Animal and plant husbandry due to human growth has transformed into factories that pump out foodstuffs in higher quantities than imaginable centuries in the past. This is done through the use of monocultures, which produce one single crop in high quantities, and factory farming, compact animal lots that grow the animal as quickly as possible for slaughter. The shift to monoculture farming and factory farming was due to the rapid increase in population and advancements in farming technology, for example pesticides. In recent years the focus has shifted to escaping factory farming through organic farming. Organic farming produces foodstuffs without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or any other artificial factors. Organic farming focuses on natural development of organisms. Author Michael Pollan in his essay “The Animals: Practicing Complexity” describes his time at an organic farm and describes Polyface Farm as profitable, efficient, cheap, …show more content…
and happy.
The farm uses a cycle of animals, which include cows, chickens, turkeys, bunnies, and pigs, in order to keep the land fertile which allows for little use of external human made input. Polyface farm also takes hours of work everyday to upkeep unlike factory farms where it’s mostly automated. The farm also makes use of forested areas and other non-farmed resources, which forces them to protect that land from being cut down to receive those benefits. However, organic farming’s limiting factor is human population growth and the resources needed by the growing population. 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
can determine the amount of food needed to feed the American population. I on average consume one egg, half a pound of meat, 1 cup of vegetables, 1 cup of fruits, and 1 cup of a carbohydrates daily. Multiplying those values by the population of the United States, 319 million, gives us 319 million eggs, 159.5 million pounds of meat, 319 million cups of vegetables, carbohydrates and fruits daily. Using Polyface Farms as the average organic meat farm, Michael Pollan gives these figures, “Polyface Farms produces in a season… 30,000 dozen eggs 10,000 broilers 800 stewing hens 50 beeves (representing 25,000 pounds of beef) 250 hogs (25,000 pounds of pork) 1,000 turkeys 500 rabbits” this is all produced throughout the seasons of one year. (382) The average chicken, broiler and stewing hen, and rabbit have less than 10 pounds of meat and the average turkey has less than 30 pounds of meat. The United States alone would need 323,430 Polyface Farms to meet the egg quota and 297,512 for the meat. Those farms are just for the production of meat, that does not include the population’s need for vegetables, fruits, and carbohydrates. Michael Pollan’s adjective efficient is an over flattering remark. Quantity of production is organic farms’ ultimate limiting factor and as population grows the amount of those farms needed grows. The United States has a limited amount of arable land that can be used for agriculture, unless new agricultural technology is discovered to transform unproductive land, organic farms need unreasonable amounts of land. Organic farms need more land per pound of meat than factory farms, the United States does not have enough land for organic farms. Using the numbers from the above paragraph the United States would need around 300,000 Polyface Farms. Michael Pollan quotes Salatin, “we produce all that food from a hundred open acres, but if you really want to be accurate about it, then you’ve got to count the four hundred and fifty acres of woodlot too” that results in 550 acres per Polyface Farm.(382) The United States of America only has 1,025,000 acres of arable land which is around 40% of the United States total land. The amount of land need by the Polyface Farms would equal 165,000,000 acres. Even if all the land in the United States of America was terraformed into arable land, 64 other terraformed United States would be needed. All other animal and plant species would be pushed out and killed in order to keep livestock populations adequate. Keeping the 450 acres of woodlot would protect the plant life in that area but not the predators, unless the farms do not mind losing livestock to bears, boars, coyotes, and wolves. The environmental damage would be massive, but positively, Polyface Farms have no runoff because all waste is used through the cycle, but organic cows take longer to mature producing more greenhouse gasses. Land and environment are limiting factor because they are limited resources. Organic farms may work if the prices of the foodstuffs rise with demand. The cost of foodstuffs produced by organic farms is too high for the average person. The supply of organic foods is too low for the increasing demand. The amount of land and work hours needed to produce the foodstuffs are excessive. Michael Pollan quotes Joel Salatin, “humans out there moving the cattle every evening, dragging the broiler pens across the field before breakfast, and towing the chicken coops hither and yon… my guess is there aren’t too many farmers today who are up for either the physical or mental challenge… the appeal of industrial farming is its panoply of labor- and thought-saving” saving labor and thought equates to saving money for those who purchase the goods.(380) In addition, the amount of land needed per pound of meat is greater, increasing the cost of each pound of meat. Polyface Farms may save money on not needing to purchase “antibiotics, wormers, pesticides, and fertilizers”(377), but the cost in labor and land surpass what they save. Cost will be a limiting factor for organic farms that could result in lower class starvation. Another resource organic farms lack is human intelligence. Rural farm areas do not receive enough intelligent and curious minds. The majority of the population of the United States of America live in urban areas and equally does the resource of brilliant minds. Michael Pollan quotes Joel Salatin, “a lot of D students left on the farm today… guidance counselors encouraged all the A students to leave home and go to college. There’s been a tremendous brain drain in rural America” this is a problem with complexity.(381) Polyface Farms is complex in comparison to the simple factory farms where a “D student” can work and solve all the problems through chemicals. The support from companies and government is non existent because the production is too low and profit for companies is too low. Companies would have to spend thousands of dollars to educate someone in the complex Polyface Farm technique of farming. The amount of intelligent minds is a limiting factor for organic farms.
