There was a time when 90% of the human population had to raise crops in order to survive. With technology (not just pesticides, but all of the agricultural developments), that percentage drops to about 1%. This frees up 89% of the population to do useful things other than farming, such as writing books, becoming doctors, going hiking, making computers, posting on internet forums, and getting into quibbles about farming practices <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Just saying, mass agriculture has its place. Fewer and fewer farmers does not necessarily mean fewer crops produced, and modern agriculture has produced a society where you don't have to work in farming unless you choose to, rather than because you must eat.

I prefer the organic approach, myself, as do many of us. Keep in mind, however, that someone who's starving might not care about such niceties as pesticides killing the eagles. Only once you have enough food can you take care of the environment.