There’s no doubt that the world’s population is increasing, significantly. And because of this, human necessities and resources for these necessities are increasing in number also. This leads us to the connection between a growing population vs. the agricultural industry. With more people needing to be fed, the agricultural industry is high in demands, but it also needs to maintain its environmental biodiversity.
The drive for increased agricultural production and profit has relied on a limited number of high-yielding crop varieties and animal breeds. The result is industrial agriculture, which is defined as a modern form of capital intensive farming in which the machinery and purchased are substituted for the labor of human beings and animals. This seems like a useful way to result with more food resources for humans to eat. We can get a lot more work done faster by using machines to do our work for us. Industrial agriculture has been under controversy because according to many agriculturists, its benefits can't outweigh its costs. Industrial agriculture has brought in cheap agricultural products. Not to mention the environmental costs of industrial agriculture which is simply huge. Besides pollution and soil destruction, it also consumes large amounts of water, energy and chemicals. Most industrial agricultural farms are monocultural. This means that they only produce one type of crop, simply because it is easier to maintain. Monoculture crops are often hybrid varieties of a traditional species. The improved variety produces more, so the farmer doesn’t bother planting the older variety and it slowly disappears. Also, farmers on traditional farms tended to grow a wide variety of crops and often raised livestock as well. With the advent of monoculture farming, traditional farming practices were largely abandoned. Many crop varieties and animal breeds have often simply disappeared. This disappearance is known as “extinction”, and it’s final.
On the other hand, sustainable agriculture is both a philosophy and a system of farming. It involves design and management procedures that work with natural processes to conserve all resources and minimize waste and environmental damage, while maintaining or improving farm profitability. In practice such systems have tended to reduce or avoid the use of synthetically compounded fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulators, and livestock feed additives.
Basically, fewer genetic resources mean fewer opportunities for growth and innovation in agriculture. And growth and innovation are exactly what we need if agricultural production is going to keep up with population growth. Losing biodiversity doesn’t just limit our opportunities for growth; it puts our food supply in jeopardy. Agriculture becomes less able to adapt to environmental changes, such as global warming or the appearance of new pests and diseases. If our food supply can’t evolve, then we’re in deep trouble. The next step now is to plan how to achieve a solution for a brighter and greener future. Balance is the main factor in this case, as seen in the clip below:
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References:
References:
"Biodiversity." Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. 24/11/2010. Web. 30 Dec 2010.
<http://www4.agr.gc.ca/AAFC-AAC/display-afficher.do?id=1186577581900&lang=eng>
<http://www4.agr.gc.ca/AAFC-AAC/display-afficher.do?id=1186577581900&lang=eng>
“Biodiversity.” What FAO Does. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. 2010. Web. 30 Dec 2010.
Southgate, Douglas. “Population Growth, Increases in Agricultural Production and Trends in Food Prices.” EJSD. 2007. Web. 30 Dec 2010.
Feenstra, Gail. “What is Sustainable Agriculture?” UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. Web. 30 Dec 2010.
MacRae, Rod. “Definition of the term “Sustainable Agriculture.” Egological Agriculture Projects. Web. 30 Dec 2010.
“Industrial Agriculture.” Economy Watch. Web. 30 Dec 2010.
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Great blog Mary! I think this was an interesting and controversial topic to talk about. The points outlined are all indication that industrial farming is taking over all the natural farms, not only leaving farmers out of jobs but also putting the diversity of the species in danger, destroying the biodiversity and possibly harming the human health. We don’t know what is used to grow the vegetables that we buy! Thinking it is cheap and has some color on it, makes you go and pick them up knowing they are the healthy alternative. I totally agree that slowly that animal breeds and crop variety is going to disappear. I think soon we will find that industrial farming is not doing any good to any part of biodiversity and the human community.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary! Great BioBlog! I agree that the benefits of industrial agriculture don’t outweigh the costs. Industrial agriculture as you mentioned in your blog, practices monoculture. This practice alone already reduces the diversity in plants and animals because farmers are planting the same one type of crop or producing the same breed of livestock year after year. I agree that if we continuously rely on highly productive crops/breeds that other crop and livestock varieties will soon become extinct.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, I’d like to point out that the animals in these concentrated livestock operations are highly prone to disease. Taking chickens as an example, they are being modified to be two times their natural size to keep up with the consumer demands. But because of those modifications, the chicken’s immune system cannot keep up with all the changes happening within their bodies and don’t even have the strength to walk. Along with that, thousands of chickens are placed close together in warm, dirty, closed-in places. Those are the ideal condition for disease transition for the chicken – and for the humans working there.
As mentioned in the video clip included in your video, humans are just one species among 215 000 species of plants and animals. Though we need agriculture to feed ourselves, we must also keep in mind that we are sharing the world with so many other animals and plants. We must work together with nature. We can use the modern day farming technologies to keep up with the rising food demands but also strive to protect the green spaces within and outside farmlands.
Hi Mary! Your blog was very well-written. Since the population is growing so rapidly, we really do need to find a way to preserve the environment, whilst providing for our population. And we certainly shouldn't let more plant and animal species become more extinct because of monoculture. Industrial agriculture and its components is interfering with nature.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the video you included in the end. It was very informative and well-made, especially for a 2 minute video. I agree that balance is key for this situation and for any situation, as a matter of fact. I'm sure that maximizing the benefits for both the environment and the industry is achievable. The corporations monopolizing the industry just need to realize that humans and money are not the only things in the world. All that we, as individuals, can do now is try to buy food as responsibly as possible and take care of the environment.