unspeakablehorror (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
unspeakablehorror) wrote2019-03-19 02:01 pm
unspeakablehorror) wrote2019-03-19 02:01 pm
Entry tags:
Agriculture and the Environment
One problem with conventional farming is that it uses so many harmful pesticides. This is unhealthy for the environment, and unhealthy for humans as well.
Organic crops reduce this issue, but tend to introduce a different issue. Because it seems these crops generally require considerably more land and water to produce the same amount of product.
It's the same issue for animals that aren't given antibiotics (giving animals antibiotics is one vector for introducing extremely terrible antibiotic-resistant bacteria into the world) and grass fed livestock etc. These again produce lower yields per acre and unit of time.
I don't think this issue has any easy answers, but I think it's something that needs to be thought about if we want our food supply to truly be more environmentally friendly. I also think that people often don't think about their crops and livestock as being the invasive plants and animals that they often are.
Organic crops reduce this issue, but tend to introduce a different issue. Because it seems these crops generally require considerably more land and water to produce the same amount of product.
It's the same issue for animals that aren't given antibiotics (giving animals antibiotics is one vector for introducing extremely terrible antibiotic-resistant bacteria into the world) and grass fed livestock etc. These again produce lower yields per acre and unit of time.
I don't think this issue has any easy answers, but I think it's something that needs to be thought about if we want our food supply to truly be more environmentally friendly. I also think that people often don't think about their crops and livestock as being the invasive plants and animals that they often are.