In the course of time, people have been searching for techniques and approaches to adjust to geographical, social, and cultural environment in the past and in the modern contexts. Gradual development of social and culturally different groups and nations, however, is not predetermined by a biological evolution, or by unequal conditions for the civilization development.
In this respect, Brody distinguishes between two social groups hunters-gatherers and farmers that were formed irrespectively of each other due to the certain historical and social conditions (14).
Hence, the author states that farmers are more mobile, restless, nomadic, and expansive in comparison with hunter-gathers who prefer to stay on a more secure, home territory (Brody 114).
The difference between agricultural societies and hunter-gathers societies also lies in temporal characteristics and the level of technological penetrations (Gonzalez 3). In particular, farmers are more developed in technological terms because they should work out strategies for increasing productivity and advancing farming practices.
However, Gonzalez emphasizes that original farmers who lived on the territory of the North American were more inclined to use ecology-friendly techniques to sustain traditional modes of farming and agriculture (27).
In discussing the differences between farmers and hunter-gatherers, Evans-Pritchard outlines two distinguishing criteria that identify the Nuer tribes: political system and ecology (47). In particular, hunter-gathers do not have particular organizational structure and subordination; instead, their political order is more close to anarchy. In ecological terms, the hunters and farmer can be classified in accordance with spatial discontinuity.
In contrast, Pollan speaks about farmers and foragers through their attitude to plant and animals (123). In particular, farmers considered corn not only as the food, but as the good that can be sold. Therefore, there were mode focused on advancing their technologies and increasing yield. In their turn, foragers were less developed in these terms because they correlated food with culture and spirituality.
While examining the elements of Nuer culture as compared with contemporary communities originating from the immigration, Holtzman emphasizes that the Nuer life is closely connected with the waves of immigrations to the United States and explains that hunter-gatherers are more attached to traditions, kin relations, and culture (42). They had little interest in technologies and other techniques because their values were not based on materialistic objects, but on the spiritual development.
Social and Historical Forces That Are Responsible For These Modes of Life in the Recent Past
Considering social factors affecting the formation of the farmers and hunter-gatherers, mostly all humans were hunter-gatherers over the years. However, this mode of life gradually altered due to the rise of agriculture that developed in societies. Paradoxically, despite of their chaotic structures, these groups are often united on the basis of kinship and tribe membership.
Brody also emphasizes that hunter-gatherer tribes have a distinct division of labor on a gender basic (2). In this regard the nomadic groups of the past are closely associated with the migration process in the contemporary societies.
Hence, the waves of immigrations predetermined by political and social processes made people change their modes of lives and choose a hunter-gatherer style of living (Pollan 24). The social and economical instability, therefore, played a decisive role in forming the groups (Gonzalez 103).
The analysis of historic precondition distinctly reveals the evolution of farmers and hunters where the conventional strategies applied to agriculture have been gradually replaced by modern industrial farming (Gonzalez 172).
Social and Historical Forces As Presented in the Current Situation
Identifying the group: historical and social influences
The migration processes in the twentieth century caused significant shifts in the lives of the American people and immigrations. Blend of cultures and traditions, therefore, have made both groups change heir lives and outlooks on the current situation. I would like to present the migration process in the United States and how the waves of migration influence political environment and modes of life of different groups, which are the brightest examples of modern conjunctures.
It is possible to assume that migration paths are closely connected with groups motivations and goals to explore other lands and possibilities. Therefore, those people who migrate to the United State were less concerned with economic and social conditions, but were guided by the possibility to innovate.
Providing connection between the past and the present.
The migrating groups debunk the myth about historical and social predetermination of the group affiliation either to farming or to foraging communities. Hence, the facts that the migrating groups derive from the agricultural societies does not guarantee that they could change their farming orientation.
Hence, the migration of the African tribes to the United States pushed them to the marginal areas proves that these groups with a deep historic of hunting and gathering can be simply converted in an agricultural society. Such process can also be called as the second Neolithic revolution, the transition from foragers to farmers.
Such a conversion is predetermined by necessity to adjust to the new mode of living. From migrated groups from Africa, agriculture and farming was the only means for survival; it also provided a favorable ground for adjusting to alien culture and tradition and for meeting the needs of a new social and political environment.
Works Cited
Brody, Hugh. The Other Side of Eden: Hunters, Farmers, and the Shaping of the World. New York: North Point Press, 2001. Print.
Evans-Pitchard, E. E.. The Nuer: A Description of the Modes of Livelihood and Political Instituions of a Nilotic People. Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1940. Print.
Gonzalez, Roberto Jesus. Zapotec Science: Farming and Food in the Northern Sierra of Oaxaca. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2001. Print.
The drive toward efficient yet sustainable agriculture in the contemporary world necessitates the adoption of smart farming. Smart farming refers to a set of solutions that increase agricultural efficiency, mainly through the use of information and communication technologies.
Data acquisition, data evaluation, and precision application allow improving yields while minimizing the losses. The Internet of Things is of particular use in smart farming, as it makes managing the farms assets much easier and also allows creating highly automatized solutions. Blockchain is another promising technology since it not only facilitates safe storage and sharing of information but also contributes to creating a democratically organized international farming community. Increased robotization and interoperability are among the solutions that will likely shape smart farming in the foreseeable future. As a result, smart farming has the potential to revolutionize the worlds agriculture in the years and decades to come.
Introduction
Considering the rapid growth of the Earths population, the problem of sustainable agriculture being able to feed the ever-increasing number of people remains an issue of current interest. However, the opportunities for extensive agriculture expansion are mostly exhausted, which means that the future of agricultural cultivation should look for intensive methods. One of the ways to intensify agriculture and make it more effective overall is precision cultivation that tailors agricultural decisions with regard to the site and the type of crops.
Precision cultivation depends to a high degree on the use of digital technologies in agriculture, which is generally defined as smart farming. Smart farming allows for a wide range of options, from robotization and satellite imagery to the Internet of Things and the blockchain technology that increases the efficiency of crop cultivation by optimizing the use of resources. Providing data acquisition, data evaluation, and precision application with the help of the Internet of Things and blockchain, smart farming may impact agriculture all over the world and has immense potential for the future.
Background
In the coming years, one may expect precision cultivation to have a considerable impact on agricultural businesses, large-scale and small-scale organizations alike. Different countries adopt smart farming methods in their agricultural production to address the issues they confront. As of 2016, the country producing the highest number of scholarly publications on smart farming was China, with 31.84 percent of all academic texts in the field (Pivoto et al., 2017). The USA was responsible for 8.94 percent of scholarly publications, South Korea for 8.38 percent, and Germany and Japan accounted for 6.15 and 5.59 percent, respectively (Pivoto et al., 2017).
Thus, the worlds nations are interested in smart farming regardless of the differences in particular conditions of agricultural cultivation in their respective countries. For instance, the most significant concern for South Korea is maximizing the efficiency of cultivation for its small amount of arable land (Pivoto et al., 2017). India, as a country expected to suffer from water scarcity, is most interested in adopting smart watering systems (Gupta, Mishra, Bogde, & Kulat, 2016). These examples demonstrate that smart farming makes it possible to address numerous and varying problems all over the world.
What Is Smart Farming
The term smart farming refers to using information and communication technologies (ICT) to enable precision agriculture with greater accuracy and regardless of the fields size. Balafoutis et al. (2017) define precision agriculture as the management of spatial and temporal variation in the fields with regard to soil, atmosphere and plants (p. 22). The idea of precision cultivation is not new, as small farms aim to tailor their efforts for each particular crop in each specific field since time immemorial. However, the old-style precision cultivation relies mostly on the farmers personal inspection of the field and draws on individual experience, which makes it inapplicable on a greater scale.
