“Pesticide sprays, dusts, and aerosols are now applied almost universally to farms, gardens, forests, and homes - non selective chemicals that have the power to kill every insect, the good and the bad, to still the song of birds and the leaping of fish in the streams, to coat the leaves with a deadly film and to linger on soil - all this though the intended target may be only a few weeds or insects. Can anyone believe it is possible to lay down such a barrage of poisons on the surface of the earth without making it unfit for life? They should not be called insecticides, but biocides.”
Indonesia (left) turned to IPM, and increased rice production while decreasing pesticide production and eliminating pesticide subsidies.
Fig. 13-30, p. 299 What Can You Do? Reducing Exposure to Pesticides • Grow some of your food using organic methods. • Buy organic food. • Wash and scrub all fresh fruits, vegetables, and wild foods you pick. • Eat less or no meat. • Trim the fat from meat.