Jeremy... the author of this article is not a fan of inorganic fertilizers and doesn't understand the economics of the food industry and how the vast majority of consumers cannot purchase expensive food from their local farmer. In addition these small farms are not profitable as a result of the competition with the high volume high production farms.... But let's face it consumers who can pay for their food and worry about organic and other social economic issues are not obviously going hungry like many in Africa are....let alone the people who shop through flyers to stretch the family grocery budget just a little farther...

If it wasn't for inorganic fertilizers a whole lot of people simply wouldn't be here today... Read the book "Alchemy of Air"... excellent read talking about how two German scientists back in the late 1800's developed synthetic nitrogen fertilizer due to the fact available land was diminishing and organic fertilizers such as "nite soil" (human and animal manures), as well as bat guano was depleated... Excellent read.

http://www.amazon.ca/The-Alchemy-Air-Scientific-Discovery/dp/0307351793