AgriEcology

Ag people…agtivists…producers…finally a voice of reason from the scientific community in the form of agroecology. That’s right…agroECOLOGY. I’m David Sparks and I’ll be right back with the data…urrhhh…an explanation. Well we’ve vilified, criticized, attacked, put on the defensive…you name it, by the conservation groups and ecomaniacs. We’re poisoning the earth, endangering all kinds of species, using public land at unfair prices all in the name of what??? Raising food to nourish a hungry nation and starving world.

Answering some of the critics of modern agriculture is what the science of agriecology is all about. Dr. Sylvie Brouder is an agroecologist at Purdue. She recently explained that when evaluating modern farming practices - you can't just look at one isolated area - but must evaluate both the impact and the benefits of farming practices and inputs: “There’s no such thing as a win-win-win. Agriculture has an impact and we have a choice about what that impact is going to be. In an era of high productivity and the desire for our products, you bet, we’re going to have to weigh some environmental impacts against those but I’m pretty sure we’re going to come down on the side of wanting to continue to produce high yields because we can do it with relatively fewer negatives than you can do it elsewhere in the world.

Finally, a voice of reason!