The Devil's Playground

A child's envision of a cow, happily munching on grass.

I was taught in kindergarten that cattle graze peacefully in the hillside, and pigs roll lazily in the mud all day long. As I innocently gazed at the picture books, I longed to be with them, enjoying every day of my youth. Many years later, my childhood dream was shattered as I learned about the harshness of reality. In the world of business where no stone ever gets unturned, multibillion dollar corporations rule the agricultural industry with an iron fist. Humans are exploring the many realms of what is today's agricultural system, and among the most debated issues is the choice between sustainable agriculture and industrial agriculture.

Cows in reality. Where is the grass?

Sustainable agriculture is the practice of farming characterized by a diversity of plants and animals, and as such, the integration of crops and livestock in one system. Not only are the welfare of the cultivated goods compromised, but the workers and well-being of the environment is also held into consideration. This method of farming produces fewer, but higher quality products than products of their industrial counterpart.

Industrial agriculture is the practice of farming characterized by a factory-like system of crop production; primary emphasis on speed, quantity, and profit; specialization in select high-profit crops; and the segregation of crops and livestock from nature. Workers are often treated with the same type of disrespect as animals, and the surrounding environments are periodically flooded with hazardous runoffs.

To make things worse, the food industry hides many inner details of industrial agriculture from the general public and works with the media to keep the image of their products clean. One of the many myths about industrial agriculture is that it is the only way to produce enough food to supply the whole world. One must take a step back and ask: If that were the case, wouldn’t world hunger and malnutrition be solved by now? Simple deduction brings us to the conclusion that industrial agriculture has done little to relieve these problems.

How is it reasonable that one farm can produce so much food and still not feed enough people?

In fact, industrial agriculture contributes more towards world hunger. In a last ditch effort to keep up with cheap first-world crop prices, farmers in third-world countries have to buy first-world technologies in return for a little to no net profit. How is it that the US is able to keep its multibillion dollar corporations up and running? Would it surprise you to know that governments secretly subsidize the agricultural industry billions of dollars every year? Between 1996 and 2005, the US provided industrial agriculture sector with 177 billion taxpayer dollars. That’s right, our ‘cheap’ food is actually subsidized with our own money, making it equal if not more expensive than food from sustainable agriculture.

I am all for sustainable agriculture.

Humans have been capable of wondrous deeds in the past, such as conquering smallpox and polio, and even the hole in the ozone, which was thought to be an irreparable task, was fixed. I have faith that humanity would come together once again to undo the injustices that industrial agriculture bring.


Sources

Cohen, Benjamin. “ Industrial Agriculture v. Sustainable Agriculture.” ScienceBlogs. N.p., 12 May 2009. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. <http://scienceblogs.com/‌worldsfair/‌2009/‌05/‌industrial_agriculture_v_susta.php>.

“Definition of the Term ‘Sustainable Agriculture.’” Ecological Agricultural Products. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. <http://eap.mcgill.ca/‌sustain.htm>.

“Earth.” New Internationalist Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. <http://www.newint.org/‌features/‌2005/‌05/‌01/‌earth/>.

“Economics.” Sustainable Table. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. <http://www.sustainabletable.org/‌issues/‌economics/>.

“ Economic Sustainability: Reforming Production.” Greener News. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. <http://greenernewsblog.com/>.

“Factory Farming.” Sustainable Table. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. <http://www.sustainabletable.org/‌issues/‌factoryfarming/>.

“ Good Trans Fats vs Bad Trans Fats.” Firm - Thighs and Butts. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. <http://www.firmthighsandbutt.com/‌fat-and-weight-loss/‌good-trans-fats-vs-bad-trans-fats/>.

“THE MYTH: Industrial agriculture will feed the world.” Keep Maine Free. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. <http://www.keepmainefree.org/‌myth6.html>.

“This or That? Pass!” Science - Sealed, Delivered. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. <http://www.thinknew.ca/‌ssd/‌index.php/‌2009/‌05/‌13/‌this-or-that-pass/>.

“What is Sustainable Agriculture?” Sustainable Table. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. <http://www.sustainabletable.org/‌intro/‌whatis/>.

“What is Sustainable Agriculture?” UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. <http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/‌concept.htm>.

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