Detrimental Effects Of Industrialized Farming In The United States

Jordan Berry

Mr. Bulluck

Senior Project

06 September 2017

15 page paper

At the core of industrial agriculture, lies monoculture, the practice of farming one type of genetically similar plants over a large expanse. Although, some may argue that monoculture maximizes profits for minimum cost, it results in detrimental effects. This harmful method of industrialized farming in the United States has caused irreversible damage to our ecosystem, however, by changing agriculture laws and implementing alternative farming techniques such as crop rotation and polyculture, we can repair the damage it's caused to our groundwater supplies, reserve fossil fuels, and protect our natural wildlife.

For most of our existence, humans have relied on several different

Shifting cultivation, sometimes referred to as swidden or slash and burn, is commonly found throughout the tropical regions worldwide. Shifting cultivation systems are designed to adapt to areas where there is low soil fertility, high precipitation, and fast leaching of nutrients.

To begin the process, small clearings are cut and slash material is left to decompose or is burned to release nutrients into the soil. In some cases, soil fertility is augmented by fertilizers of organic material such as fish bones and biochar-- charcoal produced from plant matter. A mix of palms such as acai or pioneer fruit trees such as avocado or guava are planted, and annual crops such as cassava, plantains, corn, sweet potatoes are cultivated in the first few years. Because of the nutrient limitations, cultivation of these annual crops is often limited to just a few

In the past, industrial agriculture was hailed as a technological triumph that would enable a growing world population to feed itself. Today, an expanding chorus of agricultural experts-- including farmers as well as scientists and policymakers-- sees industrial agriculture as a dead end. The impacts of industrial agriculture on the environment, public health, and rural communities make it an unsustainable way to grow our food over the long term. And better, environmental friendly methods are available.

In a healthy farm system, agriculture works in harmony with the natural environment. This begins with healthy soil that stores water and nutrients and provides a stable base to support plant roots. In a sustainable system, soil is kept in balance. Crops are rotated through the fields to replace nutrients in the soil. Where there is livestock, animals graze the land, then waste from those animals is used to fertilize the soil. The concept of this method of agriculture is that as farmers take from the land they also give