Recent reports show only 1 percent of government agriculture research projects directly study sustainable systems, according to the article. He refers to USDA scientists working with tomato growers in the Southeast and vintners on the West Coast who are planting vetch to reduce erosion, replace nitrogen in the soil, and keep weeds down. The second Christian Science Monitor article, about precision or site-specific farming, reports that proponents refer to its promise of economic and environmental benefits. Using navigation satellites developed by the military, farmers can apply fertilizer strategically and use chemicals where they're most needed. Some argue that this spares fertile, pest-free zones, and lets farmers increase yields and save money.
Many questions remain unresolved.
Environmentalists and proponents of 'sustainable' and organic growing worry that precision farming will divert needed research funds from less chemical-intensive growing methods. They also question whether precision necessarily reduces pollution. A spot of sandy soil, for example, might need more nitrogen to be productive. But those coarse grains may also let that nitrogen flush more quickly into the water table than fertile earth would. Some believe sustainable and precision agricultures are not necessarily at odds, according to the article.