AronSearle said:
What do you think selective breeding is?
You beat me to it!
Off the top of my head, I can't think of any food that
hasn't been genetically modified over the centuries. Maybe fish.
Though some of that is farmed now.
The difference of course is that selective breeding is a slow process which gives the rest of Earth's biosphere at least half a chance of keeping up. The industrialization of agriculture is a different matter but, as Joe points out --.
joe-90 said:
Without intensive farming the world starves.
-- we're stuck with it for now. Even if the will existed - and there's no sign that it does - reducing the human population to sustainable levels would take decades.
Meanwhile, we can only feed ourselves with a large energy input which, at some point in the future, will either be solar or nuclear. (Yes, I know solar power
is nuclear but you know what I mean.
)
AronSearle also said:
Don't people know that hunger and death are perfectly natural!
If we don't get our fingers out and take overpopulation seriously, that'll be plan B.
Are you listening Pope Benedict!
conny said:
Agree we need to use insecticides but why does it have to be chemicals? Surely there are natural substances which will keep pests at bay?
Natural or not, they're still chemicals.
But I know what you mean - and some plants have got good at making them. As every gardener ought to know, nicotine is an excellent pesticide. Boil four ounces of old fag ends in a gallon of water then dilute it five parts to one.
WARNING! Just because it's natural, that doesn't mean it's not dangerous. Nicotine is highly toxic.