The Environmental Impact Of Agriculture Essay

More than 99% of all farm animals are raised on a factory farm. A factory farm is a type of farm that focuses on efficiency, and money, rather than the welfare of the actual consumers of the product. These farms are harmful to our health, as well as the animals, because they provide us food that can harm our bodies. These businesses also cause much damage to the earth around them. They are also a huge threat to family farms, which are very vital to our local economies.

By the year 2050, estimates show that over 9 billion people will inhabit Earth, and it is imperative that agriculture finds a way to feed them all. That is about 1.5 billion more people than there are today. One of the biggest dilemmas that agriculture faces is that relatively little more land can be converted into land used for agriculture production, without causing irreparable, detrimental effects to the environment. The damage that this would cause is the subject for another essay, but the bottom line is that it is necessary we produce this food using the land we already have. The only way we can accomplish this is to combine the best practices of organic, or small farms, with those of

After learning about the statistics of how much agriculture consumes our planet, I was appalled to see how destructive it is. Jonathan Foley put into perspective the increase and rapid demand for food. Agriculture alone consumes 40% of our land surface, 70% of our irrigation system, and

Environmental scanning can be viewed as a way of acquiring information about outside events that can aid organizations in first identifying potential trends, then interpreting them

The food we eat and the quantity of it is what industries base their investments on; they use this to their advantage and produce more quantity than quality for us to consume, without taking into consideration the effect this might have on us or on the world as a whole. In the article “When a Crop Becomes King” written by Michael Pollan we see what the excessive use of a crop can do to our health and the environment. The vast production of products made with corn has made it the crop which is grown more than any other in the United States, but the process of adapting to the high consumption of corn came at a high cost. While corn is the easiest and cheapest substitute for sugar and animal food it is also linked to the cause of chronic diseases and serious, long-lasting damage to our ecosystems. The production of certain things is something we might not have control of but what we should have control of is our health and what better way than denying anything that we know might give us a hard time the power to do

Our food system, agricultural system, and healthcare system involve many stakeholders which make any amount of positive change very difficult to accomplish, but this does not stop Michael Pollan from pursuing and envisioning a more sustainable way of living for all people. When he first began his work of health promotion it was during a time of food confusion and a national health crisis. He seized that moment and 25 years later his passion and purpose for his work is still evident. He continues to try and help others understand the connection between our health, the health of our nation, and the health of the environment. He supports the development of new farm policies that support local farmers rather than large industries such as the sugar industry. He also encourages people to think about how their daily lives of consumerism perpetuate our reliance on fossil fuels and the consequences that has on our environment (Oke, 2016). Although change occurs slowly and can sometimes feel nonexistent, I believe the work of Michael Pollan and others like him is making a

What is soil? Soil is a mixture of broken rocks, minerals, living organisms, and decaying matter.

Franklin D Roosevelt once said, “the history of every Nation is eventually written in the way in which it cares for its soil.” The United States began seeing sustainable management practices in farms, and healthier soil through this act. In 1982 through 2007, the United States soil erosion had declined by 43%” (Montanarella, 2015). Every year the United States loses about $400 billion dollars due to crop soil that is eroded. Soil is a limited resource and the largest resource for growing food, accommodating diverse ecosystems, and providing food resources. Therefore laws, acts, and provisions are necessary to protect this natural resource.

Robert Paarlberg examines the rapidly growing Western obsession with organic food in his article “Attention Whole Foods Shoppers” published in Foreign Policy magazine in 2010. In his article, Paarlberg addresses the current issues of global hunger and food crisis, particularly in Africa. He argues, contrary to popular belief, that slow, organic, and sustainable agriculture is an ineffective method to correct these issues. Paarlberg instead states that conventional and modern farming techniques, along with industrialized food production, are the solutions to solving this epidemic of hunger. In his article, Paarlberg uses the combination of ethos, and presenting one-sided evidence (i.e. stacking the deck) in an attempt to convince his audience of the ineffectiveness of the slow agricultural movement as a solution to end the world hunger crisis.

The author describes a global food revolution that began years ago from New York and Paris to London and Toronto. Consumers are becoming aware of the food they are purchasing at their local grocery store and realizing the grocery store is just a facade. Many small time organic farms started disappearing because of the mass producing large scale industrial farms which became possible after the industrial revolution. Large scale industrial farms are producing food in large quantities with low quality while polluting the earth and harming consumers because they are focused on one thing: profit. It makes it difficult for grocery stores to say no to these industrial farms just because of how cheap and convenient their product is. It also allows the grocery stores to supply produce year-round that normally would not be in season in a specific area. The sustainable factors and health of the consumers and the planet were of no concern when it came to higher produce yields and lower costs for both the conventional industrial farms and grocery stores. In 1996, industrial farms introduced genetically modified crops to increase yields and make more profit. Since then, more than 70% of foods produced contain genetically altered ingredients which has led to consumers being more prone to illnesses like cancer, diabetes, and obesity. This idea from Food and the City makes me furious because there are so many processed foods today that are hard to get away from. Mass industrial farms and manufacturers have found ways to extend food’s shelf life and alter the basic ingredients that would normally be considered healthy. With all of the additives, who knows what the food actually is and the harm it could do to your

Animal Agriculture accounts for much of the issues in our environment today. Most would not think of animal agriculture being the main reason for pollution or greenhouse gasses. The majority of people would agree that the fossil fuels that come from cars are the number one producer for greenhouse gasses. Well think again. I am going to tell you how animal agriculture has affected our atmosphere in a negative way by emitting a large amount of GHGs, and in turn effecting our climate and speeding up the global warming process. Animal agriculture refers to an industrial livestock production, the management of farm animals such as cattle, poultry, and in some cases fish, are bred, fed and cared for in a way that is advantageous to humans, also known as factory farming. Animals behavior, genetic qualities and are altered to fit the mold of a human. This process requires a lot of energy, land and water.

The agriculture field is one of the biggest employers, employing over 155 million people in the United States. What do you think about when you hear the word “agriculture?” Many people would say farming, but this is not the most common occupation in this field. Farmers make up a fraction of the agricultural jobs at 900,000, but over 2.1 million people own, rent, and claim farming as a primary source of income. The average farm size has dropped from 460 acres in 1990 to 418 acres in 2007, while the average age of this occupation rose to 57, making this one of the older workforces in the United States.

Welcome to the age of an agricultural revolution as everyday biotechnology continues to bring innovation to human’s most basic needs – food. Food is essential to any living organism, providing energy for our production and nutrients for our protection. Without this fundamental element, life cannot exist. Our lack to produce our own energy, like plants, causes us to become dependent on others for survival. Humans existence is attributed only to the million years of evolution our food source underwent to sustain our survival. Changing the primary nature of our food source, whether it is plant or animal, directs mankind in a dangerous future if our food dependency is permanently hampered. Welcome to the age of an agricultural devolution

     Agriculture has changed dramatically, especially since the end of World War II. Food and fibre productivity rose due to new technologies, mechanization, increased chemical use, specialization and government policies that favoured maximizing production. These changes allowed fewer farmers with reduced labour demands to produce the majority of the food and fibre.

Organic agriculture is the oldest type of agriculture there is. Many people don't know exactly what has to be done to say that you are farming organically, these days. Organic Agriculture has been increasing in size over the past few years as more people worry about what they are eating. Many people donít know what it exactly means to be farming organically.