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
Steven Shapin is an expert when it comes to telling people the reality of the situation. In his, article “What Are You Buying When You Buy Organic?” Shapin exposes and explains the truth behind the word organic. He explains that our view on organic is not a reality. The small farms that we picture in our heads are really just big business in disguise and these big businesses are trying to do good by supposedly not using harmful pesticides. Which are supposed to not damage the environment but in reality they are probably not making any sort of difference. Some people care about the environment, while others are buying taste when it comes to organic food but using different pesticides are going to help the taste, only freshness tastes the best.
Polyculture is associated with, but not exclusively limited to, the movement in organic farming (Pollan 144). The main drawback is the work required to maintain the different species being grown. Each plant requires its own growing conditions, so maintenance becomes labor intensive. However, this method of farming greatly increases the biodiversity of the fields which reduces susceptibility to disease and pests, and creates genetically diverse species. Polyculture is very different from monoculture in more ways than simply growing more than one crop. Monoculture is the attempt to control a crop to maximize yield. Polyculture is the acknowledgement of nature’s control and the attempt to grow successful crops through changing the process of growing plants based on the ecological system around them. The people who grew early potatoes on the Andes grew a wide variety of different potato species so that not all of them were likely to susceptible to the same disease (Pollan 131). Pollan’s discussion of these methods leans heavily toward the idea that even though monoculture is simpler and more profitable, it is an inferior method to polyculture that is mainly still in use to feed the capitalistic machine of the global food
Today’s economy and the environment are hurting due to the lack of nurture we have been providing. Conventional farming rules the world of agriculture, but not without a fight from organic farming. Organic farming is seen as the way of farming that might potentially nurture our nature back to health along with the added benefit of improving our own health. With her piece “Organic farming healthier, more efficient than Status Quo,” published in the Kansas State Collegian on September 3, 2013, writer Anurag Muthyam brings forth the importance behind organic farming methods. Muthyam is a senior at Kansas State University working towards a degree in Management. This piece paints the picture of how organic farming methods
While the organic movement has increased the production and sale of organic food in the United States, something that should be noted is that the stock of Whole Foods Market, a grocery store is dedicated to the sale of organic food, has gone down 40% since October of 2013. Whole Foods Market’s success rates are slowly beginning to diminish and it may lose its dominance in the organic foods market (The Economist, 2014). While this may seem indicative of a decrease in public interest of organic food, it really indicates the opposite. After seeing the success of Whole Foods Market, new stores such as Trader Joe’s and Sprouts entered the organic market and became strong competition. The decline in Whole Foods Market’s success may be attributed
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.
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.
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.
It is estimated that 37 farmers leave the land every day to pursuit in different field (Herro 2006). The decline in rural farmers is from the consequences of industrialization of agriculture. Only 1 percent of the UK workforce is now employed on farm, compared to 35 percent in the last century (Herro 2006). Many of these workers are being weaved out by better technologies that can do the same work at a faster and more efficient rate. On the contrary, organic farming relies more on people for knowledge, daily monitoring, and production. A study by the Soil Association shows organic farming can potentially provide 32 percent more jobs per farm than conventional farming in the United Kingdom (Herro 2006). However, critics have argued that human labors will lead to higher food prices, which makes the shift infeasible. But while this may be true in developed country, a full scale shift to organic farming in developing countries, where labors are much cheaper than pesticides, can lead to a much higher profit for the farmers. Organic farming attracts younger employees than any other work industry. Currently, the average age for conventional farmer is 56 (Herro 2006). If a full scale shift to organic farming were to happen, it would draw a more vibrant and enthusiastic workforce who are food conscious than that older generations, setting up a platform
The term “organic” is almost everywhere in modern society, whether it’s used to promote a product or it’s debated on whether it really benefits the human diet. Organic food is heavily debated on as it appears more and more in local grocery stores and farmers markets begin to populate, it raises questions such as “Is organic food better than food grown with pesticides and biologically engineered genes?” and “Are there benefits to eating organically over foods grown in any other way?” In terms of what data and results show in research may help lead to answers to most of the heavily debated issues throughout discussions on organic food.
