@MeiselZachary Permaculture says that indiscriminate use of pesticides kills both plant-eating pests and the predators which in nature keep them in check... But the pests rebound faster than the predators so you have a bigger problem the next year, requiring increasing chemical applications
@MeiselZachary Chemicals applied to a field wash down the watershed and accumulate in animals that eat plants. History shows we've repeatedly had to ban specific chemicals after discovering negative side effects on environment / human health.. So I prefer practices that don't require chemicals
@MeiselZachary Ofc other side is that chemicals maximize yield- food would be more expensive if produced without them (unclear *how much* more expensive tho)... Otoh, the chemicals are expensive, which makes it harder to turn a profit esp. in bad years... 🤷♀️