Essay & Discussion
The Politics of Food, Nutrition and the Environment
The family farm system has been suggested to be a solution to the increasing demand for food, which is expected to grow extensively by 2050 (AGree, 2014).Such projections are based on population growth which then inform the food needs on a global scale(AGree, 2014). Agricultural resources required to meet this demand are heavily reliant on policy and economic growth. Concerns of the negative consequences of the current agricultural system which relies heavily on technology and methods of production which harm our health and environment(Schlosser, 2012), has led to increase research on the possibility of local farming to meet the increasing food demands. Both local farming and large agribusiness can complement one another to create a ecologically sound and sustainable system for food production in the current globalized context.
Considering the uncertainty of a global economy, creating sustainable family farms have therefore been viewed as a more reliable option to meet the demand for increased food production(AGree, 2014; Easton, 2014). In other words, instead of populations relying on an extensive agricultural corporate based system for mass food production, establishing numerous small-scale farms would eliminate the negative consequences of the agricultural industry that deplete nourishment and foster sustainability (Easton, 2014). Populations will no longer have to rely on conglomerates for imports, and removing reliance increasing independent production and sustainability.
"Where countries can increase their own production, this will provide the most reliable boost to both rural incomes and food supply. Most food consumed in the
world is grown locally. Therefore, developing countries must grow more food, grow it more efficiently, and significantly reduce post-harvest losses. "(AGree, 2014).
The US is in the position to enforce legislation that would offer farmers the capital needed to best utilize the natural resources in specific areas(AGree, 2014). If more local farms were to exist fear of underproduction would less of concern, which may lead to the decrease of hazardous tactics such as the high use of pesticides, genetically modified seeds, and soil, which are currently being used to keep up with the demand.
We rely on this modernized system because it increases food amounts, which then impact prices making it more affordable to feed ourselves. According to Lester Brown, food shortage is the most severe threat to our global economy(Brown, 2014). Underproduction of crops will likely lead to a decrease in the ability to feed livestock, impacting not only food shortage for survival but can give rise to an increase grain prices, which the developing world can not afford, economically or socially. Consequentially, the food-price inflation destabilizes government as they are no longer in control or able to provide their society with the amount of food needed(Brown, 2014). An unhealthy nation contributes to an overall inability as globalization has to lead to a strengthened interdependence so that when one link is weak it poses a threat to the entire political-economic system.
Larger farms are damaging to the earth resources, whereas smaller-scale farms employ alternative cropping methods(e.g."crop diversification, border cropping, sequential, and crop rotation")(AGree, 2014) . Although large farms initially be able to produce more, they deplete the soil, and cannot maintain that level of production without causing severe determinant to our natural resources(AGree, 2014; Fedoroff et al., 2010; Pimentel, 2005;2015),Foodborne illnesses are more common in industrial-grown foods, like fruits and vegetables (Kenner, 2009); this new technology utilized in the meat industry are replacing traditional farming of livestock(AGree, 2014; Fedoroff et al., 2010; Pimentel, 2005;2015), and the adverse consequences are not worth the profits being made.
Currently, most subsidies go to large agribusiness (AGree, 2014), but if policies supported small farmers the decrease in local farms would shift, and the ability to deal with food production on a local and organic level would be made possible, increasing the health of populations across the globe. “Securing future food supplies will affect every facet of human existence— from land-use policy to water-use policy to how we use leisure time. . . . It appears that future food security depends on creating an environmentally sustainable economy.”(Brown, 2014) Natural resource scarcity leads to the risk of decreased agricultural productivity, thus supporting small farming methods via investments to consider natural resources and production of food should no longer be an option or considered a mere possibility, but a requirement.
The environmental detriment coupled with the population growth hinder the ability to gain the potential benefits of our now very limited resources, making it difficult to end world hunger. Current strategies are hyper-focused on technology, oversimplifying the problems of food production(Berry, 2015), to ensure the wellbeing of our planet and humanity all intersecting components needs to be addressed with the overall goal to ensure each component is enhancing the system as a whole. Technological advancements have been criticized, rightfully so, but can be used to improve the quality of the food we eat, rather than the quantity. Such ideological thinking is rooted in a profit-driven globalized economy, which has undoubtedly lead to poor health and irreversible damage to our supply of natural resources.
The environmental damage and increased public health concerns resulting from the current agricultural industry is largely contributed to the “Green Revolution”; this was previously thought to be a practical means of feeding the increasing world population (Easton, 2014). The Green Revolution dramatically shifted the agricultural industry during the mid- and late-20th century; innovative technological advancements in the field of agriculture were spreading to non-industrialized nations (Easton, 2014). Increased globalized lead to the growing need for productivity to meet the needs of the ever-growing human population, which was not more interconnected than ever. Technologies like synthetic pesticides, larger farms for mass production owned by corporations, harmful fertilizers, and genetically modified crops were used to increase production and meet the demand.
