Industrial VS Sustainable

Introduction

The world as we know it is constantly enhancing its ways and will continue to do so until a point is reach where our lives can be as convenient as possible, whether it is the way we dress, the technologies we posses, or even the way we grow our food.

What is Industrial Agriculture?

People of today’s society highly rely on a system known as “Industrial Agriculture,” which is a modern method of farming that involves the mass production of animals and crops, in order to maximize product yield and profit. Industrial agriculture methods often involve genetic engineering in both plants and animals, innovative technologies to increase rates of production, and patent protection on these types of machinery. Yes, industrial agriculture does have numerous benefits, though with advantages, comes disadvantages. Many do not know that there are in fact more cons to Industrial Agriculture than there are pros. A few to mention are, environmental issues, health issues not only by animals but humans as well, genetic diversity issues, water waste issues and etc. The effects of such method are already seen in many parts of the world. Due to “Industrial Agriculture” many old breeds of livestock in the British Isle, are becoming so rare that they are in serious danger of extinction. It is not only livestock who are in endangered, but varieties of fruit and vegetables suffer from similar issues. It has been estimated that from the year 1900 to 1973, Britain lost 26 native breeds of livestock as well as many varieties of poultry. For a small island, that amount is rather high. The Somerset sheeted cattle, the Lincoln shire curly coated pig and the Goonhilly pony are among breeds that have disappeared forever.

What is Sustainable Agriculture?

Some suggested ideas for this major issue, is to go back in time and once again rely on a method that is rarely seen these days. This process is known as “Sustainable Agriculture”, which is a method of agriculture that attempts to ensure the profitability of farms while preserving the environment.  Though the productivity amount and time of “Sustainable agriculture” is not as sufficient as Industrial, the advantages of this method are endless. With this process in hand we will see immediate positive results in our environment, health, economy and most importantly our genetic diversity.

Conclusion

It is important for our society to adapt new ways to help preserve these endangered plants and animals. We must recognize the influence these creatures have on our heritage and cultural identity. After all, these are the animals that fed, clothed and provided an income for our ancestors, often as far back as records exist. In my opinion, we should start to turn to alternate ways of production in order to save these endangered species, though it may take more time and money we must stay committed to provide a much cleaner and environmentally friendly future. Many may argue that feeding a growing population is much important that conserving biodiversity, though little do they know is that the conservation of biodiversity is much more important for human survival. The survival of these breeds is the key to the future as they will not only provide food and nutrition for generations to come but they may contain valuable materials used to produce medication for many types of disease .