The News story "The bacteria fight back" by G. Taubes (Special Section on Drug Resistance, 18 July, p. 356) highlights the growing health threat from antibiotic-resistant bacteria, especially methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and the need to rein in medical uses of antibiotics to curb resistance. But reining in health care uses alone is insufficient to address the resistance epidemic. As recommended by the Institute of Medicine (1), World Health Organization (2), American Academy of Pediatrics (3), and other health organizations, routine and widespread use of medically important antibiotics in animal agriculture also must be ended to effectively address resistance. Recent evidence showing that some human MRSA infections are associated with animal agriculture underscores this point. In Europe, MRSA has been shown to be transmitted from pigs to farmers and their families, veterinarians, and hospital staff (4, 5). One MRSA strain, once found only in pigs, is associated with serious human illness, including skin, wound, lung, and heart infections (6, 7). This new pig strain is linked to more than 20% of human MRSA infections in the Netherlands (8).

For satisfying the increasing demand for forest products in India, areas with degraded and eroded soils should be afforested. Already cultivated land needs to be used more effectively, i.e., by replacing low-yielding species with fast-growing forest species.

All cassava species (sweet and bitter varieties) contain cyanogens. However, these genetically cyanophoric cultivars vary widley in their content of cyanogenetic glucosides. That variation in HCN content results from phenotypic differences including photoperiodic, temperature and nutritional factors.

In the past, mechanization of agriculture has often be associated with loss of employment in rural areas. Given the dramatic increase in demand for food, mechanization can become employment-generating and income-increasing, and possibly reversing the trend of urbanization.

The history of "food problems" in many third-world countries can be traced to political and administrative errors which exaggerated the effects of natural disasters. The danger of seeking quick dramatic solutions and blaming scapegoats is apparent. In contrast, successful agricultural progress relies on carefully and persistently building-up physical and institutional structures and human skills.

Promotes the establishment of bamboo plantations for shoot and timber production. Analyses show that bamboo plantations yield much higher returns than other plantations after 15 years of establishment.

For improving biodiversity within managed forests, naturally regenerated forests showed a more diverse composition of plant species. Consequently, naturally regenerated forests are superior to plantations established on clear-cut forest land.

Bacillus thuringiensis has negligible toxicity and several other viruses have no effect. The nematode Neoaplectana dutkyi as well as spores of Nosema species did not infect adult bees. Consequently, most biological insecticides have no or only neglegible effects on honey bees.