Product Description

A former agricultural specialist for the federal government, Avery argues that high-yield agriculture using chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and biotechnology is the solution to environmental problems not a cause of them, as environmental activists have found. Using high-yield methods for farming,

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #450197 in Books
• Published on: 2000-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 475 pages

About the Author
Dennis Avery is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. Avery served as agricultural analyst for the U.S. Department of State where he was responsible for assessing the foreign-policy implications of food and farming developments worldwide. He has testified before Congress, appeared on most of the nation's major television networks, and now serves as the editor of Global Food Quarterly.

Customer Reviews

Good for a laugh
Avery tries to pass his chemical company advocacy off as science. If you are familiar with real science, you might just want to read this for the laughs. If you are looking for actual information, don't read this--it will only confuse you.

This is crazy
Pesticide is a poison. If you think spraying poison on our food is going to improve anything, you've got another think coming. Sustainable agriculture puts back what it takes from the environment. Factory farming pollutes our air, water and soil. According to a study conducted by the Department of Economics at the University of Essex , industrial farms cause $34.7 billion worth of environmental damage in the U.S. each year. True, there have been cases of E. coli bactiria, but the is the result of improper handling, using fresh manure instead of allowing it to decompose properly first. And it isn't only organic foods that were grown in maure. And non-organic food is also sometimes grown in manure. And the pesticides kill bugs, not E. coli bacteria.

Recent studies have shown that sustainable crops contain higher levels of nutrients, minerals, and antioxidants, including vitamin C, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and polyphenols. Organic crops also have lower levels of certain toxic heavy metals. Better soil management (crop rotation, cover crops and composting) used in organic and sustainable farming helps enrich the soil and increase the concentration of vitamins and minerals in the plants. Chemical fertilizers, used on conventional, factory farmed crops, lower the nutrient content of the soil, increase the level of potentially harmful nitrates, and can contain certain toxic heavy metals which can be absorbed by the plants.

Pesticides are one of the most common toxic substances found in food. They can impair the immune system and cause diseases.

Pesticides can also affect the nervous system, endocrine (glands and hormones) system, immune system and reproductive system. Pesticides have been linked to Parkinson's disease, learning disabilities, hyperactivity, emotional disorders, weakened immune systems, and birth defects. Long after their use, pesticides remain in the soil and water. Despite being banned in 1972, DDT has been found in the breast milk of over 99% of all mothers in America. The American Association of Poison Control Centers estimates that in 2002, 69,000 children suffered from pesticide related poisoning or exposure to poisonous pesticides. According to Cornell entomologist David Pimentel, "It has been estimated that only 0.1% of applied pesticides reach the target pests, leaving the bulk of the pesticides (99.9%) to impact the environment."

Finally! Ignorance has a manual!
This book is testimony to the ignorance of many men. This book is written by a man who profits from plastics and pesticides. It cannot be trusted in the least. All of the data goes against common sense. This is one of those books that will have a place in museums in future years, showing future generations how and why our earth is in the state of chaos it will surely be in thanks to garbage like this.