This limitation is why smart farming technologies are immensely important for enabling precision cultivation regardless of scale. Smart farming is, therefore, farming that relies on a set of technological solutions drawing from research in precision farming, farm management information systems (FMIS) and agricultural automation and robotics (Balafoutis et al., 2017, p. 23). The variety of technologies that fall under the term allow smart farming to address many different tasks involved in crop cultivation.
Smart Farming in Detail
Data Acquisition, Data Evaluation, and Precision Application
Data acquisition technologies represent the first type of smart farming technologies that enable increasing agricultural productivity to a considerable extent. This category includes solutions designed to measure and record crop and field characteristics. One of the most common uses of data acquisition technologies is mapping, achieved through either satellite imagery or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (Tripicchio, Satler, Dabisias, Ruffalsi, & Avizzano, 2015).
Mapping allows the farmer to quickly and relatively assess the patterns that would be much harder to notice if inspecting the fields on foot. Another type of data acquisition is assessing environmental properties, such as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) or soil moisture, which enables the farmer to monitor the state of crops and soils constantly and efficiently (Balafoutis et al., 2017). Apart from that, data acquisition technologies also include global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) used in the smart farming machinery, which is often autonomous (Balafoutis et al., 2017). In general, data acquisition in smart farming allows making more informed decisions with regards to fields, soils, crops, and machines used in agriculture.
Another possible application of smart farming technologies is data evaluation since the data gathered may only be of use if one analyzes it accurately and makes correct conclusions. One of the ways in which technologies can help the farmer in this respect is management zone delineation, which allows defining parts of the field with common characteristics that can be managed separately (Balafoutis et al., 2017, p. 45).
Another possible use of smart farming technologies for data evaluation is decision support systems, which, as follows from the name, inform the farmers decisions regarding farm management. Some of such solutions offer comprehensive and scalable analysis, recommendation/visualization, or sharing of crop performance data among farmers, growers, biologists, government, and commercial organizations (Jayaraman, Yavari, Georgakopoulos, Morshed, & Zaslavsky, 2016, p. 2). Hence, smart farming not only provides a broad range of basic information regarding the fields and crops but also facilitates decision-making based on this information.
Finally, the third aspect of smart farming technologies is a precision application, which refers to the high-accuracy digitized performance of numerous agricultural tasks. For instance, a wireless network, including temperature and moisture sensors, allows implementing precision irrigation that would address the needs of the crops without wasting any water (Viani, 2016). Another example is the variable-rate tillage and fertilizer application machinery that enables distributing granulated fertilizer, lime, manure, and pesticides to a precisely needed degree (Nhamo, Chikoye, & Gondwe, 2017, p. 17).
Since, for instance, under-application of lime may cause considerable yield losses, but its over-application leads to problems with specific nutrients, applying it to an accurate degree is immensely important (Balafoutis et al., 2017). Apart from that, the auto-guidance also increases farming efficiency, as it allows the farm machinery to follow straight lines to reduce overlaps of the tractor and equipment passes (Balafoutis et al., 2017, p. 58). Therefore, smart farming technologies open the possibilities for highly efficient use of available resources with maximum productivity.
Internet of Things in Smart Farming
One of the particularly notable technological solutions in smart farming is the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT refers to digitized networks of physical objects, each of which possesses a unique identifier. When applied to agriculture, IoT enables real-time monitoring of large numbers of units, which may prove especially useful in animal husbandry. For instance, in Australia, it is mandatory to affix passive RFID ear tags to their cattle and to report movements between farms to an online national database (Kamilaris, Gao, Prenafeta-Boldu, & Ali, 2016, p. 442). As a result, IoT allows managing the farms assets with greater precision and efficiency, and with a fraction of effort, it would have required otherwise.
However, IoT displays its true potential in smart farming not when applied to animal husbandry, but when used to interconnect the numerous pieces of machinery involved in the cultivation process. It was already mentioned above that smart farming technologies allow addressing a broad range of tasks, from mapping and moisture measurement to watering and variable rate distribution of fertilizer, lime, manure, and pesticides.
Yet for all the advantages offered by the machines performing these tasks, each of them only realizes a fraction of its potential if used independently, as each has to be put to action manually. IoT frameworks, on the other hand, allow integrating the smart farming machinery to create highly automated digitized frameworks sharing and implementing the information in real-time.
For instance, IoT enables combining data from a fertilizer sprayer on a tractor& with the data obtained from soil moisture sensors to make automated decisions informed by both (Jayaraman et al. 2016, p. 2). Taken separately, the pieces of smart farming machinery are only tools for solving specialized tasks, but when united via IoT framework, they form a highly effective and automated network addressing the crop needs in real-time.
Blockchain in Smart Farming
As noted above, smart farming is mainly based on ICT, which means it invariably involves data sharing on a grand scale. Jayaraman et al. (2016) point specifically to the enormous velocity of data generated, stored, and shared when applying smart farming in practice (p. 3). The necessity to safely operate large amounts of information produces a demand for the corresponding data security measures, and blockchain technology may be of great use in this particular respect. Lin et al. (2017) remind that the weakest link in any data safety system is people whose biases usually constitute the most important factor affecting objective prioritization (p. 2).
These biases create a potential for unscrupulous manipulation of smart farming databases. For example, governments may bias large agriculture systems to maximize inexpensive food supplies from rural agriculture to urban infrastructure, where the majority of elected officials constituents reside (Lin et al., 2017, p. 2). Blockchain technology, on the other hand, distributes database management among multiple actors, thus reducing the likelihood of any system-wide data manipulation (Lin et al., 2017). Therefore, the application of blockchain allows addressing data safety concerns inevitably involved in smart farming.
Yet one should also be aware of another advantage of blockchain technology in smart farming: using it fosters a network of co-dependent actors that functions democratically. As mentioned above, centralized ways of storing and sharing data, such as centralized and stringently regulated networks or even, to some degree, cloud computing enable the manipulation of data (Lin et al., 2017, p. 2).
By eliminating this potential, the networks created through the use of blockchain technology as opposed to those with central authority governing information sharing and distribution contributes to community building. Blockchain empowers the users to regulate the information themselves instead of putting their trust in centralized authority, and, as a result, one cannot deny its contribution to digital democratization (Lin et al., 2017, p. 9).
More importantly, still, the users themselves recognize this advantage and stress that creating an international community of farmers is an essential outcome of smart farming. One of the farmers interviewed by Carolan (2018) emphasized that sharing information was about building social networks, building communities (p. 754). Blockchain technology allows building these communities democratically, which is yet another positive influence on farming.
Future Scope
As a rapidly developing field that answers the essential challenges of its time, smart farming has highly promising perspectives, and one of them lies in the increased robotization of agriculture. Among other robots, UAVs demonstrate the potential to generate the highest income due to their effectiveness in solving their tasks. Employing the UAVs enables the farmers to use their fields with higher efficiency for a better overall outcome.
For instance, it helps in delineating management zones with different soil characteristics, which, in turn, allows decreasing the plowing depth by changing plowing techniques correspondingly (Tripicchio et al., 2015). This is only one example of how increased robotization may make farming more productive and sustainable at the same time and, considering this, robotization is a priority for smart farming in the foreseeable future.
