Greenhouse Organics: A Sustainable Business Plan for the Leading Grower of Tomorrow

Over the next forty years, global population is expected to reach nine billion people. This increase in population, combined with expected economic growth, will cause an increase in food demanded and inevitably drain the resources we use for food production. So far, agriculture has been able to respond positively to the rising demand for crop and livestock products. However, farmers are already faced with many new challenges associated with feeding an expanding global population. Farmers must now meet strict new emissions requirements and produce more food on fewer acres while minimizing their environmental footprint. The demand for food is expected to grow substantially in the next couple decades. Some of the factors affecting an increase in food demands are population growth, rising incomes of individuals, food supply factors, and biofuels.

Other flaws in “big” organic are discussed, painting a picture  of a feel‐good movement that provides few benefits. Pollan’s final position on “big” organic is  somewhat unclear. He clearly perceives substantial flaws in the system, such as the fact that it is  as non‐sustainable as typical industrial food production, but at the same time he seems to argue  that it is at least a step in the right direction.     Pollan’s position on “small” organic is much less equivocal. He spends a substantial section of  the book detailing his visit to a small organic “grass” farm. Although Pollan does his best to  maintain a journalistic, neutral view throughout the book, it is clear that he was captivated by  the work being done by the grass farmers. Pollan shows that the most important crop to these  farmers is in fact the numerous varieties of grass, which form the foundation of the life cycle on  the farm. These farmers work to farm in a sustainable, natural way that closely resembles the  symbiosis of nature. In this section, Pollan provides a fascinating look at the evolved  relationships between different species of plants and animals, and how these relationships can  be utilized to create a sustainable farming system. Although Pollan is clearly enamored with  such “small” grass‐based farming, he also recognizes the near impossibility of implementing  such farming on a large scale. For example, the higher costs

However, the problem of low efficiency has no easy answers. Hydroponic production uses 90-90% less water than conventional farming techniques. These hydroponic grow houses can also operate year round, reducing the need to import out of season produce. (Kaiser, Ernst, 3) Unfortunately the startup cost of these systems is much higher than starting a conventional farm and the breakeven point is later after installation. This means that the majority of farmers are unable to implement such systems. If the government switched their focus from subsidizing crops such as corn to subsidizing hydroponic systems, this technology may become more accessible to

Starting one’s own business can be a risky endeavor for any investor. Furthermore, quitting a job that provides a livelihood makes this venture a very high risk proposition and the owner of Turnip Tom’s Incorporated was more than willing. In this case, one must wonder if owning an organic farm could be profitable. Additionally, there is major competition from organic farmers and organizations who own multiple large acreage tracks of land and make it extremely complicated for a small farmer like Turnip Tom competitive.

The “problem statement” to these three articles is to see if organic farming is capable of sustaining the global population by weighing the pros and cons of organic vs conventional farming.

The agriculture farming industry needs to wake up and see the harm that conventional farming is doing to our beloved planet earth and realize that organic farming could be our planets superhero. Conventional farming uses a high level of nitrogen to help crops grow in mass production. These fertilizers sometimes get into the normal irrigation and eventually end up in rivers and oceans. A 2004 United Nations article estimated that "most of the 160 million tons of nitrogen used as fertilizer annually ends up in the sea"(Conventional Farming...). Why is this bad? The fertilizer that ends up in the ocean creates algal blooms which have neurotoxins in them that suck the oxygen out of the water creating dead zones. These are places in the ocean where no animal or plant can survive due to the lack of oxygen. This is why society needs to move away from conventional farming and start focusing on organic farming because it can reduce the negative effects that our food choices have on the planets health; ultimately organic farming helps by creating a healthier environment for the planet to keep surviving.

With the world’s population continuing to increase, the demand for food is higher than ever. A growing population means more demand on food. “The world population will rise to 9.3 billion in 2050 and surpass 10 billion by the end of this century.” (Sanyal) This should say something about our growing population that is still continuing to grow to this day. This increase in food demand also calls for more efficient ways of growing and providing food without causing any damage to our environment or our health. Two methods that can be effective for this demand are the organic and conventional method.

