Benefits and Costs of Pesticide Use in U. S. Food Production

Abstract

In spite of present chemical control methods, an estimated 33% of current U.S. crop production is lost to crop pests. An analysis of the effects of removing chemical pesticides from U.S. agriculture reveals that pest losses would increase an estimated additional 9%. An investment of about $2.2 billion in pesticides would rescue an estimated $8.7 billion in crops from pest destruction