Dennis T.Avery

In the following viewpoint, Dennis T. Avery argues that organic farming is less efficient and more environmentally destructive than “high-yield” farming, in which chemical fertilizers and insecticides are used. Because it produces low crop yields, according to Avery, organic farming increasingly requires the conversion of large amounts of wildlife habitat to farmland, thereby resulting in environmental degradation. In addition, he maintains, organic farming cannot meet the food demands of the world’s increasing population. Avery, a former U.S. Department of State senior agricultural analyst, is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, a public policy research organization in Indianapolis, and is the director of the institute’s Center for Global Food Issues.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What would be the result of a “global attempt to rely...