Modern Agriculture
Farming experienced little change from the end of the medieval age until the middle of the twenty-first century. (Baker, 2014) When the tractor became the common farm tool and replaced the horse, crop yields remained much the same. (Baker, 2014) From 1866 until 1938, corn yields in the United States were reported at 30 bushels an acre. This, when compared to medieval yields, is not much higher than a good growing year in medieval times. (Baker, 2014) Innovation was drastically stalled by the Second World War and the Korean conflict. However, by 1951, crop yield began to steadily increase as new technologies like fertilizer and hybrid corn breeds became more readily available in the United States.(Baker, 2014) After the introduction of these innovations, corn yields in the United States, from 1952-present, showed an increased yield of 2 bushels an acre per year. (Baker, 2014) This simple increase, not only of corn, but other grain sources has led to a huge increase in the population of the world.
The population has increased more rapidly in the last 200 years than any other time in history. This may seem like a relatively short time, but when compared to the history of agriculture this is a very short time period. Consider that it took over 1000 years for the world to reach a population of 1 billion and only 207 years to reach 7 billion. This is an exponential explosion in the population. Throughout history, agriculture, through several revolutions, has made it possible to sustain the world population. Through innovations such as the plow, crop rotation, and fertilizer, yields have grown and supported the population. But how will modern agriculture support a population of 7 billion people? There is n...
... middle of paper ...
... Biosafety?" Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies 9.2 (2002): 461-500. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.
Levetin, Estelle, and Karen McMahon. "Chapter 11: Origins of Agriculture." Plants and Society. The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2008. 177-186. Web. 3 Mar. 2014.
Paarlberg, Robert. "GMO Foods and Crops: Africas Choice." New Biotechnology 27.5 (2010): 609-613. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.
Pray, Carl, Latha Nagrajan, Luping Li, Jikun D. Huag, Ruifa Hu, K.N Selvaraj, Ora Napasintuwong, and Chandra Babu. "Potential Impact of Biotechnology on Adaption of Agriculture to Climate Change: the Case of Drought Tolerant Rice Breeding in Asia." Sustainability 3(2011): 1723-1741. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.
Xia, Lanqin, Youzhi Ma, Yi He, and Huw D. Jones. "GM Wheat Development in China: Current Status and Challenges to Commercialization." Journal of Experimental Botany 63.5 (2012): 1785-1790. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.
As in any time period, significant technological advances were made from 1877 to 1933. Since the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution in America, new technologies and advancements are being made every day. This Revolution has transformed the economy and in turn transformed every aspect of American life. An important effect of the Industrial Revolution was the Agricultural Revolution, when new advances in farming were made. In the area of farming, the government passed laws and regulations that were significant in the ...
The country at the time was in the deepest and soon to be longest-lasting economic downturn in the history of the Western industrialized world and this caused years of over-cultivation of wheat, because “during the laissez-faire, expansionist 1920’s the plains were extensively and put to wheat - turned into highly mechanized factory farms that produced highly unprecedented harvests” (Worster 12). The farmer’s actions were prompted by the economic decline America was facing. With the economy in a recession, farmers were looking for a way to make a living and in 1930 wheat crops were becoming very popular. In 1931 the wheat crop was considered a bumper crop with over twelve million bushels of wheat. Wheat was emerging all over the plains.
The 1920’s were the singularly most influential years of farming in our country. The loss of farms following the war, and new agricultural practices resulted in the dawn of modern agriculture in our country. The shift from small family to big corporation during this time is now the basis for how our society deals with food today. Traditional farming in the 1920’s underwent a series of massive transitions following WWI as the number of farms decreased and the size of farms increased.
...o. “The Great Agricultural Transition: Crisis, Change, and Social Consequence of the Twentieth Century US Farming”. Annual Review of Sociology 27 (2001): 103-124.
Corn took over American farmlands at the end of World War II, when a new synthetic fertilizer was introduced and manufactured by former munitions factories. It allowed for the elimination of crop rotation, leading to the switch from family farms to the corn monoculture. Economically, this system seems to make more sense, but it destroyed the once sustainable, sun-driven fertility cycle. Now, farmers are trapped into making more and more corn by government policy. As the abundance of the crop causes prices to fall, farmers must plant even more in order to make ends meet, surviving off constantly decreasing government subsidies. What’s worse is that the New Deal system that allowed corn farmers to stay afloat has since been dismantled in an effort to lower food prices and increase production without considering the farmers
Authors, Various. The Origins Of Civilizations, "The Agrarian Revolution And The Birth Of Civilization." Last modified 2007. Accessed March 23, 2012. http://history-world.org/neolithic.htm.
