General Discussion

wickerwoman

(5,662 posts)

48. At the rate that pollinating insects are dying off

Fri Apr 19, 2013, 03:52 AM

Apr 2013

combined with peak oil and the end of cheap petroleum and thus cheap fertiliser, food transport, pesticides and fuel for agricultural equipment we don't have a hell of a lot of choice.

I can grow 60-70% of the food I eat on the garden in my back yard (a little bigger than a double driveway). Most families on 1/4 acres lots if they dug up their lawns could grow more fresh fruits and veggies than their families could eat.

What you realise when you start gardening is what an absolutely ridiculous amount of food you can easily grow on a small amount of land and how much food producing potential we are completely squandering because we can't be arsed or think lawns look neater.

The point is that if we had to feed the world organic produce, we could.

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Is Organic Better? Ask a Fruit Fly [View all] G_j Apr 2013 OP

yeah, but d_r Apr 2013 #1

Chemically saturated food isn't improving human health either Berlum Apr 2013 #2

Except in so far as they provide food - el_bryanto Apr 2013 #3

Oh, whatever did the prehistoric hunter gatherers TalkingDog Apr 2013 #5

That's a pretty weak response el_bryanto Apr 2013 #7

I was using a weak response in rejoinder to a weak thesis. TalkingDog Apr 2013 #11

Ok - you want me to argue that killing pests who eat crops means more crops? el_bryanto Apr 2013 #12

Because they mono-crop wickerwoman Apr 2013 #27

What you are talking about is a fundamental reworking of society if I understand it. el_bryanto Apr 2013 #34

At the rate that pollinating insects are dying off wickerwoman Apr 2013 #48

For the money randr Apr 2013 #52

Seriously? mac56 Apr 2013 #35

Well, they did eventually engage in a lot of gene-modding Orrex Apr 2013 #36

That's the argument they used during the debate to stop using DDT. Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #15

It is a trade off - there's no denying that el_bryanto Apr 2013 #16

More like the making of hot dogs. Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #23

..and people gobbling chem-soaked food tend to get sick. Slowly. Berlum Apr 2013 #26

So-called brain? nt el_bryanto Apr 2013 #32

Do potatoes get sprayed with chemicals? Sheepshank Apr 2013 #6

Absolutely. progressoid Apr 2013 #14

I wonder if the potatoes in his garden were of the same variety though? cstanleytech Apr 2013 #29

I just googled it. OnlinePoker Apr 2013 #24

oh my!!!! and thanks for the info n/t Sheepshank Apr 2013 #25

The article mentions that limitation Gormy Cuss Apr 2013 #10

Plants can be sprayed with natural substances to prevent attack from pests. More bluestate10 Apr 2013 #42

I'm not saying that there aren't alternatives d_r Apr 2013 #44

Ew! I'm not eating that! Nuclear Unicorn Apr 2013 #4

Smart girl with a bright future in front of her. Common sense should also tell people that poisons Pisces Apr 2013 #8

And Science would tell you that the answer is "depends" MattBaggins Apr 2013 #31

Science tells me that the residue of toxins is left inside the body, so much so that infants are Pisces Apr 2013 #38

Toxin is a gobbeldygook word MattBaggins Apr 2013 #40

Continue to poison yourself, I'll feed my family organic. Pisces Apr 2013 #41

Organic is a nice fancy word to slap on labels MattBaggins Apr 2013 #43

USDA standards-look for the label. Nt roody Apr 2013 #47

If you want to get rid of fruitflies, BlueStreak Apr 2013 #9

"conventionally grown foods" FlaGranny Apr 2013 #13

Not totally true. Organic farmers and hard nosed gardeners have known for hundreds bluestate10 Apr 2013 #45

Yes, companion planting FlaGranny May 2013 #55

K&R DeSwiss Apr 2013 #17

I can't afford organic food Ratty Apr 2013 #18

Me either... it spoils before I can even eat it. n/t Flying Squirrel Apr 2013 #37

False reasoning randr Apr 2013 #53

Oh man ...there goes the reasoning for importing workers from I****. L0oniX Apr 2013 #19

If there's one thing to buy organic, it's strawberries TexasBushwhacker Apr 2013 #20

I buy/grow organic in order to improve the topsoil. kentauros Apr 2013 #21

+1 G_j Apr 2013 #39

My three guinea pigs prefer organic carrots GermanDem Apr 2013 #22

Somebody get that girl a scholarship (nt) Recursion Apr 2013 #28

I think she won a $100,000 dollar scholarship for her win of the science competition. Plus, bluestate10 Apr 2013 #46

A fly is not a person Joshua Pistachio Apr 2013 #30

So all the massive amount of research that uses fruit flies... ljm2002 Apr 2013 #33

It's not the person you're replying to who's showing ignorance, I'm afraid. Donald Ian Rankin Apr 2013 #50

The experiment in question... ljm2002 Apr 2013 #54

don't put non-organic banana peels in your compost. Warren DeMontague Apr 2013 #49

k&r avaistheone1 Apr 2013 #51