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how has genetic engineering affected agriculture
impact of genetic engineering in agriculture
impact of genetic engineering in agriculture
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Centuries ago, the farming technique was only one: the rotational crops. For each season, people planted new seeds that would grow in the conditions given by the whether. After some time, the soil would rest and prepare for future cropping seasons. However, this is no longer the case, or at least it is no longer the only farming technique. Technology has made possible agriculture to grow, and to develop new techniques and types of crops. The most important new agricultural technique is monoculture, which is the single-species crop.
Monoculture refers to the practice of cultivating an agricultural species or tree under conditions where other species are absent or virtually absent. This is done in order to lessen the intensity of competition on growth of the desired crop species. (Freedman)
Furthermore, now there are different types of monoculture. Probably the most common one is the monoculture for plantations. It is basically the use of huge areas to plant one species, usually of big plants or trees. Due to the high costs of production that this type of plants have, monoculture for plantations is less rigorous than other types, and smaller plants may be tolerated as long as they do not compete for resources with the crop. In contrast, genetic monoculture is the most extreme way of monoculture. In this type of crops, diversity is not only narrowed down to a single species, but to a single genotype, making all individuals genetically uniform (Freedman). All of these would not have been possible without countless advances in genetics and biotechnology, which, according to the UN`s Convention on Biological Diversity, is “any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or mo...
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Animal and plant husbandry due to human growth has transformed into factories that pump out foodstuffs in higher quantities than imaginable centuries in the past. This is done through the use of monocultures, which produce one single crop in high quantities, and factory farming, compact animal lots that grow the animal as quickly as possible for slaughter. The shift to monoculture farming and factory farming was due to the rapid increase in population and advancements in farming technology, for example pesticides. In recent years the focus has shifted to escaping factory farming through organic farming. Organic farming produces foodstuffs without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or any other artificial factors. Organic farming focuses on natural development of organisms. Author Michael Pollan in his essay “The Animals: Practicing Complexity” describes his time at an organic farm and describes Polyface Farm as profitable, efficient, cheap,
Polyculture is associated with, but not exclusively limited to, the movement in organic farming (Pollan 144). The main drawback is the work required to maintain the different species being grown. Each plant requires its own growing conditions, so maintenance becomes labor intensive. However, this method of farming greatly increases the biodiversity of the fields which reduces susceptibility to disease and pests, and creates genetically diverse species. Polyculture is very different from monoculture in more ways than simply growing more than one crop. Monoculture is the attempt to control a crop to maximize yield. Polyculture is the acknowledgement of nature’s control and the attempt to grow successful crops through changing the process of growing plants based on the ecological system around them. The people who grew early potatoes on the Andes grew a wide variety of different potato species so that not all of them were likely to susceptible to the same disease (Pollan 131). Pollan’s discussion of these methods leans heavily toward the idea that even though monoculture is simpler and more profitable, it is an inferior method to polyculture that is mainly still in use to feed the capitalistic machine of the global food
With an ever increasing world population, massive third world hunger, and with an estimation that a child dies for every two seconds world-wide from starvation; this does not even take into account the number of people who are mal and undernourished, there is a great promise in the use of this technology to benefit not only the farmers, but also societies worldwide. We have been able to genetically modify plants so that they may be more resistant to insects, so that there is less pesticidal toxins sprayed. We have designed plants that require less water, less soil nutrients, preserving precious recourses. We have designed plants with higher yield, shorter seasons, plants that need less land to grow; we are said to be living in a time where we have the healthiest, most well-tested plants in the history of this
By implementing new farming techniques provided with the new technological advances in machines we can see abundant harvest in even the poorest third world countries. For example, the Green Revolution has already showed admirable progress in the northern part of India ever since it took start in 1950. By 1997, northern India increased its grain production by 37 percent. This has proven that traditional farming methods are being rendered obsolete. And because by the year 2000, there will be half the land per person in developing countries as there was in 1970, we need to apply ultra-efficient methods to sustain the growing need. Not only does the Green Revolution enhances food output, it also preserves the environment.
The first Crash Course video by John Green describes the primary point of the Agricultural Revolution by using an unappealing, double cheeseburger to show all processes needed to make the burger. This model is very effective; Green walks through the hunting and gathering agricultural methods of 15,000 years ago while comparing today’s dependency on all the ingredients. Although technology has progressed throughout the agricultural industry, basic farming methods have remained consistent.
Before the land of what we no class Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, and other countries in the middle east grains, such as wheat and wild barley, could be seen growing in the wild without human hand to cultivate and nurture it (Authors 2007). Over time, humans began to recognize the benefit of the plants and began the first signs of human agriculture. The skill of farming took time and trial and error, but along the way, humans began to settle down to tend to their crops. Though the first crops were nothing more than seed s thrown about without rhyme or reason to the process we know today such as fields having, rows and sorting out the seeds to create a higher yield each harvest (Authors 2007). Because of the trial and error process, agriculture of plants did not take place of a short period but took many, many years to evolve to what we know today as agriculture; the new fa...
