 "Photo:")
I like pesticides. In fact, I love 'em. That's right, I said it. I know, I'm probably in the minority here, especially at such a progressive school like LMU.
?I'm also a fan of synthetic fertilizers and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). When I push my little shopping cart through the aisles of Ralph's or Bristol Farms, I grab the most inorganically labeled food that I can shimmy off the shelf. Call me a geek, but I like my nutrients produced in the most technologically cutting edge way possible.
I never feel very trendy shopping for my state of the art, modern day food at the grocery store. I imagine it feels a lot more glorious trolling through the vintage, organic aisles of a specialty market. When I'm shopping, I'm not buying organic food.
I'm buying food that was produced by large scale commercial farms with the latest and greatest agricultural technology. No flashy labels saying I'm saving the Earth adorn my shopping bag. In a weird, perverted way though, I am doing my part - to fight world hunger, to keep food prices down and to maximize agricultural production on minimal acres.
Modern farming techniques such as the application of nitrogen-based fertilizers have allowed the world to grow more food on less land than ever before. When paired with the employment of pesticides and herbicides, world crops are much less susceptible to bug damage and weed competition than they once were.
Research in increasing crop production by means of selective breeding and genetic modification has helped to more than double the yields of staple cereal grains such as corn and wheat. The leaps and bounds in production increases in the past century has allowed for world agriculture to keep up with global population growth.
When used responsibly, fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides can have a very low environmental impact. Government testing has come a long way since the days of DDT, and we now have extensive regulatory measures to make sure that chemicals are safe before they are put to use. In addition, contemporary farming methods involving minimal tillage and crop rotation drastically reduce the effects of these agents on our environment.
In the same way that fertilizers and chemicals are regulated for both human and environmental safety, so are GMOs. They are not haphazardly tossed into the marketplace but rather are run through dozens of tests and safety measures before even being considered for production.
The aggressive push to modernize farming techniques and increase food production across the world in the latter half of the 20th and into the 21st century is generally referred to as the green revolution. Without the green revolution, it is safe to say today we would be at a point where the demand for food would greatly exceed supply. World food shortages would be causing unnecessary hunger and starvation. There would also be a drive to destroy vast expanses of wilderness and wildlife habitat in an effort to secure more acres for food production.
It is not possible for the demands of today's world population to be met with organic food. Unless we start growing crops on the moon, technological improvements in agriculture will continue to be vital in ensuring we live in a world where wide spread starvation is not a major concern and where our forests are not ripped out to make room for farmland. So, next time you're trying to be a good citizen in the grocery store, don't be afraid to purchase some Cheetos, which don't say "No Spray" on them. You're doing a lot more good than you might think.
This is the opinion of Tyler Riggers, a junior animation major from Craigmont, Idaho. Please send comments to adwyer@theloyolan.com.