Advocates claim that the world may benefit greatly from the production and consumption of GM foods, especially those countries with high rates of poverty and starvation. Experts insist that the GM products will put an end to world hunger. It is estimated that the world population will grow up to 9 billion people in 2050, and a good alternative to feed them is the GM products. Nowadays, in almost all African countries people are dying because of hunger and hunger-related diseases. The estimate of life expectation in these countries is fifty seven years old, and it will decrease to forty seven in 2020 (kwengwere 2-3). The governments of these countries are battling to put a stop to this unfair situation. Experts have said that the best alternative is the implementation of GM cultures in Africa; it will reduce the deaths, increase the life expectations and nourish the whole continent (Forsberg 1). The future of Africa is uncertain, but it is sure to depend on the hands of GM p...
As human technological innovation proceeds into the twenty-first century, society is faced with many complex issues. Genetic engineering and cloning, encryption and information security, and advanced weapons technologies are all prominent examples of technological issues that have substantial moral and ethical implications. Genetic engineering in particular is currently a very volatile subject. One important aspect of this field is GMO or Genetically Modified Organisms, which has far-reaching potential to revolutionize modern agriculture. GMO crops are already being developed by many leading biotech companies, and have come under intense scrutiny by society. This is easily understood, however, because there is not much that is more important than how people get fed. Specifically, where their food comes from, and how it is produced. Thus, it is essential that we examine the ethical dilemmas as well as the practical benefits posed by such a powerful technology.
GM crops also benefit the economy and assist in feeding more people. While we struggle with feeding our population, “The population will continue to grow” (Calandrelli 1) For instance, genetic engineering in agriculture can minimize the cost of producing food. Thus, GMO’s in crops can result ...
Genetically modified (GM) foods have become omnipresent over the past decade. They are a technological breakthrough that allows humans to manipulate and add foreign genes to crops to enhance desired traits, but they have also evolved into a controversial issue, especially for Third World countries. Some people believe that GM foods not only provide larger yields to feed hungry citizens in Third World countries, but they can also be a source of great nutritional value. For example, researchers have developed a strain of golden rice containing high amounts of vitamin A and numerous other vitamins and minerals. Additionally, GM crops are laced with herbicides and pesticides, and therefore reduce the need for chemical consumption. Opponents of GM foods claim that they pose a threat to the health of consumers and that these crops could eventually cross-pollinate in an unregulated fashion or lead to the growth of superweeds and superbugs resistant to the herbicides and pesticides woven into the genetic fiber of the crops. Developed nations should promote research and monitoring from an ethical point of view and financial assistance through philanthropic ventures in order to limit environmental and health risks. They should also make sure that limited cultural displacement will result from the introduction of GM crops and that instead, a better livelihood and well-being through collaboration will emerge. Hence, GM crops should be introduced only provided that the developed nations assume the ethical and financial responsibilities for the environmental, health, and social consequences that attend this new innovation.
We live in a world that is constantly changing and advancing thanks to technological advancements, especially in the field of molecular genetics. Today, we are discovering and implementing new ways to overcome the ill-fated symptoms developed as a result from poor health or accidents. We are also making advancements in the field of agriculture thanks to molecular genetics. As we all know, food is an essential entity in our lives and is abundant as well as relatively easy to obtain here in the United States. However, as good as it may sound, this is not necessarily true for developing countries. Many people in developing countries receive very little food, if any, due to its scarcity. It is estimated that in Asia alone, close to 800 million people go to bed hungry every night due to food shortage. This problem can be alleviated by turning to the production of genetically modified organisms (a.k.a. GMOs).
Agriculture has changed dramatically, especially since the end of World War II. Food and fibre productivity rose due to new technologies, mechanization, increased chemical use, specialization and government policies that favoured maximizing production. These changes allowed fewer farmers with reduced labour demands to produce the majority of the food and fibre.
Throughout history, there has been revolutions that brought us to where we are today. One vast and dramatic revolution, maybe even the biggest, was the transition from a hunting and gathering society to an agricultural society. The transition between gathering wild plants and hunting wild animals to the growing of crops and taming of animals. Many people agree agriculture was one of the best developments that happened in history for many reasons; however, there has been strong evidence that shows that may not be completely accurate. Although agriculture brought some positive advancements, it also brought social and gender inequality, spread of diseases, and malnutrition that led agriculture to become the worst mistake in history.
Lambert, Tim. A Brief History of Farming. Local history. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov 2013.