Another aspect of smart farming, which is of even greater importance for the future as it promises potentially immense advantages, is ensuring interoperability between different devices and machinery used. As of now, there are ready solutions for smart farming that thanks to the IoT use information sharing between different devices in real-time (Jayaraman et al. 2016), However, these solutions can only utilize a small number of specific IoT devices and also usually demand those to come from a specific producer (Jayaraman et al. 2016, p. 2).
Such an approach limits the number of options available to a farmer severely and also impacts the overall efficiency of the system negatively. For instance, it deprives a farmer of an opportunity to use cheaper or more effective sensors simply because these come from a different producer (Jayaraman et al. 2016). Hence, IoT solutions that would allow interoperability of devices and machinery regardless of the producing company have the potential to increase farming efficiency immensely and will be essential in the future of smart farming.
Conclusion
As one can see, smart farming allows data acquisition, data evaluation, and precision application with the help of the blockchain, and IoT may reshape the worlds agriculture in the future. Using information and communication technologies in farming provides for greater efficiency, as recognized by many nations from the USA and China to India and South Korea. IoT and blockchain are of particular importance, as they allow creating highly automatized autonomous systems, enable safe data sharing, and contribute to creating a democratic international community of farmers. As for future prospects, increased robotization and interoperability of hardware have the potential to make smart farming even more effective in the years to come.
Carolan, M. (2018). Smart farming techniques as political ontology: Access, sovereignty and the performance of neoliberal and not-so-neoliberal worlds. Sociologia Ruralis, 58(4), 745-764.
Gupta, A., Mishra, S., Bokde, N., & Kulat, K. (2016). Need of smart water systems in India. International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, 11(4), 2216-2223.
Jayaraman, P.P., Yavari, A., Georgakopoulos, D., Morshed, A., & Zaslavsky, A. (2016). Internet of Things platform for smart farming: Experiences and lessons learnt. Sensors, 16(11), 1-17.
Kamilaris, A., Gao, F., Prenafeta-Boldu, F.X., & Ali, M.I. (2016). Agri-IoT: A semantic framework for Internet of Things-enabled smart farming applications. In Proceedings from 2016 IEEE 3rd World Forum on Internet of Things (WF-IoT) (pp. 442-447). Reston, VA: IEEE.
Lin, Y.P., Petway, J.R., Anthony, J., Mukhtar, H., Liao, S.W., Chou, C.F., & Ho, Y.F. (2017). Blockchain: The evolutionary next step for ICT E-agriculture. Environments, 4(3), 1-13.
Nhamo, N., Chikoye, D., & Gondwe, T. (2017). Smart technologies for sustainable smallholder agriculture: Upscaling in developing countries. London, United Kingdom: Academic Press.
Pivoto, D., Waquil, P.D., Talamini, E., Finocchio, C.P.S., Corte, V.F.D., & Mores, G.V. (2018). Scientific development of smart farming technologies and their application in Brazil. Information Processing in Agriculture, 5(1), 21-32.
Tripicchio, T., Satler, M., Dabisias, G., Ruffaldi, E., & Avizzano, C.A. (2015). Towards smart farming and sustainable agriculture with drones. In Proceedings from In Intelligent Environments 15: International Conference on Intelligent Environments (pp. 1-4). Prague, Czech Republic: CPS.
Viani, F. (2016). Experimental validation of the wireless system for irrigation management in smart farming applications. Microwave and Optical Technology Letters, 58(9), 2186-2189.
The ever-increasing human population prompted the emergence of scientific methods and techniques aimed at increasing agricultural productivity. Among these techniques is the use of pesticides to control weeds and ultimately boost farm yields. However, recent studies on effects of the pesticides due to increased overreliance on modern agricultural practices reveal their various negative and risky elements on the environment, people, and other agricultural-associated hazards that cannot be ignored. As such, it is clear that the dangers posed by pesticide use outweigh their usefulness in agriculture.
The general narrative on pesticide use in agriculture is the assertion that it saves labor and ensures higher crop yields. This could be factual but only in the short run: pesticides ensure crop productivity by killing weeds, and insects and controlling animal infestation (US Environment Protection Agency, 2017). However, with increased dependence and overutilization, pesticide use poses a great risk to agriculture use in the long run. According to Atwood et al. (2017), over 1.1 billion pounds of various types of pesticides are used for agricultural production in the US alone. This is an indication of high dependency whose effects are now apparent hence the need to look for alternative solutions before the situation becomes irreversible. Some of the effects include soil pollution, and reduced soil fertility due to the eradication of microorganisms; humans face the risk of induced immunotoxicity and other cancerous risks as a result of direct exposure. Furthermore, the overutilization of pesticides is the main cause of the emergence of super weeds that require toxic chemical formulas to effectively deal with them (Mitrani et al, 2018). These adversities show just how greater danger than the usefulness of pesticide use is in agriculture.
Although pesticides are beneficial in the short run, the resulting long-term effects on the environment and society, in general, are worrying. The escalated use of pesticides as an artificial method of weeds and pest control poses danger to the ecosystem, public health, and workers who directly apply or work in factories that produce them. Hence, the dangers posed by pesticide use outweigh their usefulness in agriculture.
Mitrani, E., Perdum, E., Iordache, O. G., & Dumitrescu, I. (2018). Advantages and disadvantages of pesticide analysis methods used in agricultural samples. Scientific Papers-Series B-Horticulture, 62, 709-714.
Agricultural practices have passed though many stages of development. It has evolved from primitive practices such as hunting and gathering to industrial farming, mechanization of agriculture and food manufacturing. In addition, this is what formed a base for the industrialized agriculture creating an agro-commodity production system.
Industrialized agriculture is a kind of modern farming that entails production of poultry, fish, livestock and crops. The production makes use of agricultural machines and different farming methods and genetic technology.
Finally, the corporations that are involved in the process of food production are responsible for the creation of new markets for consumption and the global trade of agricultural products (Drury et al. 14). Most of the goods that are available worldwide are mostly produced using industrial methods of agriculture.
Industrialized agriculture has replaced old agriculture practices such as shift cultivation, pastoralism and subsistence farming that used low quality and primitive technology.
Industrialized Agriculture
Before the changes in the agriculture sector, many people practiced shift cultivation. This is a type of farming whereby the land under cultivation is periodically changed so that the fields that were earlier used for cultivation are left fallow. Due to the current industrialized agriculture, people are longer using shift cultivation because they have to make use of all the available land in order to maximize their profits.
Before the invention of industrialized agriculture, pastoralism was also practiced. This is a type of farming in which people earn their living by tending herds of domesticated herbivore animals such as cows, goats, sheep, horses, camels, chicken, turkeys among others. With the changes in the agricultural sector, pastoralism is rarely practiced (Knox 2).
Subsistence agriculture on the other hand is a form of farming where almost all of the produce is used for domestic purposed by the farmer. Such farmers therefore do not have surplus for sale. This type of farming was practices before the industrialized agriculture was introduced.
This has now changed with agricultural production being more specialized and commercialized. Farming has now developed and farmers produce sizable surplus of crops that they can trade for goods or they can sell to earn money (Knox 3).
Some of the benefits of industrialized agriculture include; cheap food; availability of labor from agricultural activities for employment in other sectors; large, profitable chemical and agricultural industries; and increased export markets. Most importantly, industrialized agriculture has brought an end to the seasonal availability of foodstuff. Through this process, any type of food can be produced all year round
Due to the use of modern farming, agriculture in American has witnessed an increase in production. This was achieved by the use of fertilizers, pesticides, improved varieties of plants and machinery. The increase in production of the staple crops has led to reduction in food prices.
