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.
Tractors for tilling the land, harvesting machines, machines to sort the produce (Sortex), storage and packing mechanisms are among contributions made by the industrial sector. But, industrial farming does come with its own dose of threats to communities, particularly those that are in the immediate vicinity of the enterprise. While the future of food ought to be a major concern for all of us, the potential threats posed by industrial farming cannot be ignored. Industrial livestock farming can be particularly challenging for the residents closer to the farms.
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.
Despite the risks, though, many still argue the benefits of industrial farming. The most obvious of these benefits is the ability of industrial farmers to create capital to invest in technology and equipment. Traditional farmers generally do not have the ability to do this the way industrial farmers do.
The sheer size and the professional outfit will motivate the investors/bankers to pump in large sums of money in anticipation of decent returns. Consumers of the final product/s from industrial farms can expect to enjoy better quality and more realistic prices arising from economy of scale.
With the conflicting stances on industrial farming, policy makers may have to regulate future farming practices to balance the benefits of industrial farming with the potential health and environmental risks to communities surrounding the farm locations.
Tractors for tilling the land, harvesting machines, machines to sort the produce (Sortex), storage and packing mechanisms are among contributions made by the industrial sector. But, industrial farming does come with its own dose of threats to communities, particularly those that are in the immediate vicinity of the enterprise. While the future of food ought to be a major concern for all of us, the potential threats posed by industrial farming cannot be ignored. Industrial livestock farming can be particularly challenging for the residents closer to the farms.
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.
Despite the risks, though, many still argue the benefits of industrial farming. The most obvious of these benefits is the ability of industrial farmers to create capital to invest in technology and equipment. Traditional farmers generally do not have the ability to do this the way industrial farmers do.
The sheer size and the professional outfit will motivate the investors/bankers to pump in large sums of money in anticipation of decent returns. Consumers of the final product/s from industrial farms can expect to enjoy better quality and more realistic prices arising from economy of scale.
With the conflicting stances on industrial farming, policy makers may have to regulate future farming practices to balance the benefits of industrial farming with the potential health and environmental risks to communities surrounding the farm locations.
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