NOTE: Richard Rominger is a farmer of alfalfa, beans, corn, rice and other crops, near Winters, California. He headed the California Department of Food and Agriculture from 1977 to 1982 and served as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture under Clinton from 1993 to 2001, assisting the then Secretary of Agriculture, Dan Glickman. Rominger has a degree in Plant Science from the University of California, Davis.
http://www.californiadreamseries.org/rfc-chars.htm

More on the Economist piece Rominger is responding to here:
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11771:genetically-modified-economist-nov-21-27-2009
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An agricultural giant
The Economist (print edition), December 10 2009
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15063708
http://bit.ly/4s68TM

SIR - As usual, Monsanto puts the cart before the horse when talking about agricultural development in Africa ("The parable of the sower", November 21st). Rather than "high tech" seeds, it is more important that farmers in developing countries first have a supporting infrastructure: markets, especially local markets, farm-to-market roads, credit, land tenure and agricultural services. Studies by both the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Rodale Institute, an early pioneer in organic production, show that Africa could feed itself with local, organic production. The intensive organic farms that I am familiar with, that do it right, produce more human nutrition per hectare than the extensive monoculture that Monsanto has promoted in America and elsewhere.

Yes, organic farms require more human labour, but in most developing countries that is not a problem. Without this basic infrastructure, the farmers will remain impoverished and reliant on international corporations for their seeds and pesticides.

Richard Rominger
Deputy secretary, 1993-2001
United States Department of Agriculture
Winters, California