistance crops, have nothing to fall back on.  I am not
claiming that this is the major cause of famine, but in
Ethiopia in particular, long term depressed crop prices
were a major contributing factor.

I spent much of my life working in agriculture.  I think there
is a place for intelligently applied narrow spectrum pesticides.
But most pesticides are applied haphazardly and inappropriately
by people who are ignorant as to the consequences of what they
are doing.