This house believes that Rachel Carson would not today have written Silent Spring. To second the proposition

摘要

The world has changed substantially since the publication of Silent Spring and many of its ideas have entered the mainstream. One of the many changes in the farming community has been the move to better understand other, often recreational, users of the countryside and the multiple demands of customers. This has lead to widespread adoption of crop husbandry practices that simultaneously promote economic production and ecosystem benefits. Organisations like the Farming and Wildlife Action Group and Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF) now attract many farmers, especially here in Scotland where membership of LEAF counted towards entry into the Rural Stewardship Scheme. My personal experience of the changes engendered by such organisations has come about through engagement with LEAF and the beneficial consequences that I have observed both on farms and at my own institute.