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To drive through California’s farm fields with a group of anti-pesticide advocates is to see the endless rows of strawberries, lettuce, and Brussels sprouts transform from a bucolic to an ominous sight.

This happened to me on a recent tour of Santa Cruz and Monterey — two coastal counties known for their cool-weather crops and a wide range of corresponding chemicals used to keep pests at bay. (In 2009 alone, conventional farmers in Monterey County used over 7 million pounds of pesticide, for example). Three advocacy groups — Californians for Pesticide Reform (CPR), Pesticide Action Network (PANNA), and Pesticide Watch — convened a group of local politicians to illustrate not only the dangers of pesticide use in the state, but also the viable alternatives. I was lucky enough to get to tag along.

The group toured two successful organic farms along the coast — Jacobs Farm and Swanton Berry Farm — where we heard from farmers who grow herbs, vegetables, and strawberries (the latter being at the heart of the debate, as California grows 80 percent of the nation’s strawberries), and then from students, former farmworkers, and community members.

Two fumigants lie at the center of the pesticide discussion: As California moved to phase out methyl bromide because of its ozone-depleting qualities, they’ve moved toward what many see as a far worse alternative. The proposed replacement, methyl iodide, is a known-carcinogen that has been opposed by two dozen California legislators and 54 scientists — including five Nobel laureates.