Economic Sustainability In America

310 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Sustainability in the food production industry essay

Economic Stability is something that is just not guaranteed in a consumer-style society. With big businesses taking over America, there is little room for small businesses to get a foot-hold. And as world economy is continually shifting, it is growing ever harder for the middle class family to make ends-meat. This is another substantial reason why Americans are informing themselves on alternate food options. There is a growing push for locally grown foods and “organic” farms. However, true sustainability in America is still a far way off. With this being the case, many individuals are taking a look at other countries and smaller-scale communities in lesser developed areas that are still self-sustaining and actually do well in their own socio-economic

Show More
Related

  • Barbara Kingsolver Called Home

    1391 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “Called Home”, the first chapter of the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year in Food Life, Barbara Kingsolver presents her concerns about America's lack of food knowledge, sustainable practices, and food culture. Kingsolver introduces her argument for the benefits of adopting a local food culture by using statistics, witty anecdotal evidence, and logic to appeal to a wide casual reading audience. Her friendly tone and trenchant criticism of America's current food practices combine to deliver a convincing argument that a food culture would improve conditions concerning health and sustainability. I agree with Kingsolver that knowing the origin of food is an important and healthy benefit of developing a true food culture, but it is impractical to maintain that everyone is able to buy more expensive food. Kingsolver presents a compelling argument for developing a food culture, however this lifestyle change may not be practical or even possible for a poverty-level citizen. The following essay will summarize and respond to Kingsolver’s argument to demonstrate how “Called Home” is a model for novice social scientists.

    Read More

  • American Environmentalism

    1339 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The modern form of the word environment comes from an older word that we hardly use anymore: environ, to surround, to form a ring around, to encircle” (Stoll 3). The meaning of the word environment did not become a major factor in the lives of humanity until 1945. The tragic events that led to the end of World War II sparked a chief movement in history: American Environmentalism. Global decision-making changed as well as human unity due to the mere purpose that fate of all people and the environment became intertwined (Stoll 1). I will further discuss the dramatic attempts made by some Americans to bring the importance of preserving our environment to the surface to show if and how we have evolved.

    Read More

  • Difference Between Walmart And A Farmers Market

    1858 Words  | 4 Pages

    Local rather than global and small rather than large, the increase in these less conventional manners of production can be seen in the increased abundance of farmers’ markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), and community gardens. Farmers’ markets are common areas where farmers meet on a regular basis and sell various fresh produce directly to the consumers. The number of farmer’s markets between 1994 and 2014 has increased from around 2,000 to 8,000 (ers.usda.gov). Farmer’s offers an aesthetic that Walmart cannot provide—the opportunity to be personable. The consumer is able to see who grew the food, ask how it was grown, and will not be dazzled by fancy packaging or advertisements.

    Read More

  • Sustainability

    1793 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sustainability is one of the most controversial topics throughout the history, and as our society develop, we realize that being able to be sustainable is essential to survival of our race. The book Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Sustainability is a collection of articles on different side of various issues related to sustainability. In the book, Issue 8 discusses the ability of technology to deliver sustainability, and issue 16 and 17 discusses the sustainability of food and energy. While issue 16 and 17 are well-presented, the arguments in issue 8 are not very strong.

    Read More

  • Essay On Locavore Movement

    841 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shifting back to a more locally sourced food economy is often touted as a fairly straightforward way to cut externalities, restore some measure of equity between producers and consumers, and put the food economy on a more sustainable footing.” (source E). The long-distance transportation of food uses a profligate amount of fuel and exploits cheap labor in the process. It can greatly assist the environment to buy from local sources by making the carbon footprint of food production lesser and saving natural resources such as oil.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Organic Farming

    1426 Words  | 3 Pages

    More and more farm-to-table restaurants, farmer’s markets, and food co-ops are cropping up to meet the demand among consumers for healthy, local foods, as more chefs and consumers recognize the poorer taste and nutritional integrity of ingredients shipped in from far away. Fruits and vegetables that have to be shipped long distances are often picked before they have a chance to fully ripen and absorb nutrients from their surroundings. Because local food doesn’t have to travel long distances, it is grown in order to taste better and be healthier rather than to be resilient to long travel. The farm-to-table movement also helps local economies by supporting small farmers, which is a dying

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Stuffed And Starved

    2185 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...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.

