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Inustrialized Food Production

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Inustrialized Food Production
Industrialized Food Production: A Dangerous Path When visiting the grocery store, shoppers are bombarded with pleasant photos of farmers in their fields. This idyllic agricultural way of life may have existed in the past, but today’s farms are much different. In our modern era, a revolution has taken place and food production has changed dramatically. The industrialized method of food production has created a dangerous and unsustainable system. Choosing locally sourced foods is beneficial to the planet, health, and local economies. The 100 mile diet has brought attention to this important subject and made people aware of the impact of food choices. Humans began farming over 9000 years ago, and many technological advancements have occurred since that time (Mintz, Du Bois, 101). Most significantly in the modern era, the green revolution changed the way food was grown. The green revolution allowed for intensification of food resources, intended to alleviate world hunger (Bourlag). Lead by Norman Bourlag, hybrid variations of wheat were bred to produce higher yields and be two to three times more resistant to disease. Success was achieved, but has created more issues. From 1950 to 1999 production on the same size acreage increased 170%, producing 1.9 billion tonnes of grain (Bourlag). However, copious amounts of fertilizers need to be added to the soil to support this production; this leads to more chemical run-off and contamination of water sources. Another major problem is that the hybrid seeds lead to development of genetically engineered seeds. These grains are patented by large corporations, causing costs to rise and taking control away from farmers. The local farmer no longer has control over how they grow crops or run their farm. Large companies like Monsanto hold all the power. The genetically modified seeds that are needed for the high yields are patented, and farmers are forced to purchase new seeds each year (Food Inc.). For centuries, farmers have


Cited: Anslow, Mark. "Farmer warns: 'GM will destroy organic industry '." The Ecologist 38.10 (2009): 12-13. General Science Index. Web. 30 Nov. 2009. Bourlag, Norman Food Inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. Alliance, 2009. DVD. "From Field To Feedlot To Fork." Cool Foods Campaign "Humane Eating : The Humane Society of the United States." The Humane Society of the United States. 2009. Web. 04 Dec. 2009. http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/eating/. Mintz, Sidney W., and Christine M Nierenberg, Danielle. "The Commercialization of Farming: Producing Meat for a Hungry World." USA Today (Periodical) 132 (2004): 22-4. Readers ' Guide Abstracts. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. Pollan, Michael Roosevelt, Margot "The Lure of the 100-Mile Diet." Time 167.24 (2006): 78. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 4 Dec. 2009. Sayre, Laura Smith, Alisa, and J. B. Mackinnon. The 100-Mile Diet A Year of Local Eating. New York: Vintage Canada, 2007. Print.
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