Pesticides: Feeding the World Essay -- Farming Food Science Papers

Pesticides Feeding the WorldEvery day, new worries arise concerning over-population and the future day of earth. People are afraid of starvation and endemic diseases. The problem with get food return is not of land shortage, but of yields too minuscule to feed a doubled world population. Plant geneticists are creating hybrid plants that have higher yields and more(prenominal) resistance to unwanted and harmful organisms. evening with the new plants, pesticides must be applied to reap the hybrids full potential. What follows is well-nigh common misconceptions about pesticides and their use. Humans ingest about 10,000 times more naturally occurring pesticides than they do man-made ones. In fact, the risk you expose yourself to by drinking a daily glass of apple juice from harvest-feast treated with the pesticide Alar is 58 times less than the hazard of down natural carcinogens in one mushroom. Pesticide residues remain only on the protrude of produce. They are not absorbed b y fruits or vegetables. Rinsing with put on running water will remove most of any make residues. Organic food growers often use pesticides derived from natural sources to protect their crops. galore(postnominal) man-made pesticides are less toxic than naturally-occurring ones. Without the availability of crop egis products, it is estimated that current world fruit and vegetable production would decline by as much as 40% and fruit and vegetable prices would change magnitude by up to 70% (Crop Protection Institute, 1997). Even with todays technology, food production would be considerably lower and the number of individuals suffering from malnutrition would be dramatically increased if pesticides were not used. Changes in Farming Farming has changed and advanced improbably in the last tw... ...Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. (1997). The Pros and Cons of Pesticides Online. Available http//www.ns.ec.gc.ca/epb/factsheets/pesticides/pro_con.html 1997, September 28. Avery, Dennis T . (1995, June). How Pesticides Help Prevent Cancer. Consumers search Magazine, pp. 11-12. Byrd, John D. Jr., Ph.D., David R. Shaw, Eric P. Webster (1997). PesticidesBenefits and Risks Online. http//www.ces.msstate.edu/pubs/pub1962.htm 1997, October 7. Crop Protection Institute. (1997). Facts & History of Pesticides Online. http//www.cropro.org/history.html 9/16/97. Hastings, John. (1993, September). Do Pesticides on Fruits and Vegetables Threaten Children?. Health, p. 12. Riviere, Jim E. (1994, August 8). Stop Worrying and Eat Your Salad. Newsweek, p. 8. Spencer, Leslie. (1993, October 25). Ban altogether Plants-They Pollute. Forbes, pp. 104-108.