There's a vigorous debate now on at www.gleanerblogs.com about whether Jamaica should import fertiliser containing human excreta. Today we share excerpts. You can join the debate today!

Ok Steve:

Did your relative tell you that it's not just fertiliser that is creating the problem with our soil in Jamaica? Did he tell you that it's because of bad farming practices why we have to resort to so much fertiliser in the first place? The soil In Jamaica is dead because we don't rotate crops. We need to rotate crops and then you will see the difference. We also have to leave some plots unplanted to help the soil recover, instead of killing the soil with more fertiliser. It's like loading up a donkey and when it sits down, you beat it.

Shane:

We have more to fear from pesticides than the fertiliser that is causing this debate. Stop talking about poisoning the land; Jamaica has been dumping raw sewage in the ocean for years, and we allow some businesses to do the same without penalties, so this fertiliser issue is a small one. Bob, what you are referring to is pesticides, sir. The fertiliser can be used at anytime; the soil destroys the remaining pathogens, which are basically harmless.

And the practice that we have in Jamaica, which involves persons digging their own pits, is the most dangerous practice in the world. How come no one says anything about that? People who are against the fertiliser need to shut up.

Shane:

The effects of pesticide have been proven. It cannot be washed away; many cancers are now being linked to it.

However, the strength of the pesticide decreases with exposure the longer it's out in the open but this varies with the type of pesticide.

Cottrell:

My fellow bloggers!!! There are no 'ifs' or 'buts'. We all want Jamaican agriculture to produce as much food as possible to feed our people. It is not about politics, it is about productive, efficient farming. It is about the higher-yielding seeds, better irrigation systems and more sustainable use of fertilisers that can transform agriculture in all parts of Jamaica. (We need to half our food import bills). And those of us who are getting hot under the collar about the JLP's effort to make cheap fertiliser available to our farmers need to stop and think, it is time they all stop playing politics with our children's future!

But, as we all know, intensive farming/production does not come without a cost. We are taking three times more water out of our rivers today than we did 50 years ago and about 50 per cent of our ecosystems are now being degraded or unsustainable. The ripping out of our trees/forests 'to plant the best cash crop we have but cannot export it' is really damaging our countryside. And yet, as we all know, the soil, the water, the air, the plants and the forests are the very foundation on which our food - and therefore our existence - depends. So in meeting the demand today, we must ensure that we do not destroy our ability to feed ourselves tomorrow. It's not about either environmental sustainability or production. It has to be both.

Gazwaz:

How does the US get rid of its 'fertiliser'?, they export it! Soon it will not be that difficult to get rid of nuclear waste. Let's see … how can it be packaged? Maybe Shane has some ideas … as individual X-ray machines?

Jan:

There is nothing called organic food, unless you grow it by yourself. I have seen some so-called organic foods in my parish and also in England and trust me, they are all the same

Join the debate at www.gleanerblogs.com

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