Food has become more affordable to the consumers since the cost of production has been reduced by a significant amount. This land can be utilized to produce food with the use of the latest technology hence boost the process of food production. As a result, larger proportions of the population can be fed with the utilization of the same land resource.
The production of animal products with the use of intensive livestock agriculture, farming gives a chance to get the methane gases that would contribute to global warming. These gases are essential since they can be used as a source of alternative energy. This is because they can be used to generate heat and electricity. This in turn reduced the dependence on fossil fuel.
There is availability of labor because of the industrial agriculture mechanization is in place and this means that smaller workforce will be required for the production as compared to ancient times when people were not using machines for cultivation.
Through the industrialized agricultural system, large commercial farms have their profits from farm sales. Most of the corporate people have the largest operations in agricultural production. Krebs (1992) states that rich people like Tyson, ConAgra, and Cargill have the biggest operations that deal with poultry and beef.
Industrialized agriculture helps in export markets. It has been noted that Agricultural products make up 10 percent of all exported US products. The rise in global food trade that is accelerated by the International Trade Agreements has seen an increase and imports of food from outside the United States has gone high (Drury et al. 17).
Although the production achievements given to industrial agriculture are notable, they have negative effects to the environment, the economy and our social structures. Agriculture affects the environment in many ways.
There is high usage of water, energy and chemicals that have unfavorable effects to the inhabitants. Herbicides and pesticides usually accumulate in water surfaces and in the ground that lead to pollution (Leo et al. 28).
The chemical fertilizers encourage growth of microorganism that can cause diseases. The wastes from poultry and livestock usually send an awful odor to the environment.
The rapid use of the pesticides makes the pests resistant and the chemicals that will be used will not be effective. Pesticides also kill some of the useful insects as well as the harmful ones. Use of pesticides has many negative health problems to the people who apply them and to the people who live near the farms.
There is also an increase in ozone pollution though methane that is a byproduct of the animals. Industrialized agriculture encourages global warming because of the heavy usage of the fossil fuels. It also destroys and limits the natural habitats of wild animals.
The farming methods in industrialized agriculture also contributed to the denudation of vegetation and weakening of the soil (Knox 6).This reduces the viability and vigour of the soil as a result of being exposed to heavy machinery by farmers. These machines also destroy the microorganisms that are present in the soil.
Industrialized agriculture leads to high economic costs. For production to be effective, large amounts of energy have to be used. Fuel has to be used to run the huge machines. Transport is also high especially in the perishable products like animal and horticultural products.
Some of the products have to be transported by air around the world that is relatively expensive (Segre et al. 8). The cost of production is generally high with the purchase of machines, use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.
Some of the chemicals used have negative effects on the human health. Many pesticides contain a substance that affects the endocrine system that in turn affects the reproduction system and it can be expensive to treat. There is also damage to fisheries form the oxygen depleting organisms which come from the fertilizers.
Animal wastes pollute the water and this leads to increased heath problems to the workers. The common use of growth hormones in animals has led to an increase in humans to be resistant to antibiotics. Most of the pathogens are usually associated with the animal products.
Industrialized agriculture has effects on animals. This is because of the use of artificial methods to maintain the health of the animals such as use of vitamin supplements and growth hormones. Animals grow rapidly due to the artificial hormones. Chickens are given supplements to encourage weight gain.
Animals like cows, pigs, goats, turkeys and chicken are confined indoors and are usually crowded in a small area so that production can be met through the lowest cost. These products are available to the consumers at lower costs but the effects of the genetically modified products are great to them.
Because the products have a lot of fat and proteins it has so many chronic diseases such as breast cancer, prostrate cancer and heart diseases. Most of the people are consuming these products and it harms both the environment and the public health.
In industrialized agriculture, there are contemporary agro-commodity systems that are made in such a way that the chain of agribusiness starts when the farmers start any form of agriculture, it will start from the time they begin the activity and it ends at the retail outlets.
If crops are grown, agribusiness starts at the farm with all the agricultural practices until the produce is taken to the retail outlets. If it is an animal production, it begins when the animals are young until they are supplied to the retail outlets (Leo et al. 20).The production passes the chain of agribusiness for it to be supplied to the consumers.
The industrialization of agriculture has done a lot of coordination of the agricultural sector with other sectors of the economy (Christina 26). Globalization of agriculture in terms of trade has been influenced by the institutions and treaties such as the Food and Agriculture Organization, North American Free Trade Agreement, The World Trade Organization and the European Union.
They give rules to farmers, provide the rights of corporations and protect them from the world competition. Financial institutions such as banks and credit companies are used to fund the inputs that are very expensive (John 6).
The health of human beings and the environment could be made better if the farms can make transitions to sustainable systems of production which can involve closer look at the connection of the producer and the consumer. There should b direct marketing of the products to the local consumers. There should b shorter channels right from the farmer to the consumers (Leo et al. 34).
Conclusion
Industrialized agriculture has led to high production that enables people to produce goods in high quantities due to mechanization, chemical farming and food manufacturing.
Even though the goods are cheap and readily available to the consumers, there are so many disadvantages because the products are genetically engineered and they have negative effects to the health and the chemicals that are used affect the environment negatively because most of the products are contaminated.
Works Cited
Christina, Simon. Agri-food Commodity Chains and Globalizing Networks. Journal of Agriculture, 1.4 (2000): 50-53. Print.
Drury, Red, Amos, Vince and Tweeten, Trends. Farm Structure into the 21st Century. New York: Sage, 2008. Print.
John, Evans. The Globalization of Agriculture: Implication for Sustainability of Small Horticultural Farms. Missouri: University of Missouri, 2000. Print.
Knox, Peter. Human Geography: Agriculture and Food Production. Prenshall. 2006. Web.
Krebs, Anton. The Corporate Reapers. Boston: Essential Books, 1992.
Leo, Humphrey D., Robert, Shane and Polly, Winfred. Environmental Health Perspectives. How Sustainable Agriculture Can Address the Environmental and Human Health Harms of Industrial Agriculture. Organic Consumers. 2002. Web.
Segre, Alvan D., Lunati, Mosses M. and Brandini, Chase. Global Horticultural Impact. Rome: Metro Inc., 1998. Print.
The film Food Inc points to several issues which I find very much surprising, if not alarming. They are as follows:
complete financial dependence of modern American farmers on large agricultural corporations which can reduce them to the state of severe poverty by refusing to use them as suppliers;
cruelty toward animals and poultry;
the very existence of food libel laws that enable manufactures to file a lawsuit against people who criticize their practices;
the unwillingness of the government to close factories which produce contaminated food;
the health risks to which people are exposed.
Agriculture work
This film shows that modern consumers do not have an opportunity to work directly with manufacturers of food. One of the reasons is that large corporations can launch a mass-scale production of food, and therefore, they can dictate pricing policies to the small farmers, who, in their turn, have to work with these companies. Secondly, the authors of this movie attract our attention to the aggressive promotion of unhealthy food, and many people believe that this is the best choice for them. Secondly, one has to mention that large corporations can open numerous sales outlets, while small farmers cannot do that.
Agriculture Participants
Food Inc identifies several market players, namely Monsanto Co, Smithfield Foods, Tyson Food. These organizations dominate modern agribusiness in the United States.
