One subject examined in the documentary The Future of Food is industrial farming. Our food is controlled by industrial farmers since organic farming and farming with the help of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is gaining ground in some of the developed nations and being adopted in the developing nations. Thanks to technology invented largely by the industrial sector, farming around the globe has changed for the better.
While the industrial sector has made numerous contributions such as harvesting machines, machines to sort, pack, and store produce, and tractors to till the land, industrial farming is not without its problems. The threats posed by industrial farming should not be ignored. One particular threat for residents living close to farms is industrial livestock farming.
Increased levels of animal excreta, inadequate and/or improper waste management, air pollution due to increased movement of vehicles, unprocessed animal skin, dead animals, and other process waste emitting gaseous substances of varying descriptions can be major hazards to the residents. Water pollution is another issue that traditional farmers and the residents may have to put up with. Another major factor held against industrial farming is that it focuses only on livestock farming with all the attendant ills.
Industrial farming is not without its gains either. In the first place, industrial farming benefits from economy of size. Opposed to traditional farming, industrial farming can find large amounts of capital to invest in technology and equipments without the challenges that a traditional farmer will encounter.
Just the size of industrial farming outfits can motivate investors and bankers to give large sums of money expecting a good return. Consumers benefit from a more economical product.
In the future, it may be left up to policy makers to find a balance between the benefits provided by industrial farming and the possible environmental and health risks posed to communities located near the farms.
While the industrial sector has made numerous contributions such as harvesting machines, machines to sort, pack, and store produce, and tractors to till the land, industrial farming is not without its problems. The threats posed by industrial farming should not be ignored. One particular threat for residents living close to farms is industrial livestock farming.
Increased levels of animal excreta, inadequate and/or improper waste management, air pollution due to increased movement of vehicles, unprocessed animal skin, dead animals, and other process waste emitting gaseous substances of varying descriptions can be major hazards to the residents. Water pollution is another issue that traditional farmers and the residents may have to put up with. Another major factor held against industrial farming is that it focuses only on livestock farming with all the attendant ills.
Industrial farming is not without its gains either. In the first place, industrial farming benefits from economy of size. Opposed to traditional farming, industrial farming can find large amounts of capital to invest in technology and equipments without the challenges that a traditional farmer will encounter.
Just the size of industrial farming outfits can motivate investors and bankers to give large sums of money expecting a good return. Consumers benefit from a more economical product.
In the future, it may be left up to policy makers to find a balance between the benefits provided by industrial farming and the possible environmental and health risks posed to communities located near the farms.
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