Green Revolution
Mass Production was a system used in various time periods as a benefitting factor toward a certain situation. Mass production was stemmed out during the times of World War I and was later on used as a system for other wars. Mass production was not only limited to wars, but instead it was also used in the Green Revolution. The Green Revolution began around the 1930s and made its change on the food system. It changed how agriculture worked and altered how food was produced. Mass production and the Green Revolution can be directly related to each other because mass production benefitted the Green Revolution. Through the film, Food Inc., the Green Revolution served as a change and an initiation to the development of social and
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technological progress, but created a negative impact to the environment and the people of society today. In the film, Food Inc., directed by Robert Kenner, the film shows the reality of mass production in the food industry.
Viewers of the film can see the Green Revolution is an example of mass production because mass production is the main system used during this revolution. Assembly lines are a technique that is stemmed out of the system of mass production. During the Green Revolution, assembly lines were used to make production of food more efficient. Food had to be over produced and in a fast way to support the growing population. People had designated jobs and did only one specific task. Their task was monotonous. Viewers can also see the assembly line present in fast food restaurants. McDonalds was the first fast food chain restaurant to use the assembly line at a work place. Similar to factories, each person was assigned a certain task. One’s task might be cooking the patties and another might be cutting the potatoes. Assembly lines made work more sufficient. It increased the speed and amount of productivity. Today, the assembly line is still used in these fast food chain restaurants. One fast food place that can be easily seen doing this is In-N-Out. Walking into In-N-Out, the customers can see the system or the workers. Each worker has a specific job within the restaurant and is only trained to do that one thing. This is why it made it easy for workers to be replaced because the tasks were …show more content…
repetitive. Another way that the Green Revolution can be considered as an example of mass production is through the use of mechanization. During the time of the Green Revolution, mechanization took over. Machines were used to help farming and agriculture. There were factories created that used machines to increase production speed. Machines such as tractors and airplanes were used to plow the food or spray the food so there would not be any pesticides. This technological improvement also helped the production of food and helped the workers work faster. The Green Revolution used the tactics of mass production to sufficiently produce food for the growing population of society. In my opinion, I feel that the history of the “industrial food system” is an example of social and technological progress. People created new machinery and put ideas like, mass production, into work. The history of the “industrial food system” created advancement in technology and tried to serve the growing population of society. Although I feel that it serves as a progress in social and technological progress, I feel that there are negative impacts that come out of the progress. First of all, we can see that in the film, Food Inc.,the narrator talks about the genetically modified chickens. He talks about how they are basically clones of each other now days. The narrator mentions, “ Today chickens are genetically modified and slaughters at half the time they were use to. They are bigger now. Since people love white meat more, chickens are larger at the breast and genetically modified to have more white meat.” This becomes a health issue to the people that eat the chicken. Animals and food are widely genetic modified these days and it becomes not natural. The organic and nutrients of food are now not considered “real.” I feel that genetically modified food might not affect people now, but in the long run, it will affect people then. Going off the idea of health issues, the social and technological progress of the “industrial food system” greatly affects the health of the workers.
Similarly to World War I’s mass production, the mass production in the Green Revolution has similar working conditions. Some people might say that it benefits people because it creates more jobs and creates jobs even for the undocumented. This is true, but laborers are working in bad conditions. The factories they are working in or the monotonous jobs they do can cause them long-term health problems. It can harm them physically and mentally. In some cases, their jobs do not bring joy to them and can ultimately lead to depression. Workers in factories are also paid low wages. They are not paid fairly by the corporation. Since most of these workers are undocumented, they are not paid the minimum wage of the state. This shows the inequality of the workers versus the owners of the factories. The idea of health issues and financial cost plays a role in the negative effect that the progression leads
to. Another negative impact that comes from the progression of the Green Revolution is its affect on the environment and animals. Since factories are used the factories create pollution to the air and harms the environment. Also factories need to be made at certain places. By that being said, on order for the factories to be made trees have to be cut down. This too effects the environment we live in today. The mistreatment of animals also plays into factor as a negative effect. As seen in the film, the cows that are raised are not raised in beautiful, grassy fields. They are raised in thousands and in a field that is filled with their own poop. Cows usual diet is grass. Since they do not live in a grassy area, the workers deliver the food to them. The factories would feed the cows corns and other food, other than grass. Corns do not digest well for cows, so workers have to reach into the cows’ stomachs to get the bacteria that are produced by corn in cows. Cows are one of the many animals that factories mistreat. The mistreatment of these animals leads to how I see the industrial food progression negatively. All in all, the film, Food Inc., portrays the reality of how the “industrial food system” works. It shows how mass production is used in the Green Revolution. Mechanization and the assembly line serve as a helpful system toward the Green Revolution because it increased production quantity. Although the Green Revolution was progressive toward technology and society, it did have some negative effects too. The Green Revolution brought forth the idea that quantity is better than quality. Because of the population increase, food production has to increase. In conclusion, I agree that the Green Revolution was a progress towards technology, but it had some negative outcomes toward the environment and the health of the workers.
