Many people seem to have forgotten that, agriculture is still the basis of any civilisation, we are what we eat , any civilianization that considers its food supply as just another economic activity to be produced at the lowest possible price and sold on the basis of slick marketing, not on nutritional value and an absence of man made toxins, would appear to be on a slippery slide. The roll of farmers in human health was discussed in an ABC Radio National feature titled, "Farmers have a critical role in human health" , where Michael Mackenzie speaks to Tony Coote, founder of Mulloon Institute ; Professor John Crawford from Faculty of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources at the University of Sydney
Humans have evolved over generations to consume natural food products and to resist many natural bugs. We have not evolved resistance to the
many chemical concoctions that government regulators continue to allow to be introduced into the food supply on the pretence of
controlling 
various pests and diseases. Many pests and diseases that these chemicals are used to control are a product of poor agricultural practice. When we restore soil health, healthy plants can resist many of the diseases.
As a society we spend billions of dollars looking for cures to human diseases yet we spend very little investigation agricultural practices that can grow food without the need for the cocktail of toxins that are very likely to be the source of many diseases.
Government regulations have strict controls over "bugs" in the food chain, which people with active immune systems have no problems with, yet they continue to allow the introduction of new chemical products which our bodies have no defense for. I fear commercial scientists are like adolescent boys, they think they know everything, but it is not until many years later that the risks of many chemical products become apparent. Many pests and diseases can develop immunity to new chemicals over 10 to 20 years, but this represents many generations of evolution for them. Individuals that don’t die on first exposure go on to breed so the next generation has more resistance and so on through the generations. These products don’t kill humans but can have long term health consequences. Humans have no chance of developing an immunity to these agents because we are not killed outright by these products and continue to breed but can be affected by the products in later life and our offspring can also be affected. Numerous chemical have been approved for use in the food supply and have subsequently been removed after evidence emerged of the damage they were causing. Effectively the human population is being used as Guiney pigs in the trial of new chemicals and GM products.
Australian Certified Organic Magazine Winter 2010, reported under the headline "Obesity and Diabetes "weigh in to pesticides debate that the US Presidents Cancer Panel, in consultation with 45 experts are now calling for government to do everything within its power to remove carcinogens and other toxins from food air and water.” (anon. Australian Certified Organic Magazine Winter 2010).
How much of the behavioral problems that we are seeing in young (and older people) is a product of poor food? Why do we spend millions on drug treatments without investigating the root cause of the problem? WA Politian Martin Whitley exposes the ADHD story in his website Speed up and sit Still. While The Stephanie Alexander Garden Foundation looks at feeding Mind, Bodies and Futures.
