In the fast paced twenty-first century it seems that bigger is always better, however, this is not always true, especially when it comes to food; more specifically how food is produced. The negative effects of our national agricultural system affect everyone from coast to coast in almost to many ways to count. Conventional agriculture alone is the primary cause of water pollution in the United States (Winchester). Its prevention of biodiversity in relationship with its use of various chemicals generates a plethora of adverse effects on the environment; along with its soil erosion and lack of long-term soil productivity it makes us wonder why we still continue this practice (Delate). For the most part, it 's because we think that conventional …show more content…
This is mainly because with organic methods there is no need to spend money on a wide array of chemicals, eliminating the fuel cost of applying the substances, but yet your producing just as much, increasing the overall profit line (Delate). Furthermore, there is an ever-expanding organic market. Organic food sales have increased from $1 billion in 1990 to $26 billion in 2010. Likewise, the sale of organic vegetables and fruits in 2010 increased tremendously by 11.8% from 2009, despite a slow economy (2011 Organic Industry Survey). Organic farming has also shown to improve rural farm communities by creating more sustainable local jobs (Hanley). According to a survey from the United Nations, Organic agriculture provides on average 30% more sustainable jobs per hectare than conventional farms (Can Organic). In addition organic systems foster on-farm processing and direct marketing, which further increases the prospects for job creation. According to the Organic Trade Association, organic farms have an operational turnover of $45,697 almost double the profit of conventional farmers, which averages $25,448 (2011 Organic Industry Survey). In the organic grain and soybean systems at Iowa State, though deprived of the premiums, still over half of the organic methods were still more lucrative. Then once the price premiums were added the other half rapidly made up the differences and outdid the conventional methods (Delate). At the FTS they’ve found their the organic systems to be almost three times more profitable than their conventional systems. For comparison the average profit for the organic setups was $558 an acre per year against just $190 an acre per year on average for the conventional setups (FTS). Their most lucrative grain crop being the organically developed wheat achieving $835 an acre per year,
Moreover, this system of mass farming leads to single crop farms, which are ecologically unsafe, and the unnatural treatment of animals (Kingsolver 14). These facts are presented to force the reader to consider their own actions when purchasing their own food because of the huge economic impact that their purchases can have. Kingsolver demonstrates this impact by stating that “every U.S. citizen ate just one meal a week (any meal) composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce, we
The amount of foodstuffs produced by organic farms does not meet the demand of the population, which is the main objective of farming. Observing the United States of America alone and using myself as the average American we
Our current system of corporate-dominated, industrial-style farming might not resemble the old-fashioned farms of yore, but the modern method of raising food has been a surprisingly long time in the making. That's one of the astonishing revelations found in Christopher D. Cook's "Diet for a Dead Planet: Big Business and the Coming Food Crisis" (2004, 2006, The New Press), which explores in great detail the often unappealing, yet largely unseen, underbelly of today's food production and processing machine. While some of the material will be familiar to those who've read Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma" or Eric Schlosser's "Fast-Food Nation," Cook's work provides many new insights for anyone who's concerned about how and what we eat,
The first reason being that since they are not using any chemicals, the farmers are doing more labor work. By using chemicals on crops, farmers end up reducing the cost of production because they are able to get the job done faster. Without the chemicals, farmers have to hire more people to weed eat, clean the polluted water, and get rid of the pesticide contamination. The second reason is that the demand overwhelms the supply. Organic farms tend to produce less than non-organic farms. Non-organic farms have the supplies they need to keep costs down since manufacturers are able to decrease costs when producing a large quantity of products. The third reason is that fertilizers are more expensive for organic crops. Non-organic farmers use sewage sludge and chemicals, because they do not cost as much and they are cheap to transport. Organic farmers keep their crops natural and use animal manure, which is more expensive to transport. The forth reason is crop rotation. Organic farmers use crop rotations to keep their soil healthy and prevent weeds, while non-organic farmers use chemicals to kill their weeds. The fifth reason is the post-harvest handling cost. In order to avoid cross-contamination, organic foods have to be separated from non-organic foods after being harvested. Non-organic foods can be shipped in larger quantity sizes,
Even though conventionally grown foods are cheaper it is worthwhile to invest into buying organic foods because they are healthier. It has been proven that many organic foods dramatically reduce pesticide levels, lower cholesterol, and create a healthy environment. In addition, feeding the livestock with natural foods is more humane and allows the animals to avoid constant antibiotic injections. Organic foods are not only safer for our immune system but also better for the environment.