The forward-tracking movement as used in Ernie's restaurant suggests the forward-tracking shot that is used throughout the film to show Madeleine has an allure for Scottie. Ernie's scene evokes the backward-tracking shot used throughout the film to show how Scottie is bonded to his object of desire. Together they bring out the character that an individual is playing in the film. The camera movement in Ernie’s Restaurant brings out forward and backward tracks that defines the point-of-view structure, but here the camera movement does not straight forwardly articulate a point of view. Instead, the camera is self-consciously sets up to show the relationship between the elements of the point-of-view structure that the rest of the film enacts.
Under this development, foreign companies could set up plants within 100 miles of the United States/Mexico border. These were known as maquiladoras (Broughton 5). Maytag and other manufacturing companies took advantage of this opportunity for the cheap labor, land, resources and thus ability to be more profitable. Maquiladora employment tripled to 1.3 million in 2001, since 1990 (Broughton 142). Maytag’s plant was called Planta III and required less jobs and less skilled labor than what was required in Galesburg. This was good for the company’s bottom line, but bad for employees. The employers had complete control since labor was so easily replaceable. The workers began to be looked at as machines; interchangeable and dispensable and thus were not getting a fair wage. In Mexico the average cost for one week of food was $81 but maquiladora employees would only get paid $36 per week (Broughton 152). Maquiladoras also hurt the local and national Mexican economies. Locals would say that “the only thing maquiladoras have done is occupy the workforce … they don’t resolve any of the problems they generate…overpopulation, lack of social services, school and health care. All of this is what the maquiladoras have brought” (Broughton 153). These companies were simply there to make a profit and provide jobs, not to enrich the employee’s or communities lives. The profits from
In the late nineteenth century, many European immigrants traveled to the United States in search of a better life and good fortune. The unskilled industries of the Eastern United States eagerly employed these men who were willing to work long hours for low wages just to earn their food and board. Among the most heavily recruiting industries were the railroads and the steel mills of Western Pennsylvania. Particularly in the steel mills, the working conditions for these immigrants were very dangerous. Many men lost their lives to these giant steel-making machines. The immigrants suffered the most and also worked the most hours for the least amount of money. Living conditions were also poor, and often these immigrants would barely have enough money and time to do anything but work, eat, and sleep. There was also a continuous struggle between the workers and the owners of the mills, the capitalists. The capitalists were a very small, elite group of rich men who held most of the wealth in their industries. Strikes broke out often, some ending in violence and death. Many workers had no political freedom or even a voice in the company that employed them. However, through all of these hardships, the immigrants continued their struggle for a better life.
The Green Revolution refers to development in technology and initiatives used in agriculture in the 1930s to the 1960s. It increased agricultural production worldwide, particularly in developing nations. The leader of this revolution is Norman Borlaug, otherwise known as “Father of the Green Revolution.” The Green Revolution had many causes and consequences from 1945 to the present. Some causes were the inadequate amount of food available and land degradation. However, there were also consequences both negative and positive such as the new conflicts emerging and increase food supply.
After reading McKibben and Hurst’s articles in the book Food Matters, both authors present arguments on “industrial farming”, and although Hurst provides a realistic sense on farming, McKibben’s suggestions should be what we think about.
Another critical issue that is undertaken throughout the body of work is the equal representation of all races and preservation of heritage and customs. This crisis is a focal point of Lemonade because it poses a significant threat to the minorities in today’s society.