According to the Royal Society, agriculture is responsible for nearly half of our total greenhouse gas emissions. This is over triple the proportion of Australia’s agricultural emissions, and five times the

The agriculture farming industry needs to wake up and see the harm that conventional farming is doing to our beloved planet earth and realize that organic farming could be our planets superhero. Conventional farming uses a high level of nitrogen to help crops grow in mass production. These fertilizers sometimes get into the normal irrigation and eventually end up in rivers and oceans. A 2004 United Nations article estimated that "most of the 160 million tons of nitrogen used as fertilizer annually ends up in the sea"(“Conventional Farming”). Why is this bad? The fertilizer that ends up in the ocean creates algal blooms which have neurotoxins in them that suck the oxygen out of the water, creating

The definition of organic varies by the type of food, but at its core, organic farming and production involve techniques that are generally safer for the environment and for human consumption than conventional farming, including using only nonsynthetic pesticides. Proponents of organic farming stress the health benefits of cleaner foods and less chemical residue.

The power of suppliers in this industry have a huge impact on the all companies involved in this market. Organic food producers all raise their goods on their certified cropland and from 1992 to 1997 organic cropland doubled to 1.3 million acres in fruit, vegetables, and other specialty crops leading to higher prices for their goods. Tied along with this, organic meat and poultry rose adding to the uniqueness of

We often forget where our food comes from and how much time and energy goes into what we eat. Our awareness doesn’t stray far from grocery stores and their orderly aisles of products ready for consumption. With this ease of availability, It’s hard for most to imagine the lengthy process that goes into something like a simple sandwich. On a larger scale, agriculture is an important industry all over the globe. And the effects it has on the environment and consumers are seen everywhere from inefficient water usage, harmful herbicides, soil nutrient depletion, to deforestation and harmful or unregulated produce, which is why sustainable agriculture is so important. It makes senses for us as customers to understand the effects our food industry has, because whether or not you’ve stepped foot in a field, your money is the driving impact on which farms and their techniques will continue or cease.

In our society one of the most prevalent problems facing the human race is the future of food, how we plan to sustain the bodies of our future generation. Many corporations have already started to genetically modify food so that they can be able to return more of a profit or grow bigger, better crops. They also commonly use pesticides and other chemicals in the process of growing their crops to better benefit their business plan. However, since these corporations have been so focused on gaining the upper hand in the industry many of them have thrown old methods of farming out the door there has been much debate over whether or not these crops are truly better for the human body. Another major concern over new farming methods and the advances in agricultural technology is if these corporations can destroy the many ecosystems of our earth just to be able to one up the competition. This is a pressing matter due to the fact that as stated by Usman Chohan, who is involved in finding sustainable agriculture methods for the future and was invited to Pakistan Agricultural Research Council site at Fatehjang to analyze their sustainability initiative “sustainable solutions are at the heart of our efforts to satiate our developmental needs whilst minimizing our ecological footprint in the years to come.” (Chohan, 2014). My question that I will be investigating is, how can agricultural processes of today be altered to be more environmentally sustainable yet still

It is due to this necessity that conventional agriculture and the production of synthetic and chemical farming methods was developed in the latter half of the 20th century, organic farming did not have the production capacity necessary to avoid global famine without the expansion of land clearance and the eradication of biodiversity. Organic farming does not have the capability or infrastructure necessary to be utilized as a sustainable food source, capable of supporting the earth 's population without various negative consequences.

Due to the increase in technology advances and the growing rate of globalisation, the New Zealand dairy and beef industry is facing numerous problems, significantly: “how to boost productivity, lift returns, increase competitiveness and reduce environmental impact” (Turley, 2013). Undesirably for farmers working within the New Zealand dairy and beef industry, it is extremely difficult to develop a system that results in positive outcomes for all of these issues. As evidenced, the increase in productivity and resource use in order to increase strategic competitive advantage in the international marketplace, has resulted in the agricultural industry being the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand. According to Oram (2007), New Zeeland farmers effectively have two choices if they aim to continue to be competitive within their industry: “remaining commodity producers by driving productivity far harder by, for example, increasing stock and fertiliser intensity per hectare; or becoming producers of higher value, more customised dairy, meat and other products” (p. 5).