Sustainable Agriculture: The Ethical Choice for the Future Essay

Sustainable Agriculture: The Ethical Choice for the Future Thesis: The idea of sustainable agriculture is a legitimate, logical, and necessary approach to the new concerns and problems stemming from current agricultural trends in light of impending global food shortages and rapid depletion of natural resources. Introduction Agriculture has been a principal source of obtaining food to meet basic needs of humans for thousands of years. More recently, with the industrialization of agriculture, increased efficiency, and a decreased need for small rural farmers, there has been a resulting disconnect of consumers to the process in which their food is produced. As we are embarking on a new century, there is growing concern that perhaps our industrialized agriculture system is not functioning as effectively as it has in the past. It is time that we move to adopt a new paradigm as we realize the effects of modern agriculture on our environment, economic viability, and social justice issues, in light of the impending global food shortage. According to John Ikerd from the University of Missouri, traditional agriculturists currently foresee a continued trend toward fewer, larger, and more specialized production units. They see current trends continuing until a half-dozen or so multinational corporations control vir tually all processing and distribution of agricultural commodities in a single global food and fiber market. With this movement continuing as it is now â€Å"there will be increasing reliance on biological technologies and information technologies at all levels within the global agricultural system. Forecasts of the continued industrialization of agriculture permeate both professional agricultural publications and the popular... ...orld today. It is the ethical choice for those of us concerned with the well-being of future generations and the rural communities today. Works Cited Hassanein, Neva. Changing the Way America Farms. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 1999. Bird, Elizabeth Ann R., et al. Planting the Future. Iowa State University Press, Ames, 1995. Pretty, Jules N. Regenerating Agriculture. Joseph Henry Press, Washington D.C., 1995. â€Å"Why so much controversy over Genetically Modified Organisms?† October 25, 2003. <http://www.cimmyt.cgiar.org/ABC/10-FAQaboutGMOs/htm/10-FAQaboutGMOs.htm>. Ikerd, John. "Sustainable Agriculture: A Positive Alternative to Industrial Agriculture" October 25, 2003 <http://www.ssu.missouri.edu/faculty/jikerd/papers/ks-hrtld.htm >. â€Å"Disadvantages of No-Till† October 25, 2003. <http://pas.byu.edu/AgHrt282/Tillage/sld023.htm> Sustainable Agriculture: The Ethical Choice for the Future Essay Sustainable Agriculture: The Ethical Choice for the Future Thesis: The idea of sustainable agriculture is a legitimate, logical, and necessary approach to the new concerns and problems stemming from current agricultural trends in light of impending global food shortages and rapid depletion of natural resources. Introduction Agriculture has been a principal source of obtaining food to meet basic needs of humans for thousands of years. More recently, with the industrialization of agriculture, increased efficiency, and a decreased need for small rural farmers, there has been a resulting disconnect of consumers to the process in which their food is produced. As we are embarking on a new century, there is growing concern that perhaps our industrialized agriculture system is not functioning as effectively as it has in the past. It is time that we move to adopt a new paradigm as we realize the effects of modern agriculture on our environment, economic viability, and social justice issues, in light of the impending global food shortage. According to John Ikerd from the University of Missouri, traditional agriculturists currently foresee a continued trend toward fewer, larger, and more specialized production units. They see current trends continuing until a half-dozen or so multinational corporations control vir tually all processing and distribution of agricultural commodities in a single global food and fiber market. With this movement continuing as it is now â€Å"there will be increasing reliance on biological technologies and information technologies at all levels within the global agricultural system. Forecasts of the continued industrialization of agriculture permeate both professional agricultural publications and the popular... ...orld today. It is the ethical choice for those of us concerned with the well-being of future generations and the rural communities today. Works Cited Hassanein, Neva. Changing the Way America Farms. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 1999. Bird, Elizabeth Ann R., et al. Planting the Future. Iowa State University Press, Ames, 1995. Pretty, Jules N. Regenerating Agriculture. Joseph Henry Press, Washington D.C., 1995. â€Å"Why so much controversy over Genetically Modified Organisms?† October 25, 2003. <http://www.cimmyt.cgiar.org/ABC/10-FAQaboutGMOs/htm/10-FAQaboutGMOs.htm>. Ikerd, John. "Sustainable Agriculture: A Positive Alternative to Industrial Agriculture" October 25, 2003 <http://www.ssu.missouri.edu/faculty/jikerd/papers/ks-hrtld.htm >. â€Å"Disadvantages of No-Till† October 25, 2003. <http://pas.byu.edu/AgHrt282/Tillage/sld023.htm>