Farming
Organically grown food has its advantages and disadvantages for both farmers and buyers. The farmer does not have to incur great expenses since organic fertilizers are not as costly as chemical ones. Secondly, organically grown plants are much more resistant to various diseases. Apart from that, such a form of agriculture is not so vulnerable to droughts. However, one has to consider that organic farming requires much more effort than chemical one, and it is more time-consuming. This is the way organic farmers cannot compete with large companies in terms of productivity.
Organic food has its benefits for the consumer as well. This food is much safe, and it is rather unlikely to give rise to any health complications. Secondly, these products taste better than non-organic food. The key disadvantage is that they are more expensive, and many customers cannot afford it.
Purchase in agriculture
There are several alternatives to purchasing food from large agribusinesses. It is possible to identify three of them;
farm strands or place where people can purchase products from a single farm;
farmers market or a place where a group of manufacturers sells food to the customer;
food cooperatives or small retail stores where people can buy grocery items, provided by various farmers.
The key benefit of such distribution channels is that a customer can purchase high-quality organic food at a reasonable price. In this case, he/she does not have to deal with resellers who usually set higher prices. Yet, these direct marketing channels are often inaccessible to the buyers, because they are usually open during warm weather; as a rule, a person can buy products directly from the farmers once or twice a week, and it is quite probable that he/she may prefer to go to the chain store.
Agricultural management
Joel Salatin employs several methods and principles to run his farm Polyface, in particular:
pastured poultry and willingness to emulate the natural habitat of animals;
the use of animals manure as a fertilizer;
direct marketing to the consumers and avoidance of resellers;
grass-feeding;
diversifying the products: Joel Salatin sells eggs, turkeys, rabbits, meat, milk and so forth.
These strategies yield several benefits. First, Salatin does not spend money on chemical fertilizers because it is done by animals. Secondly, such an approach allows us to increase the soil life, in other words, this land will retain its fertility for a longer time. Finally, the products, provided by Joel Salatin are much safer for consumers health as they contain no pesticides. Finally, one should not overlook the ethical implications of these practices; they show that respect toward animals is an inherent part of farming, and agricultural companies have long forgotten about it.
Disadvantages and advantages of agriculture
A person, who has to choose between Whole Foods store and Farmers Market, should remember that both these choices have their drawbacks and benefits. Whole foods are ecologically safe products that have not been chemically processed; they contain no pesticides. To some extent, a buyer promotes environmentally-safe agriculture by purchasing such products. Nonetheless, one should bear in mind that these foods cannot be preserved for a very long time, and one takes the risk of food poisoning.
In turn, the use of a Farmers market is beneficial to the extent that a person buys only fresh food. Still, there is a possibility that this farmer uses pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Therefore, a consumer who buys such products can endanger his/her health in the long term. If I were in the position of the customer, I would choose the Whole Foods Store, mostly because such products strengthen the immune system, and they are environmentally safe.
Reference List
Kenner R & Pearlstein E. (Producers). Kenner R. (Director). (2008) Food Inc. Magnolia Pictures. DVD.
Local Harvest (2010). Direct Food Marketing Revenues. Web.
Sustainable agriculture has dominated the sociological understanding of the rural world largely. Following the enthusiasm around the concept as a means of eradication of poverty and turning the economy to a resource-efficient, low carbon Green Economy 1. Global population, and consequently consumption has increased.
However, technology development has matched the demand for food in terms of food production, but the distribution of food is not evenly distributed. This has brought forth the question of the possibility of supplying adequate food to the ever-growing global population.
Further, the challenges posed by depleting non-renewable sources of energy, rising costs, and climate change has brought the issue related to sustainability of food production and the related social and economic impact of the food production into forefront. This paper outlines the meaning and technology related to sustainable agriculture and tries to gauge its impact as a possible solution to the impending food crisis.
Importance of Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is a process of farming using eco-friendly methods understanding and maintaining the relationship between the organisms and environment. In this process of agriculture and animal husbandry are combined to form a simultaneous process and practice. In other words, sustainable agriculture is an amalgamation of three main elements viz. ecological health, profitability, and propagating equality.
The concept of sustainability rests on the principle of not wasting any resources that may become useful to the future generation. Therefore, the main idea of sustainability rests on stewardship of individual and natural resources. Before understanding the technology involved in sustainable agriculture, it is important to know why we need it in the first place.
Population growth
The rise in population growth and urbanization of people has led to a dietary change of the world population, which now rests more on animal protein2. Therefore understanding the demographic changes in the world population has become an important parameter to judge the future demand for food.
As population growth rate is the key variable that affects the demand for food, therefore understanding the number of people increasing worldwide is important. According to the UNDP results, the annual population growth rate had declined from 2.2% in 1962 to 1.1% in 2010, however, this increase to indicate an increase of 75 million people3.
However, this increase in population is not equitably distributed as some areas such as Africa, Latin America, and Asia face a growth rate of 2% while others such as the erstwhile Soviet bloc countries have a negative rate.
According to the UNDP predictions, population worldwide is expected to increase to 9 billion in 2050 from the present 7 billion4. Therefore, the uncertain growth in population is expected to affect food demand and therefore food production.
Per capita food consumption
Undernourishment is a prevalent problem in the developing world, wherein almost 20% of the developing world that is more than 5 billion people is undernourished.
Further, in emerging economies, food consumption is increasing with increased preference for animal protein such as meat, dairy products, and egg. Therefore, the growth of consumption of animal protein has increased the necessity of grazing of livestock, therefore, increasing further pressure on the food supply.
It is believed that the increase in the demand for food due to the increase in global population and change in dietary habit of the population. In the past, the demand for food and the rate of production has remained at par, but the unequal distribution of food has led to the major problem in food supply and starvation in various parts of the world.
Another problem that food production in the future faces is the constraint of non-renewable natural resources. The most critical resources, which are becoming scant for the future generations are
Land: Availability of land globally to cultivate food has grown marginally due to the increase in global population. The availability of land available per person to grow food has declined from 1.30 hectares in 1967 to 0.72 hectares in 20075. Therefore, a clear dearth in agricultural land is a deterrent to future agriculture.
Water: The world comprises of 70% freshwater resources, available from river and groundwater. Deficiency of freshwater has been growing as usage of water has increased more than twice the rate of population growth6. As water is required for irrigation purposes, water availability to is not equally distributed around the world. Therefore, reduced water supply would limit the per capita production of food.
Energy: Globally, the scarcity of the non-renewable resources of energy is another concern. The global demand for energy is expected to double by 2050, consequently increasing energy prices7. Therefore, food production for the future will have to devise a technology based on renewable sources of energy.
The question of sustainability in agriculture arose due to some pressing issues that have limited the utilization of erstwhile processes and technologies for food production. However, it should be noted that sustainable agriculture does not prescribe any set rule or technology for the production process, rather shows a way towards sustainability8.
Sustainable agriculture and Technology
Sustainable agriculture uses best management practice by adhering to target-oriented cultivation. The agriculture process looks at disease-oriented hybrid, pest control through use of biological insecticides and low usage of chemical pesticide and fertilizer. Usually, insect-specific pest control is used, which is biological in nature.
Water given to the crops is through micro-sprinklers which help is directly watering the roots of the plants, and not flooding the field completely. The idea is to manage the agricultural land for both plants and animal husbandry.
For instance, in many southwestern parts of Floridas citrus orchards, areas meant for water retention and forest areas become a natural habitat for birds and other animals9. The process uses integrated pest management that helps in reducing the amount of pesticide used in cultivation.
Sustainable agriculture adopts green technology as a means of reducing wastage of non-renewable energy and increase production. In this respect, the sustainable agricultural technology is linked to the overall developmental objective of the nation and is directly related to solving socio-economic problems of the nation10.
