Agriculture and Population Growth Essay

Anna Lappé’s book, Diet for a Hot Planet, discusses the impact that meat consumption has on the planet and our environment. It discusses how the global food system is a major contributor to climate change, producing as much as one-third of greenhouse gas emissions. She writes about how the way we farm, what we eat, and how our food gets to our tables all

Major food corporations with the mantra of “feeding the world” have started a cycle of chemical abuse and sterilization of the earth. Frances Moore Lappé talks about this in his article, Diet Of The Small Planet, giving readers the harsh reality that our increasing meat centered diets are causing. The consumption of meat has been linked to the single-minded belief that beef/ham/chicken were the only source of “much needed protein.” According to the data that Lappé has gathered though, this “meat principle” could not be further from the truth. For instance, take the fact that a cow needs to ingest “21 pounds of [plant protein from grains] in order to produce 1 pound of protein for human consumption.” (Lappé) In fact, all the grains grown in the US that are supposedly suppose to “feed the world” at least “78%” (Lappé) is given to livestock as feed. This ridiculousness is further emphasized when Lappé mentions the stark contrast of livestock to the protein producing ability of plants per acre. The protein production of “cereals, legumes and leafy vegetables” easily produce up to “15 times more protein per acre” (Lappé) than the average piece of meat. The most startling example of the protein conversion inefficiency of meat through comes from the comparison to Spinach, which Lappé notes, is actually able to produces “26 times more protein per

There used to be a lot more farmers, each one with a smaller farm, but growing quite a few different products like corn, wheat, hay, barley, oats, etc. Today there are a lot less farmers, but about the same amount of land is being farmed. Each farmer has a much bigger acreage to cultivate. Now each farmer specializes in one product. This way each farmer is more efficient in what they grow.. The most produced commodities are grains, oil seeds, dried beans and peas at 42%, other crops and hay account for another 31%. Now, most products are enhanced of fertilizers and pesticides, although there is an increasing demand for organic products which are overall more

However, some believe, that a shift in the way we produce food may have some unintended consequences. They contend that poverty in nations such as Africa and Asia, is caused by the low productivity of the unindustrialized farm labor. The U.S. Agriculture Department projects, without reform, there will be over a thirty percent increase in the numbers of the ‘food insecure’ people in those nations over the next decade (Paarlberg 179).

Throughout time, humans have pushed forward in every aspect in life in order to improve their living standards, wealth and most importantly the agricultural sector which is the base of every human race. Food is the basic requirement for any individual to stay alive and healthy. In an article by Tamsin McMahon, she states that over the past 60 years, the world population has grown from 2.5 billion to 7 billion while world hunger dropped from 40% down to 15% (McMahon T., July 2012). This shows that our agricultural advances through technology have helped control world hunger and decrease it by more than half, but this is a short-term solution if we want to consider the future generations that depend on our current actions toward the three main pillars of agriculture which are: Health and nutrition, Economy and sustainability all while considering the local small farms and corporate farms.

As the Earth’s population grows at breakneck pace over the next several decades, who will feed the world’s people? Agriculture has undergone an extensive expansion and transformation throughout the last few centuries, beginning with the Industrial Revolution of the late 1700s. New technology allowed for better and greater methods of production. With the development of modern technology, people try to think some way can plant less, get more. Many farmers plant only one crop in the same place year after year. However, those against monocropping claim that it is very hard on the environment and actually less profitable than organic means of farming (“Monoculture Crops – Learn About The Effects Of Monocropping”). In addition, the destructive nature of agriculture has recently shown its hand. While our supermarkets, convenience stores, and restaurants are filled with abundant food options, people forget to ask themselves where all this food comes from. Globalization has opened up economies of scale and has allowed people to tap into different types of products, whether that is food or clothing. But the availability of an increased mass market comes at a cost. However, today, the modern farming techniques have grown into a headache for farmers and governments alike, because they are the consequences of overproduction, industrial waste and other problems arising from the modern methods of agriculture. Thus, modern techniques are harmful to environments, animals, and humans.

