Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food

a third more land would need to be farmed if

We enhance our beneficial insect population by planting borders with flowering perennials that provide them with nectar and pollen, and by growing a diverse selection of plants in the garden, many of which also support beneficial insects.

pests can evolve resistance to the pesticides.

Organic rice grown in California often has significant weed problems that can reduce yield 30% to 50%.

Reducing losses to pests and pathogens is equivalent to creating more land and

for organic agriculture to be successful in feeding the world, huge changes will be needed: recycling of organic waste back to farms for nutrients, development of crop varieties with enhanced tolerance to pests and stresses, and reduced meat consumption so that more of the food crops can go to humans rather than animals.

organic systems studied often had less mineralized nitrogen available.

By 1940, 30% of U.S. corn was hybrid. By 1970, 96% of the U.S. corn crop was hybrid

other advantages of compost—the microorganisms it contains can suppress soil-borne diseases