The UN report states, The productivity increases in possible through environment-friendly and profitable technologies. 11 In order to understand the technology better, one must realize that the soils health is crucial for cultivation of crops.
Soil is not just another ingredient for cultivation like pesticides or fertilizers; rather, it is a complex and fragile medium that must be nurtured to ensure higher productivity12. Therefore, the health of the soil can be maintained using eco-friendly methods:
Healthy soil, essential to agriculture, is a complex, living medium. The loose but coherent structure of good soil holds moisture and invites airflow. Ants (a) and earthworms (b) mix the soil naturally. Rhizobium bacteria (c) living in the root nodules of legumes (such as soybeans) create fixed nitrogen, an essential plant nutrient.
Other soil microorganisms, including fungi (d), actinomycetes (e) and bacteria (f), decompose organic matter, thereby releasing more nutrients. Microorganisms also produce substances that help soil particles adhere to one another. To remain healthy, soil must be fed organic materials such as various manures and crop residues.13
This is nothing but a broader term to denote environment-friendly solutions to agricultural production. Therefore, the technology-related issue of sustainable agriculture is that it should use such technology that allows usage of renewable sources of energy and is not deterrent to the overall environment.
Green Politics
The politics around sustainable agriculture lies in the usage of the renewable sources of energy and disciplining of the current consumption rates14. The politics related to the sustainable agriculture is also related to the politics of sustainable consumption.
Though there is a growing concern over depleting food for the future and other resources, there is hardly any measure imposed by the governments of developed and emerging economies to sustain the consumption pattern of the population15.
The advocates of green politics believe that a radical change of the conventional agricultural process is required for bringing forth sustainable agriculture16. Green politics lobbies for an integrated farming system that can be the only way to usher in sustainable agricultural program17.
Conclusion of Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is the way to maintain a parity between the increasing pressure of food demand and food production in the future. As population growth, change in income demographics, and food preference changes, there are changes in the demand of food of the future population.
Further, changes in climate and increasing concern regarding the depletion of non-renewable sources of energy has forced policymakers and scientists to device another way to sustain the available resources as well as continue meeting the increased demand of food.
Sustainable agriculture is the method through which these problems can be overlooked, bringing forth a new integrated form of agriculture that looks at food production in a holistic way.
Bibliography
Batie, S. S., Sustainable Development: Challenges to Profession of Agricultural Economics, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, vol. 71, no. 5, 1989: 1083-1101.
Dobson, A., The Politics of Nature: Explorations in Green Political Theory, Psychology Press, London, 1993.
Leaver, J. D., Global food supply: a challenge for sustainable agriculture, Nutrition Bulletin, vol. 36, 2011: 416-421.
Martens, S., & G. Spaargaren, The politics of sustainable consumption: the case of the Netherlands, Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy, vol.1 no. 1, 2005: 29-42.
Morris, C., & M. Winter, Integrated farming systems: the third way for European agriculture?, Land Use Policy, vol. 16, no. 4, 1999: 193205.
Reganold, J. P., R. I. Papendick, & J. F. Parr, Sustainable Agriculture, Scientific American, 1990: 112-120.
1 United Nations, Sustainable agriculture key to green growth, poverty reduction UN officials, UN News Centre, 2011.
2 J. D. Leaver, Global food supply: a challenge for sustainable agriculture, Nutrition Bulletin, vol. 36, 2011, pp. 416-421.
3 Leaver, p. 417.
4 ibid.
5 Leaver, p. 418.
6 Ibid.
7 Leaver, p. 419.
8 J. N. Pretty, Participatory learning for sustainable agriculture, World Development, vol. 23, no. 8, 1995, pp. 1247-1263.
9 Chet Townsend, Technology for Sustainable Agriculture, Florida Gulf Coast University, 1998.
10 United Nations, Green technology for sustainable agriculture development, United Nations Asian And Pacific Centre For Agricultural Engineering And Machinery, 2010.
11 United Nations, p. 17.
12 J. P. Reganold, R. I. Papendick, & J. F. Parr, Sustainable Agriculture, Scientific American, 1990, pp. 112-120.
13 Regnold et al., p. 112.
14 S. S. Batie, Sustainable Development: Challenges to Profession of Agricultural Economics, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, vol. 71, no. 5, 1989, pp. 1083-1101.
15 S. Martens & G. Spaargaren, The politics of sustainable consumption: the case of the Netherlands, Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy, vol.1 no. 1, 2005, pp. 29-42.
16 A. Dobson, The Politics of Nature: Explorations in Green Political Theory, Psychology Press, London, 1993, p. 82.
17 C .Morris & M. Winter, Integrated farming systems: the third way for European agriculture?, Land Use Policy, vol. 16, no. 4, 1999, pp. 193205.
Livestock and food industry is a vital part of our economy and existence and these two components are responsible for the entire human civilization. However, in a changing world of different dynamics, it would be logical to believe that the current position of Livestock or the food industry would surely change in approach, texture, or in some other form over the next 25 years. It has been a constant changing process and there is no doubt that it would continue to change. Certain elements would change positively and certain things would tend to follow as negative change. Logically, some elements would remain constant over the next 25 years too.
What is not going to change is that so long as mankind is around, food will be consumed. And with days of gathering and hunting being over and never to return, food, whether in the form of crops or livestock, will have to be farmed. Similarly, with land being limited and population growing there will continue to remain an increase in demand for food. It will take more than the next 25 years for mankind to free itself from the clutches of advertisement that advocates one specific type of food and this would be constant all across the globe. Behind this are profiteering mega food corporations. But man will have to learn the hard way that what suits man residing in the tropics is not for the resident of the temperate zones on a regular basis. In the long run, it will cause harm. But till that happens the scenario will remain unchanged with aggressive selling of branded edibles like coca-cola and McDonalds. Additionally, although there is awareness about the impact of agriculture and livestock rearing on the climate and environment it is not likely to change the industry in a big noticeable way for a minimum of 25 years. Last but not least what will never change are the food habits of the poor.
There have been dramatic changes in the food and agriculture industry and more are in the offering. Farming has entered the high-tech zone with GM food and Agricultural Biotechnology. Agricultural machinery is going through dramatic changes. The controls are in the hands of computers and they are negating any possibilities of human errors. Technology has converted crop growing and animal rearing into mills of production. This trend would continue to grow over the next 25 years without any doubt. In animal rearing, more advances will be made in cross-breeding and cloning. The cloned sheep Dolly has set a trend that will pick up speed next 25 years. Slaughter methods are also sure to improve in the next 25 years. Similarly, there would be better facilities for advanced cold storage. The waste products too would be handled in a proper manner without polluting the environment. The most dramatic change will be the lives and lifestyles of the farmers that will in the next 25 years be the envy of urban folks.
But although change is a fact of life all change is not good; some will have a negative impact. Concern for artificially grown crops and hybrid animals has been growing. In the next quarter of a century, the winds blowing in favor of organic food will become a storm. Fast food has taken over the globe but within the next two decades or so it will retreat the branded fast food will be replaced by less harmful local varieties that are in tune with the soil and climate of the locality. The movement towards vegetarianism will gain further ground as health issues will dominate. But with the world in an economic tight spot, automatically the eating of meat and fish will decline as purses will become slimmer. Another blessing in disguise will be the slow return of eating together home-cooked meals. It is cheaper than gorging outside and once the habit returns so too will the blessing of family life. In America, since the recession, cookbooks are selling faster while restaurants are losing out on customers.
