Biopesticides are certain types of pesticides derived from natural materials such as animals, plants, bacteria, and certain minerals. Biopesticides are a comparatively safer strategy than the use of synthetic chemical derived pesticides. They also pose low risks to humans and the environment by comparison.
The substances sprayed on conventional produce can have highly toxic cumulative effects on all life forms. Activism in this area seems to have started in the 1960’s when Rachel Carson’s 1962 book “Silent Spring” was published. It argued strongly against the use of synthetic chemicals on farms. It targeted the synthetic chemical compounds then used to kill insects and weeds.
Insecticides like DDT and herbicides like 2,4-D (an ancestor of Agent Orange) had become widely available to farmers after World War II. Between 1945 and 1972, pesticide use in the United States increased tenfold.
Carson’s book, which triggered the passage of the Environmental Protection Act in 1970, played a huge role in banning agricultural substances like DDT in 1972. Unfortunately, this dangerous growth of pesticide usage has continued to today, along with the corruption within the agencies that are tasked with monitoring the safety of these substances. We’ve seen, for example, a massive amount of corruption with regards to the approval of genetically modified foods.
Sure,
organic may not be totally “organic,” but there is a good reason why
many people prefer organically labelled produce. One of the main reasons
is that conventional produce is sprayed with substances initially
developed as nerve gas for chemical warfare...<<<Read More>>>...
