Granted it can get pretty cold in winter, but with modern agricultural techniques, the Midwest could be self-sufficient for many types of fruit and vegetables, cutting out the massive environmental cost of shipping tons of vegetables half way across a continent. (8^th paragraph)

Even in organic crop production, pests and disease cause wastage; and even if harvested and distributed locally, part of a crop will always be wasted. (5^th paragraph)

This wastage has a huge impact in terms of natural resources, particularly space and water, which in turn have huge implications for the global environment. (4^th paragraph)

In Brittany, France, many streams and beaches have been seriously polluted by nutrient-rich water running off fields, causing "algal bloom" along the seashore and covering some beaches in green slime. (13^th paragraph)