How pesticides help advance sustainable agriculture

In this episode, we learn about research that shows pesticide use can increase productivity and profits for producers, and alleviate pressure on water, land, and energy resources per unit of crop produced. 

 Marty Matlock, professor of ecological engineering with the biological and agricultural engineering department, shares an update on a recent life cycle assessment that found pesticide use helps advance sustainable agriculture.

A life cycle assessment is a tedious accounting of the environmental impact of every step in the process of producing a product, Matlock said. In this case, he and his collaborators considered what would happen if pesticides were taken out of the equation in the production of corn, soybean and cotton.

As the global population grows to 10 billion in the coming years, Matlock’s report found that pesticides will be critical to producing the food we need.

Publication: Life cycle assessment of impacts of eliminating chemical pesticides used in the production of U.S. corn, soybeans, and cotton
 

Bio & Ag Engineering: https://bio-ag-engineering.uark.edu

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station: https://aaes.uada.edu

Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service: https://www.uaex.uada.edu

U of A System Division of Agriculture: https://uada.edu

University of Arkansas College of Engineering: https://engineering.uark.edu