Putting a Dent in Pesticide Use

By choosing the right plants, caring for the soil and using organic controls when necessary, your lawns and gardens will thrive. Gardening organically is better for the environment, and safer for people too.

More and more home gardeners are moving away from chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Happily, farmers are as well. In fact organic agriculture -- which 10 years ago was considered a fringe movement -- is now booming. Consider:

In four years, sales of organic foods have doubled in the United States and quadrupled in the United Kingdom.

Systematic, long-term research projects -- including at Cornell and North Carolina State -- are underway to compare conventional and organic farming methods.

In a joint project between the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association and the World Wildlife Fund, potato growers voluntarily cut their pesticide use 25 percent.

This progress underscores a shift in thinking: away from a narrow view of "feed the plant and kill the insects" and toward an overall understanding of the impact of soil fertility on the health of plants and their ability to fight off pests and disease.

But there is more work to be done. And your everyday decisions about what food to buy and how to take care of your plants matter.

For More information
The Environmental Protection Agency site includes regulatory information, scientific reports and educational materials.

For information about alternatives to pesticides visit the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides.

To learn about current legislation and pesticides at schools, visit Beyond Pesticides: National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides.

For information about pesticides around the world visit the Pesticide Action Network. If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail: info@gardeners.com

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