Modern Farming: Good for People and the Earth

Barbara Kingsolver wrote beautifully about the satisfactions of growing food organically ["The Blessings of Dirty Work," Outlook, Sept. 30] but went on to attack the Green Revolution and modern farming. "Chemical-based farming virtually always damages the soil over time, whether in India or Nebraska," she wrote. Yet, as she pointed out, global grain production has tripled since the 1970s.

How does that tally with damaged soil? It doesn't. As a Nebraska farm native, I can assure Ms. Kingsolver the reverse is happening.

Farmers in the Midwest have abandoned their plows and cultivators and adopted a no-tillage mode of farming -- enabled by genetically modified crops and environmentally friendly herbicides. No-till farming keeps last year's crop residues on the surface, preventing erosion, and allows the buildup of root-derived organic matter in the soil. This leads to improved soil structure and rainfall retention. Just as important, no-till farming greatly reduces the amount of petroleum energy needed. Happily, yields per acre continue to rise, just as they have for the more than 70 years since Green Revolution farming came to Nebraska.

Yes, the Green Revolution forced economic dislocations in India and elsewhere, but it also averted famines there and around the world.

LOWELL OWENS

Greenbelt