A farmer in each year can produce enough food to feed a hundred people, according to Pollan (2001), but this productivity comes with a heavy price: "The modern industrial farmer cannot grow that much food without large quantities of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, machinery, and fuel. This expensive set of 'inputs,' as they are called, saddles the farmer with debt, jeopardizes his health, erodes his soil and ruins its fertility, pollutes the groundwater, and compromises the safety of the food we eat" (Pollan, 2001, p. 190). These accrued costs accumulated through generations may lead to catastrophic consequences such as global warming and scarcity of edible food and drinkable water.
The drive to industrial efficiency blinded us to several hidden costs of food production. Orr (1994) identifies six of the costs that, if we intend to maintain sustainable growth, need to be curbed. The first obvious cost of industrial food production is the damage to the planet Earth. The average rates of soil erosion today vastly outnumber the rates at which soil is created. According to one study, the soil erosion costs the United States $44 billion each year (Orr, 1994, p. 173). Pesticides used in agricultural production cause environmental and health damages, including pesticide-caused cancer. Food packaging and the use of disposable diapers for babies further damage the environment (ibid). These are some of the costs that are not usually included in the accounting systems used to calculate food production today.
The second cost of food production is the loss of farms and farmers. So-called "super farms" have driven away many farmers from jobs, thus killing the unique expertise only people in rural communities can possess (third cost) (Orr, 1994, p. 175). The fourth cost is the destruction of Jefferson's dream of agrarian America by big businesses...
Industrialization Benefits and Negatives Feudalism was the primary economic base during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. This was more of a patron system in which the means of production (land, any equipment, etc.) was owned by the Church or royalty. Workers then "leased" the right to work on the land, paying their tax in the form of product or service. However, with increased urbanization and tradecraft, ties to a feudal lord
Soviet Union and United States Comparative Analysis of Industrialization in the Former USSR and United States The political, economic, and cultural impacts of industrialization in North American and European countries are still widely evident today and have heavily affected international relations and global politics. The Industrial Revolution is usually considered to have originated in Great Britain in the mid 1700s, which at this point in time was the dominant empire in
Capitalism is predicated on the principles of "Creative Destruction" where the loss of one item or industry, leads to the creation of another more beneficial product or industry. This principle has both destroyed and given rise to numerous industries throughout the world. For example, in the early 1900's, farming gave way to the industrialization of American made goods. Producers went from the farm lands to the assembly line of manufacturers.
There are clearly several negatives regarding this totalitarian approach to agriculture. While some see no choice in order to increase production, others see the lessening of biological diversity becoming so severe that, if the trends continue, within 50-60 years, we will have lost most of the genetic diversity in food crops. Experts also agree that over the long-term, this corporate agricultural focus is unsustainable for the following reasons: It creates an
Vertical Farming-Opportunities and Challenges for Singapore There has been much talk surrounding the environmental issues of food production, with many now suggesting the city is the ideal place for growing food to cater for rapidly expanding urban populations. In Singapore, small-scale examples of this are emerging, such as Changi General Hospital and the Tanjong Pagar apartment complex. This dissertation will examine the Vertical Farming movement, and look at the opportunities and
Social Ecology of Health Promotion Module 05 Question 01: explain the rationale behind the federal government's approach to regulatory containments in food. The federal government's approach in relation to the regulation of the containments in food, aims at protecting the consumers on food insecurity through elimination of food pathogens. It is the role of the government to enhance the health system and conditions of its citizens through adoption and implementation of various
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