The Plight Of Intensive Agriculture

Times have changed, and so has the family, the community and our environment. And these changes have impacted our lives and earth immeasurably. This is where the factor greed comes in to play, the need for more. This need for more called for extensive measures, measures like fertilizers, pesticides and equipment to work the ground and harvest the crops became necessity. Agriculture became a booming business that did not and still does not promote the well-being of the employee nor the individual let alone the family unit and community. Since 1950 an average farm size has doubled, but the number of laborers decreased substantially and the number of small local farmers has been cut in half. Farmers have been forced to become more efficient and there 's been a reliance on greater chemicals and technology, which has become very extensive and expensive. Sadly, what has been short term expansion has become a long-term threat (Trautmann, 2012). This greed driven increase has led to subtle damaging ramifications that most people are ignorant to. Their needs are being met as quality is being forsaken. Our environment is being squandered. Selfishness abounds.

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

The development of high yield crops have saved huge areas of forests and other environmentally fragile lands that would otherwise have been needed for farming. For example, in Asia cereal production doubled between 1970 and 1975, yet the total land area cultivated with cereals increased by only 4 percent. The passing of laws like the Clean Water Act of 1972 that took steps to insure the increased use of fertilizers and pesticides would not end up in the waterways that so many people rely on for consumption and in the agriculture world of farming. The development of pest-resistant varieties has also helped in keeping pesticides and herbicides out of our waters. All of these advancements and legislation have championed a sustainable way to continue growth in economics and

Today, in the United States, farmers and ranchers produce a wide variety of commodities for food, fuel, and fiber in response to markets. These farmers understand and recognize the significance of managing their soil as well as their plant productivity. America’s farmers are true professionals because crop production is a very complex business.

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.

Agriculture, probably more than any other human enterprise, is responsible for destabilizing our planet’s water supply. California and their emergency crisis on their low levels of water ultimately having a national controversial impact on the production of the agricultural industry.

“The United States has more than 330 million acres of agricultural land that produce an abundant supply of food and other products. American agriculture is noted worldwide for its high productivity, quality, and efficiency in delivering goods to the consumer. When improperly managed, however, activities from working farms and ranches can affect water quality” (EPA).

Farming for our food causes many issues. Growing our food is causing a major decrease in finite resources, like fertile soil and water (Clemmitt 555). Fertile soil and water are being wasted on crops that are not successfully growing. The decrease in finite resources is caused by old, non-efficient techniques, like the throw-and-grow (Clemmitt

One such farm uses more than 22 billion gallons of water annually to irrigate their 30,000-acre wheat and corn farm (Parker). Another contributing factor is the pressure for farmers to continue over irrigating their lands. The push behind this practice is coming from other businesses, like seed and grain mill operations, farm implement dealers, bankers, and anyone else that rely on these farms for a living. Even the majority of the farmers are for this because their property is worth more and earns more as long as it stays green compared to going to a dry land

It is known that industrial farming allows a systematic production of food to feed millions of people. Yet the environmental impacts due to “industrial farming”

As of December 31st, 2014, the population of the United States was estimated to be over 320 million with a net gain of one person every 13 seconds (U.S. Census Bureau). In the year 2011, the world population reached 7 billion and is currently predicted to reach 9 billion by the year 2050 (Monsanto). In order to meet the expected needs of our growing population, agriculture production will need to at least double (Monsanto). Agriculture is essential to everyone’s daily lives. This raises many concerns for agriculturists and for our growing population as a whole. With the population of the United States continuously growing, space is also becoming more limited. Therefore, agriculturists are having to find new, innovative ways to produce

Land for grazing is accompanied with land for crops. This land is sprayed with chemicals that have been proven to harm the environment and those who live around it. Along with land depletion, the amount of water that is needed to take care of a farm is beginning to use up the underground water resources (Geer). All of these different factors combine to create a real threat to the environment as well as animal and human

Factory farms also produce staggering quantities of waste and greenhouse gases, polluting the air, land, and water. Because most rural communities use groundwater in everyday life, groundwater pollution from factory farms is a huge problem in today's society. High levels of nitrates from fertilizers and animal waste have been shown to contaminate the groundwater used to drink, bathe, etc. Another way of pollution in water is polluted runoff. It comes from animal fertilizer, the use of pesticides, and soil erosion. The annual damages from this runoff is estimated between $2 billion - $8 billion (Erwin, David). The clean water act of 1972 “established the basic structure for regulating pollutant discharges into the waters of the United States”

Prior to the advent and isolation of specific chemical compounds that could keep away pests and disease while stimulating plant growth, all agriculture would have been "organic." It is therefore erroneous to speak of the history of organic farming as distinct from agricultural history in general. The history of chemical-dependent agro-business, on the other hand, can be discussed from a historical perspective. The term organic is used mainly in opposition to the overuse and misuse of toxic chemical compounds such as herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers. These chemicals seep into groundwater, thereby creating long-term and potentially irreversible public health problems. There are also "unknown risks" associated with the use of genetically-modified organisms in agriculture (Delate, n.d.).

Water and food to life and civilization is an essential resource. Agriculture has been prosperous in producing high quantities of food. Although, agricultural production is a hazard to the quality of water. Agricultural chemicals have boosted the productivity of agriculture drastically. The chemicals used in fertilizers are rich in phosphorus, nitrogen, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. Runoff of these chemicals into surface waters or from infiltration into groundwater results in water pollution. Agricultural run-off contributes to poor water quality.