Changing Values in Pesticide Technology

这个项目调查和评估在美国使用农药技术的理由。一方面，农药被视为粮食生产和保护公众健康的宝贵工具，但另一方面，农药的使用引起了与公众健康和环境状况有关的严重关切。鉴于这些担忧，人们呼吁重新评估农药使用的风险和益处。调查显示，公众的价值观可能会发生重大转变，对廉价和美观食品的需求与对无农药的要求发生冲突。为了评价这些明显冲突的优点，有必要从广泛的来源获得事实信息，并重新评估构成政策决定基础的价值判断。本研究将试图获取和整合14个不同主题的信息，从农药使用的程度和经济效益到农药的环境和社会成本。知识渊博的科学家和学者将收集、评估、评估和总结有关农药使用的最新科学信息。他们将考虑如何调和相互冲突的道德目标；公共和私人团体和组织在确定农药政策方面应发挥什么作用；关于农药使用，政府机构和法规应该提供什么样的指导。调查结果将在华盛顿特区的一次会议上散发，并通过调查结果摘要和收集的论文卷散发。本研究具有重要而及时的研究重点；其结果将是有用的，并为广大受众所接受。主要研究人员的资格和业绩记录都非常出色。参与者素质高，平衡性好。提案和增编提供了有关活动计划和将要调查的价值问题的充分资料。建议以高优先级支持该提案。

This project investigates and evaluates rationales for the use of pesticide technology in the United States. On the one hand, pesticides are regarded as valuable tools in food production and in the protection of public heath, yet on the other hand, pesticide use has given rise to serious concerns relating to both public health and the condition of the environment. In light of these concerns, people are calling for a reassessment of the risks and benefits of pesticide use. Surveys indicate the possibility of a significant shift in public values, with demands for cheap and cosmetically appealing food conflicting with demands for no pesticides. To evaluate the merits of these apparent conflicts, it is necessary to obtain factual information from a wide range of sources and to reassess the value judgments forming the basis for policy decisions. This study will attempt to obtain and integrate information on fourteen diverse topics, ranging from the extent and economic benefits of pesticide use to the environmental and social costs of pesticides. Knowledgeable scientists and scholars will collect, assess, evaluate and summarize the latest scientific information about pesticide use. They will consider how conflicting moral objectives can or should be reconciled; what role public and private groups and organizations should play in determining pesticide policy; and what guidance should inform government agencies and regulations about pesticide use. Findings will be disseminated at a meeting in Washington, DC, and via a summary of the findings and a volume of the collected papers. This research has an important and timely focus; its results will be useful and accessible to a wide audience. The qualifications and track record of the principal investigators are excellent. The participants are highly qualified and well balanced. The proposal and addendum provide adequate information about the activities plan, and about the value issues that will be investigated. The proposal is recommended for support, with high priority.