Food production has many challenges to address: CO2 emissions, which are projected to increase by two-thirds in the next 20 years, as the global food production increases so does the number of people going hungry, with the number of urban hungry soaring. The environmental issues are not the only ones to face; politics and economic globalization take also the big part in the food world. These days agriculture and food politics has been going through many changes but mostly under the influence of its consumers; back in the days people wanted as little as safety, variety and low costs of food. Now consumers demanding way more – greater freshness, nutritional value, less synthetic chemicals, smaller carbon footprint and less harm to animals. And that’s the time when urban agriculture emerged quite rapidly delivering locally grown and healthy food. Within the political arena, there are a few still in charge of defending the conventional food industries and commercial farms to retain the upper level. Against the hopes of nutrition activists, farm animal welfare defenders, and organic food promoters, the food and agriculture sector is moving towards greater consolidation and better sustainability. Although in social and local terms, food-growing activists know their role is under attack. Caught two words in the middle, is it possible to satisfy both?
Organic foods have become more and more popular over the years, and consumers may or may not be knowledgeable when shopping for organic and/or conventional foods. This report will help define the difference between organic and conventional foods and farming, including the health benefits and risks. The demand for organic foods will also be discussed briefly. The purpose of this research is to describe and identify the advantages and issues that are involved with organic and inorganic foods.
How society created a system in nature where animals and farming actually ruin the land, the same land that was once so cherished by our ancestors, completely stupefies me. When America moved from the locally-owned farms to the gigantic food manufacturers of today, it also moved away from the idea of the sustainability of earth by not preserving the land. Since this movement skyrocketed our economy and allowed for growth in several sectors of life, people gave no second thought to the changes being made. How have we as a society gone so long without even considering the impact of such an enormous revision within our agricultural system? Through industrialized farming, we allow our land to be demolished. However, some farmers know an alternative way of farming. Some farmers use the alternative method of organic farming, a natural agriculture solution. Although there are various factors involved in organic farming, weighing the benefits and costs of this type of farming—on both large and small scale levels—permi...
For years organic farmers and conventional farmers have feuded over which is superior. Organic farmers argue that their product is more eco-friendly because they do not use the synthetic chemicals and fertilizers conventional farmer’s use. Conventional farmers argue that their product is healthier and yields more. People tend to have stereotypes regarding the two types of farmers. Organic farmers are usually thought of as liberal, hippy, tree-huggers while conventional farmers are usually thought of as right-wing, industrialists. Obviously, some do adhere to this stereotype, but a majority of these farmers are normal, hardworking people. Although these farmers, both believe in their methods, one is no better than the other. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but there is no true superior method of crop farming.
With the world’s population continuing to increase, the demand for food is higher than ever. This increase in food demand also calls for more efficient ways of growing and providing the food. Two methods that are very controversial are the organic and conventional method. While many people support the organic method because of its known benefits, others feel that it is an over inflated industry that cheats consumers out of their money. But recently many studies have disproved those critics. These studies prove that Organic food is a better choice than conventional because it is better for the environment, avoids the use of chemicals, and is generally more beneficial.
As the global population continues to rise, the amount of food needed to feed the people will increase as well. Two types of agriculture systems have been the backbone for crop production for decades if not centuries: conventional and organic agriculture— both methods could not be any more different. Conventional agriculture, a method that uses synthetic chemical pesticides, technologies or additives, and practices that are unsustainable is the leading producer for our food. On the other side of spectrum, organic agriculture generally, performed in a much smaller scale, does not use synthetic chemicals and utilize methods that are environmentally sound. Most conventional
The greenhouse gases are those that absorb the Earths radiation and thus contribute to the greenhouse effect, but water is also a major absorber of energy. Where there is an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases (as with CO2 due to the burning of fossil fuels) this results in an enhanced greenhouse effect - which is of concern as it could lead to climate change (i.e. global warming).
Organic agriculture is the oldest form of agriculture on our planet. Until post World War II, farming without harmful petroleum based sources was the only way of farming. There were no hazardous fertilizers and pesticides made from petroleum based products. During World War II many agricultural technologies were created. For example, ammonium used for munitions during World War II evolved into nitrate fertilizer and organophosphate production led to the creation of strong insecticides. These technical advances have resulted in economic gains at the cost of severe environmental and social consequences.
Organic food is food that is grown without any pesticide or fertilizers. In recent years, sales for organic foods are increasing every year. A lot of people go to supermarkets in order to buy some organic foods, because they think that organic foods are healthier than conventional foods. People purchase organic foods for different reasons such as personal health, the quality of organic foods, and taste, but the most important reason is personal health. The topic that whether organic foods have more benefits or not is very controversial for a long time. Maybe some people believe that organic foods are beneficial to human health, but some other people disagree with the viewpoint, so buying organic foods depend on people’s choices. People believe organic foods are healthier because they generally think organic foods have less pesticide and fertilizer residue, more nutritional values, and are beneficial to environment.
Agriculture is the industry that I am choosing to reflect upon that is one of the top industries in the United States and therefore I felt it to be a good industry to focus on.