Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
3
THE CHEMICAL FERTILIZER
CONTROVERSY
What Is the Chemical Fertilizer Controversy?
Chemical fertilizer has an almost miraculous impact on crop
yields—so miraculous, in fact, that some people mistake it for
a divine miracle. Evangelical Protestants in Guatemala have
recently been stealing adherents from Catholicism, while at
the same time the widespread adoption of fertilizers created
a remarkable rise in vegetable production. Instead of giving
credit to modern fertilizers, Evangelical ministers have been
claiming the boost in food production was God's reward for
their conversion.
[A Guatemalan citizen states] “God started moving in
the whole community, through different miracles that
happened—people were getting saved, even I heard
miracles of people being raised from the dead, [cur-
ing alcoholism], families being restored, you didn't see
all the drunks on the street anymore. It was a complete
change.” And according to Evangelical lore, not only did
the character of the people...change, God blessed and
healed the land so they could grow more vegetables, and
big vegetables, and the records show the vegetables got
bigger.
A leading Guatemalan economist published an article
about [a Guatemalan region] in which he points out that
