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Effects of Agriculture
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Another Turn of the Crank by Wendell Berry
Wendell Berry’s Another Turn of the Crank is about sustainability of the environment. He believes that you must first start at a local level then sustainability can be accomplished at a global level. This is the same idea that was expressed at the start of this course, “think globally, act locally,” which means the consequences of our actions effect the world. As I address the some of the chapters in the book I will associate how Berry’s ideas link into the material discussed in this class.
Farming and the Global Economy is the first chapter of the book. He starts with the history of farmers during WWII. The farmers were quickly becoming a minority because the nation was not supportive of its farmers. They wanted to mass produce and buy cheap industrial goods. Farmers can’t buy cheap machines, fertilizers, chemicals, and produce crops cheaply without losing any money. Wendell recommends two efforts to help the survival of the farmer. The first is up to the farmers, which they need to minimize their dependence on industrial supplies. Farmers need to replace purchased goods and services with natural health and diversity and with their own intelligence (5, Wendell). The second concern is for cooperation between the farmers and the local community. The community needs to see that a sustainable local food economy is appealing. The human population cannot live on imported food. Someone has to grow it, why not let the people in our own community do it. The topic of the farmers has to do with decentralization. We talked about this in class time and time again. We need to let the local communities take control. We need more self reliance in our own communities, and not in ...
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.... He also discusses health issues in Health is Membership. He talks about the spirit and the mind. He goes on about love and death; these are very deep issues that we would never discuss in class. He questions morals and values in the last two chapters. I have thoroughly enjoyed the book. It has helped me to learn more about sustainability and how to live locally. I found Berry’s book to very interesting and he seems to know a lot about the subject matter. The book is great because it discusses Kentucky. Farming is another issue that I can relate to because my family grows tobacco. After reading this book, and with our class discussions, I now realize the extent to what trouble the environment is in, globally and locally and how we can make a difference.
Bibliography:
Berry, Wendell. Another Turn of the Crank. Counterpoint, Washington D.C. 1995.
The poem, “My Great-Grandfather’s Slaves” by Wendell Berry, illustrates the guilt felt for the sins of a man’s ancestors. The poem details the horror for the speaker’s ancestors involvement in slavery and transitions from sympathy for the slaves to feeling enslaved by his guilt. Berry uses anaphora, motif, and irony, to express the speaker’s guilt and provide a powerful atmosphere to the poem.
“Thoughts in the Presence of Fear” is a manifesto written by Wendell Berry, dated October 11, 2001. It is a post-September 11 manifesto for environmentalists. Berry uses terms such as “we” and “they” as he expresses his ideas, regarding how our optimism for a “new economy” was founded upon the labors of poor people all over the world. I will conduct a rhetorical analysis of four sections of Berry’s manifesto; Sections XI, XII, XIII, and XIV; and discuss his use of ethos, logos, and pathos. Berry uses pathos more often in his paper, to instill feelings of guilt and fear in his readers. While many areas of his paper can be thought of as logos, Berry makes little use of ethos.
Mrs. Richards makes mention about the American farmer and the struggles they are facing at the present time. Mrs. Richards mentions that the farmers would be blamed for rising food cost if they asked to increase their profit margins. Mrs. Richards goes on to mention that we as a nation are buying more food from foreign countries instead of supporting the farmers right here in the United States of America, and how this is causing
When I hear the word “legacy,” I often feel intimidated because I instinctively compare myself with those who have accomplished something significant. In fact, I get the impression that I am disadvantaged, or strictly speaking, useless, compared to those who are leaders. I feel that my fate prevents me from meeting new opportunities, which ultimately impedes me from making great accomplishments. However, after reading “Home of the Free” by Wendell Berry, I am forced to riffle through my life span and smile at the great accomplishments that I, as a “disadvantaged” kid, have taken pride in. Berry’s thesis can be summarized by a quote from the famous existentialist Friedrich Nietzsche, who wrote, “If you wish to strive for peace of soul and pleasure, then believe; if you wish to be a devotee of truth, then inquire.” Nietzsche establishes the notion that, in life, we should not avoid “the necessary work of human life” and only seek pleasure and peace. This notion, which is what comprises Berry’s concept of “satisfaction,” makes me ponder everything in life that can make existence prove worthwhile.
After reading McKibben and Hurst’s articles in the book Food Matters, both authors present arguments on “industrial farming”, and although Hurst provides a realistic sense on farming, McKibben’s suggestions should be what we think about.
The book is often cited as an environmental classic - of which there can be little doubt - but it is also said by some to have largely triggered the modern environmental movement. Its warning about the dangers of
...o. “The Great Agricultural Transition: Crisis, Change, and Social Consequence of the Twentieth Century US Farming”. Annual Review of Sociology 27 (2001): 103-124.