The food machine video was both entertaining and very informative. It was intriguing to learn that so many thousands of pounds of food are being produced each day. This video really shows what the agriculture industry does for America. As America continues to grow, the amount of food being produced continues to grow as well. For example, the video states that close to 13 million tons of tomatoes are being produced each year. Also, half of a million ton of tomatoes are processed weekly. That is an immense mass of tomatoes. People have got to eat, and they are demanding vast quantities of food. Producing large amounts of food has been challenging for the agriculture industry, yet technology continues to increase and makes the process easier for the industry. In Food Machine, the narrator compares food production in America during the 1930’s to food production during present day America. He announces that during the last 60 years, American farmer have tripled the amount of crops they yield.
After the industrial revolution the use of machinery increased tremendously. Machines and big factories were being built to speed up the process of production. Like most things being mass produced food was no exception. The idea of CAFO’s (condensed animal feeding operations) made food a business. In Dow’s presentation he spoke about the issues with CAFO’s and why they should be avoided. CAFO’s are very fast productions because they want to produce as much as possible with the least amount of effort. Big companies that mass produce animals in this way are putting smaller farms out of business. Small farm businesses cannot keep up with efficiency or quantity. Small farms can be very successful if they have the right consumers and that the demand
In addition, foreign companies can come to Maquiladoras and produce their export goods and receive wide range of benefits such as being exempts from income and property taxes (Wise, 2003 p.173). Regrettably, when Mexican government tries to make changes, companies threaten to pull their factories in Mexico (Wise 2003). Due to capitalism, government has little control over working condition and wages, which allows the big corporations(capitalist) to exploit their workers(proletariat). As a result of long working hours and the type of work, many workers alienated themselves from the task at work. Through their day, worker move like robots repeating the same task over and over again (movie, Ritzer 161). This is a direct violation of Marx ideas of human nature because capitalism is causing workers to “an often boring and stultifying means of the fulfillment of the only end that really matters in capitalism-earning to survive money” (Rizter
It is clear that many aspects of human life have been corrupted in one way or another. Although not all of these corruptions are seen, many are right in front of us. If we just opened our eyes we could see the the harsh reality in many things. Something is simply as the food we eat, many of times has a much more complex and dark truth then we as humans could even imagine. The meat we eat isnt always prepared the way we may think it is. The vegatables we consume may not always be grow the way with think. For it is true that many of these processes have been heavyily altered over the years and the findings through film, articles, books and interviews are strartling. Two films "Food inc" and "Our Daily Bread" both depict the harsh reality of Americas
First, take the production of the famous McDonald's French fry. During the chain's early years French fries were made from scratch every day. Russet Burbank potatoes were peeled, cut into shoestrings, and fried in McDonald's kitchens. As the chain expanded nationwide, in the mid-1960s, it sought to cut labor costs, reduce the numb...
I watched the documentary Fed Up. It is about how sugar is the real cause of the obesity epidemic. Katie Couric discussed how diet and exercise became the mantra of health professionals and physicians a few decades ago, and has remained their recommendation for weight loss. The rise of the popularity of the “eat less, exercise more” idea mirrored the rise of people suffering from overweight and obesity throughout the same period of time. People are being told it is their fault they are overweight and obese, when in reality government officials are being pressured by food companies and lobbyists to not demonize sugar, to not place restrictions on sugar, and not to place a recommended daily allowance
Before the mass production of food, farming was small and family based. People knew where their food was coming from and what was put into producing it. Real food consisted of fruits and vegetables that were in season and meats from animals that were grass fed and able to move freely throughout the pasture they lived in. As the population grew there was a need for a more efficient, cheap, and productive way of farming, therefore corporate farming was introduced on a large
Green Revolution refers to an agricultural renovation that pertains to research and practices which used modified crops, proper irrigation and modern agricultural technology. Through the Green Revolution, agricultural production increased massively all over the world. Despite the success of the Green Revolution, there are still qualms on whether it is actually good or not.
...became expensive. This directly transmitted down to the consumers as the food prices rose globally. This incidence led to global unrest and many people died due to hunger and poverty. This situation needs to be prevented from happening again. A sustainable and economical food production process, that is not dependent on oil cost should be developed to avert such a crisis (Steger, Goodman & Wilson, 2013).