    Read More

  • Sustainable Film Summary

    1270 Words  | 3 Pages

    The 2016 documentary Sustainable, directed by Matt Wechsler provides interesting insights from a food activism perspective into various parts of dominant and alternative American food systems. Calling for a shift back to small-scale farming, the film uses various statistics as well as personal anecdotes to illustrate the benefits of doing so, as well as the dangers of the current model going forward. On the level of small farmers, the film explores the struggles and opportunities associated with maintaining small, diverse farms. Looking at the current dominant model, the film elaborates on some of the harmful techniques used on various levels of the dominant food system – or systems as it argues – and how they are negatively impacting American citizens. Finally, looking at sustainability in the broad context of both theory and practice, the film provides a call to action for the greater good.

    Read More

  • The Challenge of Global Food Production

    658 Words  | 2 Pages

    Food production has many challenges to address: CO2 emissions, which are projected to increase by two-thirds in the next 20 years, as the global food production increases so does the number of people going hungry, with the number of urban hungry soaring. The environmental issues are not the only ones to face; politics and economic globalization take also the big part in the food world. These days agriculture and food politics has been going through many changes but mostly under the influence of its consumers; back in the days people wanted as little as safety, variety and low costs of food. Now consumers demanding way more – greater freshness, nutritional value, less synthetic chemicals, smaller carbon footprint and less harm to animals. And that’s the time when urban agriculture emerged quite rapidly delivering locally grown and healthy food. Within the political arena, there are a few still in charge of defending the conventional food industries and commercial farms to retain the upper level. Against the hopes of nutrition activists, farm animal welfare defenders, and organic food promoters, the food and agriculture sector is moving towards greater consolidation and better sustainability. Although in social and local terms, food-growing activists know their role is under attack. Caught two words in the middle, is it possible to satisfy both?

    Read More

  • Farm to Table

    606 Words  | 2 Pages

    Trends of moving toward supporting local food producers have increased over the years. People are looking for quality over quantity. “With the explosion of interest in local food, consumers now have more choices of products, labels, and ways to shop, so, many people are left wondering where to start” (Table, 2009). Buying locally supports sustainable food system, beyond just methods of food production and helps to increase food from farm to plate. Supporting locally drastically helps with the reduction of emissions and the negative effect that food traveling has on our environment.

    Read More

  • Sustainability

    811 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sustainability is an issue that everyone should be concerned about. If the planet Earth is going to exist, as we know it, everyone should wake up and do their part to help achieve a greater level of sustainability. In my English 101 class we learned about the issue of sustainability. Many different topics were discussed and researched throughout the course of the semester. Overall, I think that the sustainability project has been a learning and enlightening experience for everyone in this class. Many more things can be done next semester, since the groundwork has been laid to continue this project for time to come.

    Read More

  • Agriculture Essay: Agriculture: Food For Life

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    Farmers work hard every day to help sustain the lives of billions of people across the world by producing meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts, dairy products, and more. Without these foods, we as humans, would not be able to survive. Our bodies require a certain amount of nutrition to sustain life. Unfortunately, there are many people in our world that don’t get all of the food they need. Many countries do not have fertile farmland or skilled farmers to produce enough food. Therefore, they rely on American farmers to feed their growing populations. Farmers exemplify good stewardship. We as Americans are blessed in this country to have an abundant, healthy, and quality food supply. Farmers use many conservation techniques to protect the land in order to provide food to not only our nation,

    Read More

  • Challenges of Developing a Sustainable Future

    1283 Words  | 3 Pages

    The ability to create an action plan that would provide enough “sustainability food for the future” gives off a very powerful message that we must change the way we perceive the world around us. To start viewing the earth as an “island” the natural resources the earth provides are slowly deteriorating right before our eyes. Population growth has exceeded the earth's capacity to sustain the growing demand for food. There have been warnings that seemed like “whispers” but now the earth, our island is speaking “loudly” and now is showing the damage our carelessness has caused. The Political of Sustainable Consumption and Production (PSC) has become more involved in the growing issues surrounding food consumption and production “because of its impact on the environment, individual and public health, social cohesion, and the economy (Reisch L., 2014).

    Read More

  • Impacts of WTO on Trading Countries

    1293 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...end of the stick seem to be the small farms, developing countries, local communities and the environment.

    Read More

  • Strengths And Consequences Of Sustainability In The Missouri State

    1306 Words  | 3 Pages

    At Missouri State, there are three public affairs pillars that students and staff follow: ethical leadership, cultural competence, and community engagement. These three pillars relate to this year’s public affairs theme of “Sustainability in Practice: Consensus and Consequences.” Sustainability is the ability to maintain or improve a specific thing. This year’s theme not only relates to the three pillars of Missouri State, but it also relates to different professions such as nursing, it can relate to volunteering in different communities, and it can relate to the environment. Sustainability helps the students and staff of Missouri State, a variety of different people in different communities, and many people that peruse different professions

    Read More

More about Economic Sustainability In America

Open Document