The future of the development of pesticides by industry
ABSTRACT The growing and in many regions undernourished world population will necessitate a full mobilization of the world's agricultural resources in future even more than in the past. The fight against harvest depressing factors is among the most important measures for reaching this objective. There is striking evidence that the use of suitable chemicals will remain, in the frame of these endeavours, a most important weapon also in the time to come. New agricultural chemicals to be developed have to satisfy increased requirements as to performance and compatibility with the environment. This situation makes research and development for such chemicals a most expensive operation bearing high industrial risks with respect to the probability of success. There is a range of companies who are willing to accept the challenge; a tendency to a diminution of this range has been observed, however, in the recent past. The companies engaged in such research and development are aware of their responsibility to explore the products to be commercialized according to the best technological expertise available, and to judge facts and findings in an objective manner. Their activity depends, however, on conditions such as for example: — operable regulation requirements imposed by the legislator; — an adequate system of protection of technical property; — the scrutiny and objectivity of the information media. The industry involved in agricultural chemistry intends to intensify directly or through mediators the dialogue with the public. The risks of uncritical, emotional technophobia should not be underrated; consciously applied technology will be a prerequisite for survival.