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UN Experts Denounce ‘Myth’ Pesticides Are Necessary to Feed the World

  • March 07, 2017

In a move that seems like it took forever coming, the United Nations (UN) is denouncing pesticides and their GMO-related plants. The UN report says these pesticides have “catastrophic impacts on the environment, human health and society as a whole,” and the idea that this type of farming is necessary to feed the world is a myth, The Guardian reports.

What is true is that, instead of feeding the world, industrial farming using GMO plants, pesticides and herbicides is threatening food security. Fortunately, it’s not too late to go back to nature’s way of farming. Called “regenerative agriculture,” this type of farming makes use of cover crops, no-till and herbivore grazing, all of which can help solve many of our most pressing problems, including reducing atmospheric Co2 levels and normalizing weather patterns.

Back-to-nature farming also includes recognizing the need to regenerate healthy soils. In nature, plants thrive because of a symbiotic relationship with their surrounding environment, including mircroorganisms in the soil — organisms that are irreparably damaged by the excessive use of synthetic fertilizers.

The U.S. government has even set up a small subsidy system to help farmers offset the costs of cover crops and other regenerative practices, but one major hurdle to cover crops becoming mainstream involves absentee land owners. Another major hurdle that needs to be overcome is the government farm program, which subsidizes the growing of certain crops. At present, the farm program is geared to monoculture production.

Even if you’re not a farmer, you can still have an impact by implementing the regenerative aspects of no-till, plant diversity and using ground cover such as wood chips into your own home garden.