Analysis Of The Man Who Feed The World By Leon Hesser

Modern day farming has transformed from the farming process of last century. Instead of farmers producing for their families, farmers are now similar to input/output managers supplying massive manufacturers that feed the country.

In the article The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race Jared Diamond argues that switching to agriculture was a mistake, and that hunting and gathering came with less consequences. Hunting and gathering may be better to not spread as much disease and not as such of a risk of malnutrition, but the population now is too big to switch back. To keep a constantly growing population agriculture should not change.

The records of the last census taken todays population is approximately 7 billion. To put it into perspective of the amount of work farmers take into hand the average farmer feeds 155 people one their own. (“Comparing Agriculture of the Past to Today”) . Notice that a census is only taken on the people of the world, but farmers and their operations are not separately accounted for. “It is impossible to calculate the exact number of farms and farmers in the United States.” (Conkin 147). Of course farmers do not use the simplistic technology of the past to achieve these high expectations. Farms implement the use of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to improve crop production. The GPS is a system that uses satellite signals to find the location of a radio receiver. (“The Science and Technology of Agriculture”) Using biotechnology has also became an interesting subject of big time farmers. This is the changing of genetic material if living things to improve the production of the product. An example of a GMO would be crops that have been modified to be resistant to disease. Disease resistant crops are one of the most widely used in the field of GMO’s. (“The Science and Technology of Agriculture”).

The revolution is surrounded by many inventions including fertilizers and pesticides. It is through these innovations that developed countries were able to feed their people (Standage, 199). As Standage refers to it, feeding the world. Standage's descriptions of this revolution clearly indicate that developed countries achieved what they have by feeding their people first. As such, food can be used for the betterment of the nation. Through the book, the writer focuses on the impacts of agriculture on various aspects of a human's life. The main audience seems to be the people (leaders) who have the role in making and implementing food

Many support agricultural modernization, as a solution Africa’s, and many other impoverished nations hunger problems. This would include the industrialization of their agricultural industry, using modern, genetically enhanced seeds, and fertilizer. Yet, some of the same groups that are promoting the organic movement in the United States are advocating against the globalization of modern industrial agricultural practices (Paarlberg 179). Those who support modernization of such nations argue that the current process in inefficient, and inadequate. They believe that globalization of the highly capitalized, science-intensive, agricultural system that has been developed in the West, is the answer to the worlds hunger problems. They also warn that if the West abandons its current practices, it may fall victim to famine due to inadequate production (Paarlberg 179). However, supporters of organic production point to the fact that each year, approximately ten million tons of chemical fertilizer are poured onto our corn

Since the beginning of the Human Race, gathering a sufficient amount of food has always proved to be a challenge. The Green Revolution attempted to solve this problem by creating and applying new techniques and technologies. The Green Revolution was created out of necessity and caused social changes, discontent with some of the effects, and the overall quality of living to be improved but the improvement of living quality had the greatest effect because this led to higher overall populations which in turn created the need to feed an even greater population.

Brilliant farming ideas came out of the Agricultural Revolution, but there were also negative effects. One negative effect would have to be that farmers would need larger amounts of raw goods in order to maintain their increasing outputs.

GMOs are extremely effective in increasing crop yields a tremendous amount. One good example of this is the green revolution, which took place during the 1960s and 1970. During this time, farmers started using hybrid seeds and pesticides far more heavily than ever before. Biologist Paul Ehrlich predicted that by the 1970s, the US will have stopped sending India food aid, and that hundreds of millions of people will have died of hunger. The hybrid seeds, between 1970 and 1995, improved production speeds by two-thirds, and saved an estimated billion people from starvation. The use of

Local farmers tend to be more expensive than big corporation produce due to lack of economies of scale and due to the traditional ways of farming which is less efficient thus cornering some farmers to give up in the face of bigger competition. These few corporations that now control the market have benefitted from economies of scale and made it much harder for new entrants to compete since they use technological advances to stay efficient and mass produce so they can sell at cheaper price. All this said, shows that the agribusiness is evolving and making great use of technology whether it’s to increase yield or make perfect produce. But have we stopped and thought about our

Precision farming refers to using data and technology to help guide strategic decisions about planting and growing crops. Enhanced mapping and electronic monitoring of yield are both examples of precision farming. Enhanced mapping is made possible through a combination of satellite photographs, ground monitoring devices and GPS targeting (Searle 2). Electronic monitoring of yield is carried out during harvests. Because devices are able to record exactly how much is harvested and then the data is collected can be combined with enhanced mapping to help farmers choose the best areas of their land for planting specific crops. Bioengineering involves the use of genetically modified seeds. The seeds used to grow crops can be modified to increase pest resistance, enhance drought tolerance or yield output that is fortified with nutrients that aren’t naturally found in that specific crop (Ruttan

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”

Jonathan Rauch presents evidence that genetically modified food could potentially provide nutrition to save future generations from starving. Ploughing is the process of turning the soil and land with a plow in order to plant new crops. This ensures that the soil will be fresh for planting, and the weeds and other crops will be broken down. However, ploughing can bring about environmental impacts. Ploughing pollutes rivers, erosion that wears away the land, and greenhouse gases that are released into the air. In his essay, Rauch visits a 200-acre farmland which is called Good Luck Tract. This farm is not a typical one. Instead of having flat land for growing, the land was rolling hills. This ensured that there was no pollution, chemical or soil runoff. Since the land was not ploughed, the soil was able to regenerate back to a healthy ecosystem. Issues of erosion and runoff disappeared because the soil was soaking up most of the water. The ecosystem was thriving again, and insects such as worms were doing the ploughing. At this farm, it wasn’t necessary to plough anymore. This means that they were not wasting fuel on ploughing, which means they were saving money, saving energy, and reducing pollution. If every farm stopped ploughing, or even reduced how much they did, it would make for better growing conditions. In this scenario, the field was dense with wheat. It had almost twice the amount that you could grow in regular conditions. The soil was more rich in organic matter, meaning it was more nourishing to the crops. The pressure to produce more food will continue to grow in the upcoming decades. According to the United Nations, the human population will grow by upwards of 40% in 2050. To account for the increasing populations, food outputs will need to double to account for the number of people who will live on this planet. The elimination of the plough depends on genetically modified crops. Rauch goes on to explain

Modern technology is already being used in agriculture. The best example is the use of gene technology or what’s popularly known as agricultural biotechnology in developing drought and herbicide resistant crops. Through genetic engineering, scientists have been able to introduce traits into existing genes to make crops resistant to drought and herbicides. One good example is the use of Bacillus Thuringiensis, commonly known as Bt. Bacillus Thuringiensis, is a bacterium that dwells in soil. It acts as a reservoir “of cry toxins and cry genes for production of biological insecticides and insect-resistant genetically modified crops.”

One of the biggest advantages of agricultural biotechnology lies in its economic efficiency. GM crops are financially beneficial to both the farmer and the consumer. Due to their resistance to pests, viruses, and adverse climates, genetically altered crops produce much larger yields than organic or conventional crops. For example, studies show that if no insecticide is used, a GM crop known as Bt maize has a 48% higher yield than non-modified maize varieties

Technology has created many opportunities for agricultural purposes--(actually google and copy/paste anem dash because -- isn 't anything) however it has yet to affect the harvesting of the most expensive spice in the world, saffron -- thin