Grape growing and wine making are the inseparable parts of the French image. As the Old World wine producer, France should pay more attention to the modern technologies. However, it is also highly important to keep the historical methods in order to save the unique quality and taste of the French wine products. The French government should stay on the traditional national methods.
Today, developing the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, the French Minister of Agriculture should get as more as possible freedom for the agricultural sector of his country. It is well-known fact that France as well as Spain has the largest agricultural sectors in Europe. Therefore, obviously, France can receive more benefits under the Common Agricultural Policy.
Today, the French wine industry is in crisis. It is extremely important to provide some methods of the problems regulation. However, the way of distillation of the wine into alcohol is not the helpful method. Such position can break the deep traditions of the French wine industry.
The government should provide the acts of subsidy for those vineyards who tries to keep the traditional methods instead of make the products more salable and less qualitative.
The Head of the French Wine Industry Association should remember that, in spite of the complicated economical situation, the French wine industry should keep its face and quality. The industry with such long history cannot be involved in the process of mass production based on the reduction of the quality if order to get some doubtful profits.
Therefore, the French Wine Industry Association should support those vineyards who want to use the traditional methods. In case if this organization starts press on the traditional vineyards, France can be in a risk of losing its traditional industry. Broking the old wine making traditions, the county can lose a number of customers.
One of the major problems of the French wine industry is the incapacity to produce the cheap wine due to the climate characteristics of the region, luck of commercial interest and the low support of the government. As the Head of the Association comprehends the danger, the French wine industry will use the right methods of solving the current problems.
Although France is the biggest agricultural producer, the owners of mid-size vineyard should not expect to survive by only a subsidy. It is necessary to develop the competitiveness in order to provide more balanced and profitable business. Such vineyards have to increase the productivity, keeping the same high level of quality of their products.
In the context of the complicated economical situation in Europe, those owners who produce wines in the premium and super premium categories should pay attention to the less expensive but more demanded products. For instance, they can use the computer-controlled steel machines in spite of the oak barrels. Besides, today, it can be profitable to product wine-in-a-box packages.
Such method helps maintaining the financial situation of the companies without a strong damage. At the same time, those vineyards still can produce the wines in the premium and super premium categories. Historically, the attitude of make the wine over than sell it helped France to get the top position in this industry.
However, nowadays situation requires the new methods of business development. The benefits that vineyards receive from the Common Agricultural Policy should help developing the new methods and use the modern technologies.
Every person has a right to live in a healthy environment. Even though their activities may affect nature negatively, all people should be equal initially. It is just like a right to be healthy and receive healthcare services that are to be a basic right of the population.
In addition to those impacts of climate change on humans discussed in the lecture, it may affect peoples health through the increased number of possibilities to get injured accidentally. For instance, it can lead to earthquakes and floods.
I might have contributed to the adverse health consequences when I burned leaves. My actions generated airborne particulates that worsened peoples health.
Some time ago, I tried smoking under the influence of my peers. As it is not my habit now, I do not need to make any related lifestyle changes. However, I am sure that those individuals who smoke should abandon this habit as soon as possible. They do not only harm their own health but also affect the well-being of others negatively.
Recently, I started thinking that it would be great for me to start exercising and running, as I spend a lot of time sitting and start feeling that I lack action. To enact these plans successfully, I have already bought appropriate clothing. Moreover, I am going to develop a schedule of training that will help me to follow my daily regimen, accomplishing all points.
The main environmental hazard that can be seen in my city is a plant that worsens the quality of air. Electromagnetic fields that can lead to cancer are produced by electronic devices. Having x-rays is also dangerous because of radiation. Toxic chemicals can be found in various goods provided by shady organizations. Finally, superfunds can affect the land.
EnergyStar is an EPA program that is likely to improve environmental health. It encourages US businesses to invest in energy-efficient products. As a result, they can save money and minimalize negative impacts.
Toxic Substances Control Act is an environmental regulation targeted at the control of chemical substances and mixtures. It urges the necessity to record their use and follow strict requirements, etc.
Rick Love is one of the current environmental leaders. He represents United Technologies Corporation and ensures that its businesses meet environmental goals, such as the reduction of emissions and waste or the efficient use of resources.
Research & Explore
Environmental health deals with the protection of peoples well-being from environmental hazards. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the US Department of Labor attract the attention of the youth to the fact that the sphere of agriculture has adverse influences on public health. They emphasize that each year, more than 2 million youth under the age of 20 are exposed to farm-related safety hazards (OSHA, n.d., para. 1). OSHA contributes to environmental health, as it attracts attention to the fact that a lot of people are injured and killed on farms. It makes the representatives of the general public aware of the existing problem and provides them with an opportunity to avoid further complications.
OSHA identifies major agricultural hazards, which is critical information because it can be used by the youth to identify those sources of the danger they should try to avoid. In addition to that, OSHA offers the employees of the agricultural industry to use potential safety solutions developed by it. As a result, it contributes to the prevention of accidents, which has a positive influence on the health outcomes of the population associated with agriculture. In this way, OSHA not only ensures that the representatives of the vulnerable population are aware of the safety issues but also develops initiatives to make their working conditions safe and healthful. Finally, it urges the employers of the agriculture industry to provide needed training, education, and assistance to its workers so that they have more chances to improve their well-being.
Our society relies heavily on energy sources to operate effectively. In recognition of this fact, the government has invested heavily in an energy supply infrastructure to provide electricity for various uses. However, the electric grid infrastructure does not extend to all the areas in the country. Some rural areas do not have access to the electrical grid, and they have to rely on other sources to satisfy their power needs. This is the situation that I face back at home. My family has a farm that is located about one hour away from the city. Electricity is not provided in the farm area due to its distance from an urban centre.
The lack of access to the electrical grid means that our farm does not have adequate power. A generator is used to provide power for most of the farming activities, including irrigation. The generator requires large amounts of diesel to operate each week. The fuel has to be bought from the fuel station and filled into the generator tank regularly. Xiarchos and Vick note that using diesel fuel to power generators presents problems such as cost of transporting fuel, high maintenance needs, unpredictable fuel costs, and the loses experienced when the fuel spills (1). Diesel fuel prices are volatile, and they have continued to rise over the past decade, making diesel purchases a significant expense to the farm.
Due to the frequent use of the generator, it requires regular maintenance to ensure that that it is operating efficiently. This makes using the generator an expensive and time-consuming activity. My family often has to turn off the generator in order to minimize the costs and ensure that a profit is obtained from the farming activities. Considering these problems, it is clear that a generator is not the most efficient power source for the farm.
Fig 1: A Diesel Powered Generator.
Solution
After taking this class, I started deliberating on creative ways to solve the power problem that our farm faces. From the start, I recognized that using the diesel generator was not the most effective way to solve the power needs of the farm. I, therefore, set out to discover some solutions that could be used. I identified solar power as the best alternative source of power for our farm. The solar system will be a onetime cost on the farm, after which the farm will enjoy cheap energy.
While the initial cost of the solar energy system is higher than that of buying a generator, my family can afford it. After this, the farm will not have to rely on the generator for its energy needs. Significant savings will be made in the long run as the diesel needed to fuel the generator will be unnecessary. Xiarchos and Vick observe that once a farmer covers the initial cost of the system, the fuel for operating solar energy systems is free (1).
The solar system used by the farm will be able to harness the suns radiation and convert it into power to run the farms irrigation system. Solar energy is cost-effective since it does not have the high fuel and maintenance costs attributed to the diesel generator currently used at the farm. Since fuel costs will no longer be an issue, my family will be able to maximize the capacity of the irrigation pump.
