Feeding a Growing Population vs Conserving Biodiversity

Food is a basic a necessity all humans want and need to survive. But do you ever ask yourself where we get this food? It is obvious this food comes from the farms but however do you know how it's made in the farms and factories? How do we know we'll have enough food for the millions of people in our world?

In our world today, the human population is growing faster and faster and many people are thinking there won't be enough food for everybody! There are very high demands of the global human population increasing and the consumer demand is changing agriculture each and everyday. With this being said they turn to Industrial Agriculture! I think Industrial Agriculture isn't the right way at all to produce your food. I believe it's unsafe and just not right, Luckily there is another option called Sustainable Agriculture which I believe is a much more easier and better method in producing food.

Industrial agriculture views the farm as a factory with, let's just say "inputs." These Factories may use pesticides, feed, fertilizer, and fuel and "outputs" such as corn, chickens, and so forth. Their goal is to increase the size and amount of animals, so they can grow faster and make more money. I find this absolutely wrong! You shouldn't give an animal steroids just for it to grow faster, stronger and bigger.

There are many purported benefits of this industrial approach, such as lower food prices for consumers, cheap feed for animal factory farms, a potential energy source to replace foreign oil, and substantial exports to foreign markets. We should really think about our environment and how it will affect it greatly! However industrial agriculture isn't the only method of agriculture. There is also a sustainable approach which

embraces a wide range of techniques, including organic, free-range, low-input, holistic, and biodynamic.

A sustainable approach, based on understanding agriculture as an ecosystem, promises sufficient produce without sacrificing the environment. This is a much better method for farms as they minimize tilling and water usage, encourage healthy soil by planting fields with different crops year after year, and avoiding pesticide use. However it is said that Industrial agriculture is one of the best inventions ever made for the costs and benefits! I believe it's great how you can get cheaper food, greater ability of labour, environmental, economic, and industrial agricultural costs.

Agriculture plays a big part in our world! I think as humans we should not take advantage of what is given to us. It is proven that our population is growing rapidly and should really understand what can happen to us as time goes on. It's obvious Sustainable Agriculture is the right way to go. Animals should not be injected with any kind of steroid or substance just so it will make it bigger because in the long run that can effect us humans too! Sustainable agriculture may be a slower and harder way to produce food today, but you know what? I believe it's a more safer and sufficient way. And besides, I don't mind paying an extra few bucks just so I know where my food is coming from and if it's safe to consume or not.

Sources:

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/sustainable-agriculture/

http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/science_and_impacts/impacts_industrial_agriculture/industrial-agriculture-features.htm

http://www.sustainabletable.org/intro/comparison/

http://www.portaec.net/library/food/costs_and_benefits_of_industrial.html

Blogs I commented on:

http://vanezzabioblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/massive.html?showComment=1306446770433#c8669846668718666351

http://catnippp.blogspot.com/2011/02/hormones-in-our-foooooood.html?showComment=1306447543253#c5502156440449636210