This type of intensification on agriculture was achieved by selecting new crop varieties, improving soil quality, improving irrigation, improving tools, increasing labor and improving storage to reduce spoilage of food products. During this era they began to produce massive amounts of wheat, rice and maize that allowed them to convert into a range of other food products. By processing grains it allowed them to be consumed by infants, which shortened the length of breastfeeding, and shorter intervals between births and increasing the number of children that were born(Crowther, 2013). Through agriculture it improved people's lives due to advances in sanitation, medicine and nutrition that declined mortality rate and increased birth rates into greater life expectancy and overall population growth(Crowther, 2013). These eventually lead to the development of communities and states that had the luxury to develop over time and improve life in all aspects from technology and infrastructure to what the world is
Monoculture farming is used in the U.S because is produces lots of food produce for our economy, even though it has its pros, it also has cons.This use of monoculture farming means that only one kind of crop is placed on open land; just like what is done in wheat fields, grape vineyards as well as apple orchards. However, experts are now discovering, despite the benefits, that this practice might be having negative effects in terms of the fight against climate change and land degradation.It is very critical to understand the advantages and disadvantages of monoculture farming.on a positive side ,this technique can play to the advantages of the local climate and soil
Farming has always been challenging, some years conditions roll in the favor of the farmer; most years the farmer has to do the best possible without full cooperation of nature. Understanding ecological principles and how those principles can be utilized, to improve crop performance, is useful for the farmer. This will surely become even more true as climate change brings new challenges and opportunities within the agricultural industry. Of the many agroecological principles which will have value to farmers, as environmental factors change, adaption will be the most necessary to ensuring food security.
The definition of conventional farming is “Intensive farming or intensive agriculture as an agricultural production system characterized by a low fallow ratio and the high use of inputs such as capital, labor, or heavy use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers relative to land area.” Conventional farming is the method that a majority of farmers use. Although they have to use a lot more chemicals and fertilizers, conventional farming is cheaper than organic farming. Conventional farming has significantly higher crop yields than organic thus, producing more money, making it much more farmer friendly. Conventional farmers also use genetically engineered seeds that are sometimes referred to as “miracle seeds” because of their ability to fight against certain diseases or produce higher yields. The technical term for these seeds is HYV’s or high yield varieties (Qaim). Conventional farming also incorporates the use...
Agriculture revolution has allowed farmers to improve farming facilities through the use of new machineries . Mechanization has helped farmers to produce sufficient food and expand its production.. Along with mechanization, new agricultural methods were introduced and devised which resulted in larger and better harvests. For example, Charles Townshend introduced crop rotation, a practice of alternating crops grown in field from year to year.This method helped maintain fertile soil. Machines powered by coal replaced animal and human power. Placard E, Innovations in farming, illustrates farm workers using machines to harvest grains. These new farm machineries resulted to increased farm production and made it possible to feed a growing population especially in Great
Our world is growing! Growing in population that is, but the resources are staying the same. To help with the growing of the population that will be happening in the 21st century, science and agriculture need to work hand-in-hand. They need to stand together to make a break through together, to insure that everyone will have food on their plate. We need to work to have larger yields with the land we have. Some people say that humans need to change their diet, and others say that we should destroy hundreds of acres of wild land.
These crops would be developed from a “miracle seeds” in which would produce higher amounts of food per plant. These miracle seeds would allow countries with high populations to feed its people. According to The Cultural Landscape, published by James M. Rubenstein explains that, “population grew at the fastest rate...experts forecast global famine...new agricultural practices have permitted farmers worldwide to achieve much greater yields...scientists began an intensive series of experiments during the 1950s to develop a higher-yield form of wheat...new miracle seeds were diffused rapidly around the world. India’s wheat production, for example, more than doubled in five years.” That said, scientist has used modern technology to experiment with seeds, ultimately, come across high efficient seeds that allow countries with high populations, like India, to produce enough food. Subsequently, modern technology has also allowed crops and farm animals to achieve higher yielding, better visual appeal, taste, and nutrient-rich agricultural foods. Using modern technology allows genetic modification, the altering of the genetic information of an organism to reach desired traits, produce higher food quantities. According to The Cultural Landscape, published by James M. Rubenstein points out that, “10 percent of all farmland- were devoted to
Agriculture is quite possibly the most important advancement and discovery that humanity has made. It produces the one thing that we need the most: food. It has been around since 9500 BC, and can be the oldest sign of mankind’s acumen and the development and evolving of our minds and creations. Agriculture has been mastered throughout hundreds of years and is one of our most important resources on Earth, along with water and fossil fuels. Although the older farming methods from ancient times seem somewhat mediocre and barbaric, they were very ingenious and advanced for that time period. Over thousands of years, we have improved the way agriculture is used, how land is cultivated, the various techniques of farming and irrigation, and the tools and mechanics used. Numerous things that we see as aboriginal today, such as using a hand plow, were extremely contemporary in ancient times, and played key roles in the development of man and society, since quick labor was not abundant before this time. We are now extremely advanced in agriculture and irrigation and the tools used to farm and grow and harvest crops. We have learned from our past and ancestors how to grow and evolve in our methods and have advanced forward greatly.
Farming has been an occupation since 8,500 B.C. On that year in the Fertile Crescent farming first began when people grew plants instead of picking them in the wild. Then nearly 5,000 years later oxen, horses, pigs, and dogs were domesticated. During the middle ages, the nobles divide their land into three fields. The reasoning for this was to plant two and leave one to recover. This was the start of crop rotation which is a big part of farming today. Burning down forest and then moving to another area is a farming technique used by the Mayans called Slash and burn. Mayan farmers also were able to drain swampy areas to farm them buy building canals. In 1701 Jethro Tull invented the seed drill and a horse drawn how that tilled the land. In Denmark they would plant turnips in the previously unplanted field. The turnips help restore the nutrients in the ground thus crop rotation is born. In England people began moving there fields closer to each other for a more efficient way of planting. Later in the 18th century selective breeding was introduce which made bigger, stronger, and more milk producing livestock. In the mid 1800’s a steam plough was invented. By the 1950 tractors, milking machines, and combines were used by almost farmers. The latest f...