Fig. 2: A Solar Powered Generator.
Analysis
The solar system generator was not the only available alternative solution that I identified in my investigations. A number of other solutions were recognized, but they proved not to be as efficient as the solar systems. One alternative solution is wind power, which makes use of wind turbines to generate electricity. To produce electricity, giant turbines are placed at strategic locations on the land, and they rotate when the wind blows, therefore, turning a generator to produce electricity.
The turbines are mounted on a tower to increase the amount of wind captured by the blades. Wind speeds are higher at high altitudes, and since the amount of electricity generated depends on the speed of the wind, taller towers for the turbines are desirable. A significant advantage of wind power is that it does not require any fuel costs since it relies on the freely available wind. Once the farm covers the initial cost, it would be able to benefit from free power.
However, wind power has some significant demerits that make it an inefficient solution. To begin with, installing a wind system is expensive and it requires large tracks of land. Using this power source would, therefore, cost my family valuable land that would have to be dedicated to wind power production. This power source is very unreliable since it depends on wind availability. For this power source to be efficient, adequate amounts of wind have to be blowing over an extended period of time. However, it is hard to predict wind movement at any given time. This makes wind power unpredictable since consistent power cannot be guaranteed. These setbacks make wind an inefficient alternative.
Another alternative energy source that I considered was biomass. Biomass refers to organic material that contains energy in the form of chemical compounds. In the farm, biomass energy can be obtained from the waste products of plants and animals. These can serve as biomass fuel used to produce electricity for farm use. The most significant merit of biomass is that it uses farm waste to produce power. Xiarchos and Vick declare that biomass facilities enable farmers to convert trash to energy (47).
The farm would, therefore, benefit from reduced fuel costs for energy production since waste products would be used to fuel the biomass system. In addition to this, the farm would benefit from increased fertilizer value of crop and animal byproducts. However, biomass suffers from the significant demerit of the high cost of construction of the biomass plant. Maehlum admits that the extraction of biomass is an expensive process that requires complex machines and large storage areas (par. 6). These additional costs and space requirements make biomass unattractive as an alternative energy source.
The farm could also make use a micro-hydroelectric system to generate power. This hydropower system makes use of flowing water to run a turbine and generate electricity. No fuel is needed to produce power since the system relies on running water. The cost of constructing the micro-hydropower system is fairly reduced since it does not need the large storage reservoirs used by large hydropower stations. The initial cost of constructing a micro-hydropower system is high. The US Department of Energy acknowledges that only a few companies make the turbines needed for these systems (par. 12). This power source requires flowing water to generate power. The stream flowing in our farm is seasonal and not strong enough to provide electricity. This alternative power source is, therefore, unfeasible for my familys farm.
Evaluation
To help develop a better understanding of the potential benefits and risks of implementing a solar system generation on the farm, it would be necessary to carry out SWOT analysis. This analysis will help to highlight the strengths and weaknesses that solar power will bring to our farm. In addition to this, the analysis will identify the opportunities and threats presented when the new power source is implemented.
Strengths
My family will be able to save significant money by using the solar system generator. The greatest expense when obtaining water for irrigation is the diesel cost. When using the solar system, no fuel expenses will be incurred since the generator will be powered by the sun. In addition to this, expenses will be saved due to the low maintenance cost of the solar systems compared to the diesel-powered generator. The farm will also benefit from the efficient utilization of the available power. With the solar-powered generator, power is only supplied to the appliances on-demand leading to high efficiency. Finally, the solar-powered generator will be beneficial to the environment since it has zero pollution. It produces clean energy using the sun, which is a renewable energy source.
Weaknesses
A significant weakness is in the reliance on sunlight to charge the generator batteries. This places the farm at risk of intermittent power supplies. If the farm experiences prolonged periods of no sunlight, the generator will not be able to operate. The amount of water obtained for irrigation will therefore not be as consistent as it was when using the diesel-powered generator. My family will initially have to invest some money in buying and installing the solar-powered system. The cash flow of the farm will, therefore, be reduced at the beginning.
Opportunity
Using the solar-powered generator presents an income generation opportunity for the family. Due to the decreased power costs, it will be possible to pump great quantities of water for irrigation. There will be surplus water after our farm has been adequately irrigated. This excess water can be sold to other farms that will be eager to buy water and save on the power costs associated with pumping water.
Threats
The most significant threat is that even slight damage to the generator might render it unusable. This will be a huge setback to the farm since the solar system has an initial high cost. While the solar-powered generator does not have many parts, damages to the system are not fixable. The reason for this is that solar systems are made from high technology components. Therefore, repairs to the system cannot be undertaken in the same way that the diesel generator is repaired by local mechanics whenever it breaks down.
This analysis demonstrates that the solar system generator will present important benefits to the family. Not only will the cost of running the farm reduce due to the elimination of fuel costs, but the family will generate new income from selling excess water to nearby farms. However, the new investment will present a major risk since damages to the new generator will be permanent. It will, therefore, be necessary to take measures to protect the generator from damage.
Learn
Learning efforts are most beneficial when they can be applied to solve real-world problems. Students should be able to use the skills and knowledge obtained in the class environment in the real world. I have had the opportunity to apply the problem and solution skills I have gained in class to address an issue experienced in my life. To begin with, I used the skills to identify an important problem. Care was taken to ensure that the problem chosen was one that had a feasible and realistic solution.
The solution I came up with was creative since it has not been tried by my family or any of the other farms in the area. Instead of trying to solve the power problem for themselves, people have been content to wait for the government to extend to the electrical grid to the area. I decided to look for a new solution that could help my family solve the power issue without having to wait for the main power grid to supply electricity to our farm at some distant time in future.
Completing this project required the careful application of analysis skills. I had to be able to identify the problem and properly communicate why this problem needed to be solved. Using analytical skills, I was able to identify information that was relevant to my problem and effectively evaluate the information. From my analysis, I realized that the problem could be assessed and solved in a number of ways. I, therefore, had to deliberate and make a decision on the most desirable course of action after reviewing a number of the available options. I then came to what I regard as the soundest solution to the problem.
A person uses his/her brain to solve any problem encountered. The brain contains two sides, and each side controls a certain body and thinking functions. The left side is in charge of analytical thinking or logic, while the right side operates in images and impressions. As a result of these differences, using the left side entails following well-ordered steps while using the right side leads to creativity and innovation. The best form of problem-solving requires a person to use both the right and left sides of his/her brain. Dandi declares that good problem solvers are able to draw on both sides of their brains (20).
I made use of both sides of my brain in solving the problem presented in this paper. By using the right side, I was able to come up with a creative solution that my family had not thought about previously. Using the left side, I engaged in the analytical thinking that helped me to choose the solar-powered generator over the other available options. Without employing both sides of my brain, I could not have managed to come up with a feasible solution that was both logical and creative. This
By using the problem-solving skills acquired in class and incorporating creative solutions, I have been able to solve the power issue that my familys farm faces. The proposed solution is practical, and it can be implemented using the financial resources available to the family at present. Implementation of the proposed solution will have great benefits for my family, and it will also promote sustainability.
Works Cited
Dandi, Daley. Problem Solving. Infobase Publishing, 2009. Print.
Xiarchos, Irene and Brian Vick. Solar Energy Use in U.S. Agriculture Overview and Policy Issues. Washington, DC: United States Department of Agriculture, 2011. Print.
