The production of food has environmental impacts, there is no way around this …. Nature is ruthless and weeds will limit the ability of the seeds to germinate and outcompete them for moisture and nutrients, while insects will feast upon those plants that do germinate. Domesticated food plants require routine care and attention to ensure that the plants yield in the way we expect them to.
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The challenge food production faces from the environmental movement is what level of environmental impact is acceptable. Many environmental groups argue that the current impact of agriculture is too high to be sustainable. The question that the environmental movement has failed to answer is if agriculture is to remove, reduce or refrain from using specific technologies or inputs, how will the resulting loss in food security be dealt with?
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The production of crops without innovative seeds, fertilizers and chemicals [is] why subsistence farmers have been subsistence farmers. There is abundant literature showing that innovative agricultural inputs contribute to raising yields …. These innovative investments have contributed to making agriculture more sustainable, reducing the impact on the environment. When, or will, environmental groups accept the vast amount of evidence that agricultural innovations reduce the environmental impact of food production and support efforts to …. reduce food insecurity?
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