14.5 Why Are Pesticides So Widely Used? Food Production Worldwide, pests destroy 35% of crops. Economic Concerns Pesticides increase yields and profits. Health Reasons Insecticides curtail many diseases.

14.6 Alternatives to Conventional Agriculture Prior to the invention of synthetic fertilizers and other agrochemicals, Animal manure and crop rotation provided soil nutrients. A mixture of crops prevented regular pest problems. Manual labor killed insects and weeds.

14.6 Alternatives to Conventional Agriculture Sustainable agriculture seeks to produce adequate, safe food supplies cheaply while protecting ecosystem health. There are many different types of sustainable pest and weed control practices.

14.6 Alternatives to Conventional Agriculture General principles of Sustainable Agriculture: Keeping insecticide, herbicide, fungicide, and fertilizer use to a minimum. Conserving soil and water resources. Staying economically viable. Encouraging biodiversity. Healthy soils lead to healthier plants and animals. Natural or supplemented populations of beneficial insects (“good bugs”) will keep pests (“bad bugs”) away.

14.6 Alternatives to Conventional Agriculture Organically grown is a legally defined term in the U.S. that tells you how a food or fiber crop was grown. The U.S. Federal Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 defines national organic standards, which generally: Require organic farms and handlers to be “certified,” or inspected by a disinterested third party. Require that an organic farm be increasing its soil fertility through sustainable soil-building techniques. Prohibit synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.

14.6 Alternatives to Conventional Agriculture Integrated pest management (IPM) uses a variety of methods to control pests rather than relying solely on pesticides. It requires information about: Crop plant metabolism Biological interactions between pests and their predators and/or parasites Climatic conditions favoring pests Techniques to encourage beneficial insects

14.6 Alternatives to Conventional Agriculture Several methods are employed in IPM: Disrupting reproduction Female pheromones Male sterilization Natural predators Aphids can be controlled with ladybugs Bacterial strains

14.6 Alternatives to Conventional Agriculture Developing resistant crops Genetic engineering or biotechnology involves inserting specific pieces of DNA into the genetic makeup of organisms. Genetically modified organisms can be developed for pest and herbicide resistance. The European Union will not import genetically modified grains from the U.S.

14.6 Alternatives to Conventional Agriculture Modifying farming practices Crop rotation tends to prevent the buildup of specific pests that typically occurs when the same crop is raised in a field year after year. Selective use of pesticides Identification of the precise time when pesticide application will have the greatest effect at the lowest possible dose is a useful practice.