As time passes by, there are more and more mouths to feed across the globe. The demand for crops during their offseason or in locations they are not usually grown has skyrocketed, and in such a consumerist world, instead of consumers learning to adapt to the changes to the environment, science is forcing farming to adapt to our needs. In order to do this, the art of farming has changed completely, using methods that are both good and bad for our environment and our health.
Precision Farming
In order to increase the yield and quality of crops, science and data are used to create detailed maps of the land or an electronic yield monitoring system. By using modern Global Positioning Systems (GPS) technology and satellite and aerial photos, maps are an accurate and proactive way to effectively farm.1 Data collected from devices that detect the amounts of water, weeds, and nutrients in the soil provide a complete picture, allowing farmers to fully understand the land that they are working with and how to plan the season accordingly. The map, which uses satellite images, is also able to show the history of the land by comparing different seasons and years to one another.2 This method can also monitor yields. Although this technically has no direct effect on the environment since there is no degradation or addition to the land, getting a better understanding of the land on which farming takes place can have an overall positive impact.
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
Science is the key in most modern developments. The creation of GMOs started as a way to just have vegetables and fruits when they are not in season, but it has evolved into a ‘safe’ way to use mass pesticides and fight diseases. It gives crops, like rice and potatoes, more nutritional value.4 From a social standpoint, GMOs have strongly affected the lives of small farmers. This can be seen especially in the case of the Monsanto soybean.5 The company Monsanto has essentially created a monopoly on this crop because of their highly effective genetically modified seeds. Even though farmers have opted out of using their seed, wind does not discriminate between organic and genetically modified seeds. With natural causes bringing the Monsanto patented seed into small farmers’ yards, it is very hard to escape this seed that will dominate any field it occupies, leading to lawsuits and essentially the bankruptcy of many small farmers. GMOs are extremely controversial although wholly integrated into the United States’ and many other nations’ food supplies. There are currently major movements underway to curtail the use of GMOs and require labeling of foods containing GMO products.
BioEngineering
A more general category which includes GMOs is the bioengineering method of agriculture. Bioengineering is defined as farming that includes crops or livestock that are genetically modified as a seeds (or before birth) to yield in an altered manner. This includes resistance to pests and pesticides, tolerance of drought, and sometimes additional nutrients.7 Although this method is proven to provide higher yields in crops, it is a risk for the farmers to choose to use bioengineered agriculture because of the public’s hesitation to trust or accept these crops. Bioengineering is not limited to crops. The demand for meat has risen above what we can naturally produce, so genetic modification has been introduced in livestock agriculture as well. For example, pigs are modified to have ‘cleaner manure’ and to be able to eat a cheaper feed than to which they are naturally accustomed.8 Recently, venture capitalists have even been investing hundreds of millions of dollars into an emerging non-traditional food industry with a focus on using non-animal sources to replace meats and eggs and making snacks like “healthier” candy!9 These modifications in our food have not proven to have any negative effects on human health, but there are many fears of what long term effects the consumption of bioengineered food could have on our health.
Organic Farming
12It has been a widely accepted view that pesticides , which is common in traditionally grown foods, is extremely harmful both short term and long term for farmers and their families, and arguably to the public as well.
There are of course arguments that organic farming causes its own set of detriments to the environment. One such argument is that organic farming may also be harming the environment because of the lack of ability for it to adapt to increasing food demands and unfavorable growing seasons.11 For one, since no artificial fertilizer is used, manure is essential in organic farming, but the amount it would take to feed the hungry people of the world is huge. This not only is hard to attain, but is also dangerous for our health because of increased exposure to E. Coli in both the crops and in runoff water. Second, because of the lack of herbicides to kill off weeds, tilling is used instead to ensure healthy growth of crops. This increases the risk of erosion because of the disturbance of topsoil. Finally, agriculture in general exhausts the land, but organic agriculture land has a much lower yield than that of more modern farming techniques. This causes quicker degradation of farm land.
As one can see, farmers have had to adapt to the changes not only in our environment, but also in the demands of the people. There is little we can do about the current demand for food, but it is up to us to choose what modern technology is necessary and what is not. The choices farmers make not only contribute to the quality of our food, but also makes a statement about our society and how we regard human health, animal rights, and environmental integrity.