Because organic farms tend to be local businesses, many of the jobs are held within the community and much of the income made by the organic farms are spent on other local services or goods. This creates a cycle helping rural communities flourish due to the lack of corporate jobs in these areas, “Farm families are able to hold on to their land and can offer their children the option of continuing to work the land, decreasing the likelihood of urban migration by young people in the community.” (Inouye, Alena, McCauley) It seems though in the future with the increase in demand of organic farming, people may migrate into these rural areas because of the increase in work and labor needed. Helping the economy is in important job and something that is healthy and also helps economic flow is vital. With the easy methods that go into growing food the organic way we can not only rural communities in America, but also throughout the world. Explained in Leu and Andre’s article from Global Resources, “The reality is that the world produces more than enough food to feed everyone and has more than enough suitable agricultural land to do it. Unfortunately, due to inefficient, unfair distribution systems and poor farming methods, millions of people do not receive adequate nutrition.” The fact that we can feed the whole world is amazing, there is land all over the world and where
Humans initially began farming organically when European farmers began to notice a decrease in soil quality and crop health due to the use of chemical fertilizers (UCSC). This problem that presented itself to crop farmers left no other alternative than to cease the use of chemical fertilizers and begin implementing less harmful supplements in order to improve crop quality, otherwise known as organic farming. Organic agriculture takes into account “the medium and long-term effect of agricultural interventions” (“What are the environmental benefits of organic agriculture” 1), by taking preemptive measures, whereas industrial farming addresses problems as they arise. Organic agriculture is carried out by several soil building practices such as
Complexity science is not a single theory and can be described as a diverse group of unpredictable, independent agents that are interconnected and interdependent. They must be able to interact spontaneously to create order in a health system that is constantly changing and is increasingly becoming more complex and chaotic (Plsek & Greenhalgh, 2001). Plsek and Wilson (2001) state the biggest barrier to the complexity approach is the current hierarchical control and command type of management. They think detailed targets and specifications, standardisation, isolating parts of the system, resisting change and reducing variation will produce better performance. Whereas complexity thinking proposes that rather than looking at individual
Agriculture is one of the most ancient forms of art and science that ties human development and well-being to natural resources and ecosystems. (Fritz J. Häni, 2007) Sustainable Agriculture is the production of food, fibre, plant and animal products using farming techniques that protect the environment, public health, human communities and animal welfare. (Sustainable Agriculture - The Basics, 2015) Sustainable agriculture is an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site – specific application that over the long term will:
Herman manages his farm in a way that promotes a positive nitrogen cycle and allows him to give back to the earth. Herman collects his animal’s manure, which is very high in nitrogen and mixes it with straw, which is low in nitrogen. This creates a balanced nitrogen cycle. Nitrogen helps plants grow, but high levels nitrogen can pollute the earth. By mixing these two ingredients Herman creates a fertilizer that slowly releases nitrogen to his crops, and allows them to thrive (Mannell & Bingham, Personal Communication, SUST 1000 Cluster 1, September 22 2016). Herman’s farming methods discussed in cluster one share similarities with the organic farming discussed in cluster two. Organic agriculture is a way to produce food without compromising the health of soils, ecosystems, and people. Organic agriculture is also important because it makes people aware of how they can farm more sustainably (Hammermeister, Singh, Mannell & Bingham, Personal Communication, SUST 1000 Cluster 2, October 11 2016). Herman is practicing organic agriculture in the way that he produced food that benefits the environment and preserves the health of the surrounding ecosystems. Herman is taking responsibility for the potentially harmful waste his animals create and is instead using it to farm organically and benefit the environment. Through examining how Herman takes steps to preserve the environment and live sustainably in his daily life it becomes clear that sustainability is a way of