Reviewer praises book on "the fallacies of organic farming"

In December 2006 Dr. Jay Lehr of The Heartland Institute in the U.S. reviewed the book "Origins of the Organic Agriculture Debate," authored by Thomas R. DeGregori and published in 2003.

Lehr describes the book as "A science book written by a genius for non-genius scientists and laymen interested in understanding how the world works. It will enable readers to effectively debate their misinformed friends and colleagues about the flawed thinking about organic agriculture and how it often stands in the way of creating a nutritious diet in the developing world." He charges that proponents of organic agriculture and opponents of genetically modified food believe "pure" food confers some special kind of virtue on those who produce it and those who consume it. They fail to acknowledge that organic chemistry, genetics, and molecular biology have been essential to twentieth century advances in agriculture, such as plant breeding, and are instrumental in ensuring there is enough food for everyone.

Lehr believes Gregori makes a convincing argument that these people are mistaken in believing they are defending the poor and powerless, when in fact it is precisely these groups who need the benefits of technical advances the most. Lehr says Gregori builds "...a powerful case against organic agriculture and the political influences that brought it forth."

The book says faith in organic agriculture as the solution to world hunger is built on pseudoscience. Green opponents of genetically modified food, DeGregori writes, "will not accept as evidence that the number of people who have eaten genetically modified food now number into the hundreds of millions without there being a single verified instance of even the slightest hint of harm to anybody. With the advent of crop protection built into transgenic crops which the organic folk are resolutely against, there will be little question as to which crop, conventional or organic, has the fewest toxins, either applied by the farmer or produced by the plant. With transgenics, conventional farmers will be able to produce a crop as close to being truly pesticide-free as has ever been done by humans."

Says reviewer Lehr, "DeGregori quotes numerous studies that tried in vain to show the superiority of organic food when obviously no such superiority exists. His greatest original contribution may be in pulling away the curtain that hides the deceitful, underhanded role played by Caucasian-dominated NGOs behind the organic food movement. These groups have cleverly undermined any hope of progress in African nations navigating under despotic rule since the end of white colonization."

Lehr ranks the book as a "must read," but says, "No author is perfect. Dr. DeGregori often waxes eloquently about matters of science unrelated to his topic, but this is a minor flaw in a very important book.
The Heartland Institute's website describes it as "a nonprofit research and education organization founded in Chicago in 1984. It is not affiliated with any political party, business, or foundation. Its mission is to discover and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems." Jay Lehr is its Science Director.
In a brief email exchange with this writer in December after the publication of Lehr's review of the Gregori book, Lehr reiterated his view that "organic farming is a terrible idea for agriculture. We need every chemical input to help us increase yields and reduce costs while growing the healthiest food possible."

Chido Makunike

African Agriculture