Limited Knowledge of Agriculture in our Society

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Recommended: Role Of Technology In Agriculture

Many have heard the phrase, “Where would we be without agriculture? Hungry and Naked.” Ye,t the understanding of this phrase seems to be very limited. Knowledge of agriculture, as a whole, is very limited, to the point where people think that food comes from the grocery store instead of from the farms of hard working men and women who spend their days working in the fields and pastures. The combination of unrealistic legislation, corporate greed, and an ignorant consumer, that is today, four generations or more removed from the farm, has led to a huge gap in agriculture literacy in this country. Basically, people don’t know where their food comes from and as we’ve all heard, “we fear what we don’t understand.”

The Food Police, while they believe they are experts in the field, are part of an elite group of people who do not have a clear understanding of agriculture. Yet, they try to push their beliefs, policies, and way of life upon others. This group pushes for higher consumption of organic and local food, less use of pesticides, herbicides, and genetically modified organisms (GMO), and overall sustainability. However, they believe their way is the only way because they do not believe the citizenry are capable of acknowledging and understanding what is in their best interest. So here lies the major problem. The food elite “demand a revolution” and believe the problem is “underlying our modern food dilemmas.” Yet, instead of educating others or furthering their own knowledge, the Food Police demand a “dictatorship of the foodie proletariat” and their desired governmental changes will result in “nothing short of capitalism.” The Food Police work to get media support and governmental funding, all while using their social standing t...

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...matter is people are going to do what they themselves want to do. No Fat Taxes are going to steer people away from eating that candy bar or drinking that pop. Dr. Lusk states that history repeats itself and if we do not put a stop to the Food Police’s attempt to control what we eat we are destined to repeat history. We must teach society that food comes from people instead of the grocery store and that without biotechnology we would have proved the Malthusian Theory correct long ago. The people and the environment need technology but without help from agriculturists it is not guaranteed to stay. With that being said I believe this phrase fits much better, “Where would we be without agriculture technology? Hungry and naked.”

Works Cited

Lusk, Jayson. The food police: a well-fed manifesto about the politics of your plate. New York: Crown Forum, 2013. Print.

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