In recent history, farming in America has changed dramatically, and Naylor’s farm is representative of many in the American Corn Belt. Though it began growing a variety of crops and keeping livestock too, Naylor now only plants corn and soybeans. In Naylor’s grandfather’s days, the farm fed the whole family with just enough left over for twelve others. Now, Naylor indirectly feeds an estimated 129 people, but this does not mean his farm is any more successful. In fact, Naylor’s farm cannot financially support his family.
The two essays by Michael Pollan and Curtis white talk about climate change in regards to the relationship between the environment and human beings. Although the two essays share the same topic, they take the subject and engage the readers in totally different points of views. Pollan’s essay talks about global and ecological responsibility being a personal virtue while Curtis discusses the socio-economic or political issues underlying sustainability (Pollan; White). These two essays are very different in terms of voice; however these pieces of writing are both important for people all over the world to read. Climate change and environmental disasters are a real issue. Just this year, there have been more storms, cyclones, earthquakes and typhoons all over the world. One cannot look at the state of many developing counties where the majority of the population is exposed and vulnerable to the effects of climate change. This issue on developing a viable solution for the problem of anthropogenic gases and global warming is long from being found. Not only this, many people do not want to hear about this issue since they do not think it is real. Unless people have tangible proof that their cars, thermostats and aerosol cans are contributing to climate change, they are not going to give up their lifestyles. By synthesizing the two essays, one can see that there is a need for change and that it is not an issue which should be dealt with in terms of ecological factors or even personal virtue. The social, economic and political factors affecting this problem and the move towards real sustainability should also be a topic that will raise awareness.
This is when Thomas Berry devoted his career in finding out why and how the Western religion and culture failed to keep up a nurturing relationship between humans and the Earth. Thomas Berry wanted to get people more involved with the universe and the natural nature than having people talk to themselves. Thomas Berry wanted to show that God was not just a Creator of higher being but God surrounded humans wherever they went. God is not distant from creation and all creation participates in the divine reality. Specifically he wanted to show that God was within nature and human beings should create a sus...
...struggling to earn any income at all and sometimes do not even get the opportunity to eat. Another issue that Raj Patel did not touch on is the lack of care consumers have for the farmers. It seems that consumers care about farmers about as much as the corporations do, which, in my opinion, is not a lot. When consumers only care about low prices and large corporations only care about making a profit, the farmers are left out to dry. Many consumers believe “food should be available at a bargain price, a belief that relies on labor exploitation and environmental exhaustion at multiple points along the commodity chain.” (Wright, 95) Corporations as well as consumers generally tend to be selfish and I think Raj Patel is afraid to mention this. If only these people cared a little bit more about each other I believe the hourglass of the food system will begin to even out.
Agriculture is the science and practice of producing crops and livestock. The primary aim of agriculture is to use the land to produce more abundantly to feed and clothe the world at the same time protecting it from deterioration or misuse. Humans had to improve agriculture as they became more dependent on food, creating a solitary evolutionary connection between plants and animals (Campbell and Reece, 2001). In this day and age, so many people have forgotten the authentic premises of survival. It is easy for some to believe that the grocery stores produce food and clothing is produced by shopping centers. These inaccurate presumptions are being made due to the lack of knowledge of how agriculture truly works. There are also significant differences in the levels of understanding between rural and urban communities.
Farmers are essentially the back-bone of the entire food system. Large-scale family farms account for 10% of all farms, but 75% of overall food production, (CSS statistics). Without farmers, there would be no food for us to consume. Big business picked up on this right away and began to control the farmers profits and products. When farmers buy their land, they take out a loan in order to pay for their land and farm house and for the livestock, crops, and machinery that are involved in the farming process. Today, the loans are paid off through contracts with big business corporations. Since big business has such a hold over the farmers, they take advantage of this and capitalize on their crops, commodities, and profits. Farmers are life-long slaves to these b...
South Central Farm was a 14-acre plot of land that was ran and operated as a fully functional urban farm. It provided much needed support to the community around the farm, that consisted mostly of lower-income and minorities. The farmers, who ran the largest urban city farm at the time, used it for monetary benefit as well as psychological benefit to the community. By growing their own steady supply go goods, many who would not have access to these products normally, benefited immensely from the farm’s existence. If the farmer’s had had the monetary means for remaining on the land, the closing down of the farm could have been avoided.
(The Sustainability of Irish Agriculture, n.d.) Sustainability is very important on my home farm. Practices have been put in place that won’t cause harm to the environment. My home farm is a small, family enterprise and I feel that new approaches are needed in order to maintain the farms sustainability status. Non-renewable inputs that are harmful to the environment or to the health of farmers should be minimised. As well as this, farmers have knowledge and skills that could be put into use, therefore substituting human capital for costly external outputs. Sustainable agriculture outcomes can be positive for food productivity, reduced pesticide use and carbon balances. (Agricultural Sustainability: concepts, principles and evidence, 2007) In this essay, I will discuss the principles and practices of sustainable agriculture, identifying how they may relate to my home farm. I will then discuss whether or not present activities can change to more sustainable methods in the