A novel technological development characterized by the Green Revolution were wheat cultivars, known as high-yielding varieties"(HYV) which cultivated various forms of grain from the organic, initial source (Kenner, 2009). As such this paved the way for genetically modified crops which also increased the quantity, but this method comprised quality. In the 1990s, Monsanto spread GM crops, making up 11% of the world cropland, and 90% of the corn, cotton and soybean farms in the United States (Kenner, 2009). There has been much debate over the safety of and environmental impact of such crops. The consumption of the pesticides has shown to increase the risk to cancer and overproduction by use of GM has proved to harm individual ecosystems (Pollan, 2006).
The Green Revolution was an ambitious movement, and though it achieved high agricultural productivity improvement, there are several adverse consequences on social, environmental, and economic levels globally. This revolution has taught us that with economic growth comes social and environmental impact, this incidence in the form of increased disease, poor working conditions, weakened economies as a result of overusing natural resources has led to a Newer Green Revolution (Easton, 2014). The lessons learned and the strategic insights have lead to the increased popularity of alternative systems of food production that are more sustainable (AGree, 2014). We must prioritize using modern technology and capital to help support local farming and other alternative social and agro-ecological systems that can be sustained without such hazardous conditions.
Discussion
After seeing the documentary Food, Inc.(Kenner, 2009) certainly increased by awareness of the intersection between the economy and agricultural policy that directly affects the food we eat, and the modernized, technological methods by which this is produced harms populations here, and globally(Kenner, 2009). It is evident that large food corporations are not interested in our health or animal welfare, a persistent trend over the last several decades (Schlosser 2013; Pollan, 2006; Kenner, 2009), for example, a meat company lowered the E-Coli bacteria by mixing ground beef and bleach(Kenner, 2009). The policy in places does not do much to change this fact; legislation does not even require them to address the identified problems (Kenner, 2009).
The lower the price of crops the more likely the food was eaten will pose a risk of food supported illness; and in generally poor health from high fat, sugar and salt, which are cheap and dangerous way to enhance taste that turns lead to over processed food (Schlosser 2013; Pollan, 2006; Kenner, 2009). Concerning the case of Monsanto and genetically modified seeds eliminate the natural seed(Kenner, 2009), several questions come to mind. It makes me wonder will I ever get the chance to know what an actual piece of fruit tastes like and feel the potential benefits, that are robbed from us due to these injustices? Purchasing fruits and vegetables (whole foods) from farmers creates a sustainable infrastructure that leads to social justice food (Easton, 2014; Schlosser, 2013; Pollan, 2006; Kenner, 2009) , an issue addressed by The Cornucopia Institute organization has advocated for through building family-scale agriculture communities(Leib, 2015). I have an increased respect for farmers and advocates that seek to preserve my access to organic, nutritious food, and I will certainly change my consumer habits by shopping at places stocked with items from the local farmers market, and if possible purchasing directly from the source by attending the farmers market.
References
AGree. (2014). The Challenge of Meeting Future Demand for Food. Retrieved from Web: http://foodandagpolicy.org/sites/default/files/The_Challenge_of_Meeting_Future_Demand _for_Food.pdf
Brown, L. (2014). Food Scarcity: An Environmental Wake Up Call. . In T. Easton (Ed.), Classic Edition Sources: Environmental Studies (5th ed., pp. 141): McGraw-Hill.
Easton, T. (2014). Classic Edition Sources: Environmental Studies (5 ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Fedoroff, N. V., Battisti, D. S., Beachy, R. N., Cooper, P. J. M., Fischhoff, D. A., Hodges, C. N., . . . Zhu, J. K. (2010). Radically Rethinking Agriculture for the 21st Century. Science (New York, N.Y.), 327(5967), 833-834. doi:10.1126/science.1186834
Leib, E. M. B. (2015). Keynote Remarks: Re-Tooling Law and Legal Education for Food System: Reform: Food Law and Policy in Practice. Seattle UL Rev., 38, 1175-1523.
Pimentel, D. (2005;2015). Environmental, Energetic, and Economic Comparisons of Organic and Conventional Farming Systems. In T. Easton (Ed.), Classic Edition Sources: Environmental Studies (5th ed.): McGraw-Hill
Schlosser, E. (2012). Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal: Mariner Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Schlosser, E. (2013, January 1). 10 years Later. Retrieved July 18, 2016, from http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/03/12/still-a-fast-food-nation-eric-schlosser-reflects-on-10-years-later.html
Kenner, R. (Director). (2009). Food, Inc [Video file]. In Food Inc. Retrieved July 18, 2016, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1286537/
