Blame markets, not farmers.

• Author: Jensen, Andrew
• Position: Letter to the editor

I sure hope World Watch can avoid the temptation to cop out and blame farmers for the problems with American food production ("Can Organic Farming Feed Us All?" May/June 2006). Like all businesses, farms respond to market pressure. If we want farms to focus more on sustainability, biologically based pest management, etc., then society has to structure the food system to provide incentives to farms. Let's focus dialogue on societal choices (i.e., Wal-Mart over Bob's Market) rather than farm practices. By shopping at Wal-Mart, Kroger's, Super G, and Safeway, we all perpetuate the corporate stranglehold on our food system, and thereby...