agriculture Essays

Food/agriculture Essays Food/agriculture Essay Food/agriculture Essay Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Food and Agriculture Agriculture is an economic activity that was practiced in the past in order to get food. The growth of plants relied purely on natural conditions to provide for a meal. This was a common culture among most traditional societies. Over the years, technology has developed, and improvements on the field of agriculture have been made. These changes are more efficient as compared to shifting agriculture, which was practiced before. Shifting agriculture is a traditional method of growing plants. The method involves cutting and burning down trees to expose soil nutrients. After burning the trees, crops are grown to utilize the exposed nutrients before they wear out from the soil. This takes roughly three years. Various changes have been made to the shifting method of agriculture. One of the changes is by using a polyculture system, which involves the growth of different species of plants in a small area. The use of polyculture instead of the shifting method has some advantages. Planting of different crops in one area provides ample shade for shorter crops and prevents them from dying due to excess exposure from the sun. It is also useful in providing nitrogen to plants that lack enough nutrients. Planting crops close to each other facilitates easy transfer of nitrogen through nitrogen-adding legumes. Polyculture also reduces the risks of pests attacking crops. Some crops have insect repellent properties and planting them close to others without this characteristic protects them from being damaged. Other changes made include the use of machinery that helps in planting and harvesting crops. Traditionally, people employed the use of manual labor to conduct these activities. The method was efficient in small pieces of land that did not require heavy equipment for planting and harvesting. However, manual labor had the disadvantage of consuming time. As a result, only a small area was covered meaning production levels were low. Labor-intensive mining was also inefficient because it depended purely on human effort. Human labor was not fully reliable because people get exhausted. However, it was a cheap and simple method of farming that exposed people to minimal risks as compared to the use of machinery. The method to use depended largely on the type of crop to be planted. The changes made were good because they relieved humans from exhausting their energy, through the introduction of fuel-powered machines. The machines have also improved the efficiency quality and quantity of output due to their computerized nature. Although they advantageous, they have some demerits. The method is expensive to purchase, maintain and repair. The equipment also comes with added expenses such as fuel costs and possibly, human labor to operate the machine. These expenses do not facilitate the growth of a variety of crops. Growth of a single species of crops over time reduces soil nutrients and makes farmers rely heavily on fertilizers. The continued use of fertilizers leads to poor soil profile. This week, food has been obtained mostly from the supermarket and included processed meat and grains. Most foods from supermarkets are processed by companies by using technology and small portions of organic products. Most of the synthetic foods are made to alter the nutrients of the product while maintaining the taste. Before acquiring the knowledge on synthetic foods, their origin was unknown. After doing extensive research on them, knowledge was gained on their origin. It is evident that synthetic foods like sausages come from original meat, from animals. The original meat passes through a series of stages that alters the nutrients and shape of the product. This is done to increase the protein content in most cases. Chemicals are also added to the meat in to change the nutrient orientation and contents of the product. In most cases, the chemicals make food tastier and allow easy digestion. Genetically modified foods are created to enhance the resistance of products to pests, insects and adverse weather conditions. Further research on synthetic foods showed that they are genetically modified organic products (GMO). All animals and plants have genetic properties like humans. Altering the genetics nature of any plant or animal generates a GMO product. Conventional agricultural methods have brought about negative implications on the environment. The use of monoculture, pesticides and fertilizers increases environmental pollution. This is because of the exhaust gases emitted from machinery used in planting and harvesting crops. Air pollution poses a major hazard to the environment in that, it interferes with the people’s health, causing lung and heart problems. It also leads to acid rain, caused by excessive oxides of sulfur released in the air. The acid rain is known to damage crops. GMO products also contribute to environmental pollution. Processing of these GMO products is done in companies that dump waste material directly in the environment. These wastes pollute the soil through construction of pits and hinder plantations. The use of GMO products and conventional agricultural methods has an impact on the environment in modern day society. The continued use of pesticides has led to the development of various industries that produce plant treatment medicine. This has led to an increase in the economy because of huge amounts of harvest. The use of GMO products has also had an impact on humans. It affects the diets of people due to the chemical composition of products. Some of the chemicals in GMO products also cause cancer, and this has damaged people’s health. Many choices could be made to improve the environment. They should educate each other on the importance of keeping the environment clean. This will make them exercise personal cleanliness and conserve the environment. Conducting small cleaning programs is also crucial because it creates awareness of the pollution problem in the environment. There should also be significant areas designated for dumping and controlling air pollution. This prevents the whole environment from pollution, for example, the creation of litter bins. These actions are similar to what is being practiced in the current society. Litter bins have been put in specific places to reduce pollution. The government has also developed strict policies on environmental pollution by companies. It is also crucial to educate people on the use of GMO products and their effects. This creates awareness and protects people from cancer.