One that stood out was the horse drawn tool and the reaper, “This new tool had sharper blades that cut through the thick prairie roots found throughout the Midwest. Another important tool that defined this period in Midwest farming was the reaper, a device that could cut grain better than the scythe” (Argo, Web). These tools are what started the evolution of farming allowing it to grow at a rapid pace once they started becoming more innovated. From my readings in farming the essentials are not productivity but how you execute it and how you are able to build on top of that applying the technologies that are being provided. It is crucial for a lot of these struggling farmers to be able to keep up with technologies or even be ahead of them before your competitor to stay in the business. Throughout this paper we will gradually see that technology place a tremendous role on in agriculture and food, especially as the population continues to grow so rapidly and food can only be produced so fast, “The first goal of agricultural development is to produce sufficient food and other agricultural commodities to satisfy the needs and preferences of the growing human population”

This article discusses how the consumption and production of meat and dairy is one of leading causes of habitat destruction and quick action needs to be taken to preserve biodiversity. The article analyzes the meat-eating trends in tropical regions of America, Asia, and Africa. It concludes that meat production rates are rapidly increasing, underlying that a 30-50% increase in the land will be needed by 2050 if these patterns continue. Bushmeat consumption in Africa and livestock consumption in China are outlined as special concerns. The main solution proposed is reforming the livestock industry by reducing demand and waste, replacing ecologically inefficient protein sources with better alternatives such as plants or fish, and reintegrate modern livestock production

Many things are being done to help resolve this issue. More land is being made available for farm use (Clemmitt 555). On top of increasing farmland, farmers have also been learning how to use more effective techniques to ensure a successful harvest (Clemmitt 559). In order to fix the issue of starvation and malnutrition, from the lack of food, "we must first fix the political and economic issues", say many scholars (Clemmitt 565). Money is a major issue for the citizens in the United States. The amount of food isn't the first problem; it's not having enough money to buy the food that is available (Clemmitt 567). There are many issues with not being able to obtain food. The only issues that cannot be fixed are natural disasters, like hurricanes and tornadoes (Clemmitt 566). Although with all the technology in the world we cannot control Mother Nature. Technique is an important key to a successful harvest. Some farmers believe monoculture would be the best technique because it produces a large amount of one crop. The technique is effective and efficient but it’s harmful to earth's biodiversity. Thankfully there is a large amount of people in the next generation who are taking an interest in farming. This may help with the growth of farming, and fixing the issue of starvation. Genetically modified food is created in a way to grow quicker and easier than regular crops (McLure 719 720). Genetically modified foods have many helpful traits like being resistant to weeds. Another helpful trait of genetically modified food is it can grow in large amounts (McLure 721). The way the modified food is designed to help with growing large amounts with less acreage. The modified food, and organics, is believed to be cheaper because they do not require fertilizer (Kiener 820). Farmers are now trying to convince others to decrease or even stop the use of biofuel. It's becoming known that biofuel is taking away the amount of

With the new advancements brought about by agriculturist, which include, irrigation systems and domesticated animals for food and labor, intensive cultivation was possible by use a vast amount of labor from the domesticated animals to produce a large amount of crops.

With the world’s population growing exponentially, farmers are looking for new ways to steadily feed the world. Utilizing technology to further food production only makes sense, however, it is necessary to take a step back and seriously consider the negative implications of industrial farming before moving forth. 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 must be taken into consideration.

On the other hand, the lecturer disputes this point by clarifying the fact that in today’s world, it is attempted that the less original lands cover for agricultural activities. The lecturer explains that the novel agricultural technologies effort to breed more productive crops by which the more food for human is produced.

Agriculture Mitigation actions we can take are rethinking the way agriculture is practiced. Finding ways to reduce reliance on chemical and synthetic fertilizers. Creating incentives to promote the use of renewable energy through modern Ag systems. The concern of climate change and the need to shift to more sustainable system has raised to long standing practices, and conservation agriculture. Another form of mitigation is lowering rates of agriculture expansion. Reduction and more efficient use of nitrogenous

While all of us relatively understand how driving cars, leaving the lights on, or using too much water can affect the environment, there is one massive human activity that is frequently overlooked—eating. From growing, to processing, to distributing, and finally consuming, our agricultural system uses an immense portion of our planet’s limited resources and emits large amounts of greenhouse gases that have drastic effects on the environment. Because of this, it is imperative to understand the environmental impacts of the type of foods that we choose to include in our diets. While much of today’s population is heavily reliant on animal products, it is evident that a meat-based diet is not environmentally sustainable; on the other hand, a plant-based diet is much more environmentally friendly in terms of the amount of grain, water, and

Global meat production rose to a new peak of 308.5 million tons in 2013, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a more than fourfold increase over the last five decades. Even more startlingly, meat production has grown 25-fold since 1800 (Horrigan, Lawerence &Walker, 2002). Globally, agriculture utilizes nearly 70 per cent of the world 's available freshwater. One-third of that percentage is used to grow grains to feed to livestock (ECOS, 2014). While the global meat industry provides food and a livelihood for billions of people, it also has significant environmental and health consequences for the planet. Over half of the water used in meat production