Industrial Agriculture and the Loss of Biodiversity
Preserving Diversity By Way Of Old Crop Varieties
Traditional methods is indeed the most advantageous way to retain sustainable success in farming suggested by Stephen B. Brush in his research of the effect of diversity in agriculture. In "Genetic Diversity And Conservation In Traditional Farming Systems," he explains how analyzing genetic erosion and the loss of genetic resources eventually leads to environmental degradation. Various factors have led to nations turning to improved adoption varieties, primarily the Green Revolution and commercial markets. Brush explores the effects that the Green Revolution has had on resources and agriculture, and explains why nations are turning to markets.
The Green Revolution brought an introduction and increase in genetic diversity, to all domains of agriculture, especially too much needed third world countries. Due to alterations in genetic resources, conventional methods were being replaced with modern agriculture that was producing exceptional yielding varieties. This surplus of yield led many small farmers to sell their products and also become principal players in the market. The success from this established the need for movement toward modern techniques and away from traditional cultures. On the contrary, Fowler and Mooney present a different viewpoint in their article "Shattering: food, politics, and the loss of genetic diversity." They assert that the Green Revolution only provided a short-lived solution to hunger, but not to the protection of the ecosystem (Fowler 176). They discussed the history and origin of the introduction of modern varieties, in which they ultimately stated that they might have created temp...
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...ect diversity with traditional cultures (Nazarea 4). In my opinion, traditions need to be protected because they are the methods that have been working for so many years. Nevertheless, technology is crucial to helping to stabilize diversity. Improved varieties may not have been the best, enduring solution yet. There are other options out there that can be discovered with more research. I believe that the scientific world can find a precise median that will continuously nurture biodiversity. Until the optimal resolution is found we need to turn our ways back to traditional farming before it is too late.
Works Cited
Fowler, Cary, Mooney, Pat, "Shattering: food, politics, and the loss of genetic diversity."University of Arizona Press, Tucson. C.1990.
Nazarea, Virginia, D., Cultural Memory and Biodiversity. The University Of Arizona Press, Tucson c.1998.
Uncle Tom’s cabin was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852. It is an anti-slavery book that shows the reader the many sufferings endured by slaves in the period before the civil war. To the people of the modern day generation, these acts of slavery are unbelievable but the reader has to realize the fact that in those years, people suffered, to the point where they were just treated as property, where owners can do whatever they like and be disposed of or traded as if they were just material possessions and not even human. The book talks about the relationship between slaves and their masters as well as the role of women. As slavery was practiced during such times, Stowe tries to expose the difficult life people had in the past and how their faith in God helped them to endure all there hardships.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin is an anti-slavery novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1850s that “changed forever how Americans viewed slavery, the system that treated people as property”. (Harriet Beecher Stowe Center) This book “demanded that the United States deliver on the promise of freedom and equality, galvanized the abolition movement and contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War”. (Harriet Beecher Stowe Center) “The strength of Uncle Tom's Cabin is its ability to illustrate slavery's effect on families, and to help readers empathize with enslaved characters.” (Harriet Beecher Stowe Center) As Foner mentioned: “By portraying slaves as sympathetic men and women, and as Christians at the mercy of slaveholders who split up families and set bloodhounds on innocent mothers and children, Stowe’s melodrama gave the abolitionist message a powerful human appeal.” (472) With this novel, Stowe wanted to convince Christians that God doesn’t’ approve slavery, that it is evil which must be destroyed.
Uncle Toms Cabin gives a deeper understanding of the hardships of slavery in America and how these people were treated, in a country that was supposed to be of all men created equal. Though this book goes deeper than what is presented at face value, though racism is also a very large and important part of this story. Harriett Beecher Stowe reveals more in her novel than just the terrible acts of slavery, and what it was like to be stuck as a slave with no way out. In this story she gives two different perspectives in my opinion, one of tremendous sorrow, and struggle as we follow Tom throughout the story and feel and see the pain and hardships he must endure. And the other of Eliza who does a extremely courageous thing in trying to smuggle her son off the plantation in order to save her son from being sold to a coarse slave owner. Uncle Toms Cabin is a book that illustrates not only the need to end slavery and the incompatibility of slavery with the values of Christianity, but emotionalism, the importance of keeping ones faith, as well as women being viewed as equals.
