There's a really easy way to understand the difference between sustainable and chemical agriculture. We can either let all of the life in the soil do the heavy lifting, or we can kill them all and invent chemicals or tinker with DNA to replace everything they do. I'm for the former. After all, it requires about less oil, it produces healthier food with higher yields, and it doesn't result in dead zones in the Gulf or the Chesapeake.
But, if you reject the idea that nature has a system figured out that works pretty well (even for large-scale grain farming), then Monsanto has something for you. Drought tolerant corn.
(For more coverage on topics like this, please check out my blog, La Vida Locavore)