The most important character in Uncle Tom’s Cabin is Uncle Tom himself. Uncle Tom is a middle aged black man who is very honest and intelligent. Uncle Tom is entrusted with many important dealings of the house, even large sums of money, by his master Mr. Shelby. Uncle Tom has many opportunities to escape, but he always returns, feeling that he cannot violate his master’s trust by running away with his money. Uncle Tom’s story resembles the biblical story of Joseph and his enslavement in Egypt. Joseph’s master Potiphar entrusts Joseph with all his belongings just as Mr. Shelby does with Uncle Tom.
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.
For instance many of the characters in the book have become the stereotypes of slavery in the South. An example of this is Uncle Tom himself, whose name was eventually degraded into a nickname for blacks who were too subservient to whites. He became the stereotype of the passive slave who would do anything his master told him, because it was his duty as a slave. However few remember how the strength of his faith was what allowed him to tolerate the horrors that were enacted upon him.
Since the 17th century when African slaves were brought over by Dutch slavers, Christianity has been used to justify the act of enslavment. Missionaries sailed with slavers and tried to convert the Africans sold into slavery many times. During the 19th century Christianity was a great factor in helping institutionalize and even justify the suffering of the slaves. Slaves were made to believe through verses of the Bible that if they suffered in their current lives, they would have a better existence after they passed on. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe, puts forth the lives of many different slaves and their masters in a way that was one of the contributing factors to igniting the civil war. The book focuses on the tension between the morality of religion and how religion was used to institutionalize slavery, particularly for the main character, Tom. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin presents the interpretative tension between religion and how it was used by the white slaveholders to rationalize Tom’s bondage and servitude for him and themselves.
In the article “Worst Mistake in History of Human Race,” by Jared Diamond (1987), he discusses how the conversion a hunter- gatherer based society to an agricultural based one was a huge mistake. At first it was believed and is still believed by many that it has been one of the best decisions made by humans but he goes on to discuss how it is not and the disadvantages it has caused.
In earlier years, observing nature brought happiness. One look around at the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee or at Lindsey’s Rainbow Farm in Arkansas showed everything the world offered—tall grassy fields, magnificent black bears, chilly fall nights, clear streams, slimy trout, and the warmth of the sun on my face at sunset. Breathtaking sights awaited us around every corner. Nature seemed endless. Today, places such as these appear to be found less and less. With the expansion of not only civilization but also its economy, Americans slowly destroy the once symbiotic relationship between nature and community. Americans face such a difficult situation due to the way we live our lives—specifically, the way we obtain our food.
“The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.” - Masanobu Fukuoka. That’s something people don’t understand about agriculture in the past, the present, and the future. Farming and agriculture is more than just planting a field and harvesting it, it’s a way of life. Generations molded and lived their life around farming. It’s a way to live, a way to make money, and a way to eat. So when you wake up in the morning and pour your cereal or throw your bread in the toaster, thank a farmer. For today, I’m here to talk about the Agricultural Revolution and how it transformed the way of life and triggered the Industrial Revolution.
"Water Crisis." World Water Council. 7th World Water Council, 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. http://www.worldwatercouncil.org/library/archives/water-crisis/
It is this technology, more precisely new ideas, small innovation and new methods through the period of time that has so far helped us feed this massive population. This meant that old farming methods were replaced as soon as a new technique or instrument came to make farming more efficient. For example the old farming methods included working on fields using hands or with animal drawn equipment. This meant that farms were smaller because farmers could work so much land. Moreover, these old farming methods meant that the crop is still high at risk of getting damaged from a disease, face some weather related mishap or the soil isn’t nutrient enough to support a good yield of the crop. Technology have brought in improvements that have made a large impact on the way and amount farmers are able to farm. One of them is the introduction of farm machinery such as tractor, harvester and other motorized equipment that allowed farmers to work on far greater land in smaller amount of time with less labor and yet produce far greater yield. One of the major advancement made in agriculture is through seed technology. New seed technology introduced farmers to genetically modified seeds that are able to withstand harsh weather which means that even in
...rtied by bacteria and viruses not chemicals. To compliment this the UV oxidation would be used in more developed countries to destroy chemicals within the water allowing water to be cleaned worldwide ultimately in the end possibly ending the lack of water supply for the world.
Thompson, Paul B. and Stout, Bill A. Beyond The Large Farm. Westview Press, Inc.: Colorado 1991
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.