Over the years, from the Stone Age era up to recent times, animal farming has been a prominent activity carried out by individuals of a given society for both personal and commercial purposes (Cregier 197). The methods used as well as techniques applied in the area of animal rearing have greatly advanced and improved efficiencies, especially with the introduction of modern technology (Peter 36).
Discussion
One major concern that has been brought to the attention of animal farmers, in general, is the issue of whether or not it is appropriate to confine all or certain farm animals (Kitchell and Erikson 59).
Over time, animal farmers have been made aware of such farm production methods which include rearing certain animals within confined areas for instance cages or other spaces considered restrictive (Cregier 199).
This concern has led both governments and industries to come up with guidelines to ensure that farm animals are properly handled and taken care of (Kitchell and Erikson 62).
To make it illegal for individuals to be cruel to animals, the government has put in place such laws as state law. This law ensures that if animals are kept in confined enclosures, ample exercising space, as well as proper access to basics such as water, shelter, and food, are provided (Peter 37).
Mistreatment or mishandling of animals is also banned under the state law and anyone found guilty of violating the rules is prone to be fined, imprisoned or both (Cregier 201).
An example of a state where such strict laws concerning farm animals are being applied is the state of California. A measure known as Proposition 2 (Prop 2) was passed and is to be implemented starting 1st January 2015 (Peter 41). This Proposition is meant to curb and stop cruelty as well as inhumane treatment of animals. As a result, caging or confinement of animals is dealt with.
With the start of the year 2015, Prop 2 states that confinement of farm animals, with certain omissions such as calves, reared for beef, broilers (egg-laying hens) as well as pigs that are pregnant, will be prohibited (Kitchell and Erikson 65). This will be applied especially in cases where such animals do not have enough space to move, stand or fully make use of their limbs. Anyone found guilty under the law of Prop 2 will be fined up to $1,000 or face imprisonment of up to six months in county jail (Cregier 209).
When Prop 2 gets to be applied at the start of the year 2015, certain steps and actions will occur.
Since Prop 2 will prohibit the confinement of animals in an enclosed area, animal farmers will be forced to look for extra space to enable their animals to move freely (Kitchell and Erikson 69). Those farmers who normally mistreat and/or mishandle animals will be dealt with accordingly.
Natural resources will be immediately affected since more space for the animals would mean less crowding and confinement hence better management of wastes as in the case of factories (Cregier 213).
In addition, healthy competition between local economies and family small scale farmers will occur and result in enhancement of competition to bring down the high market prices (Peter 45).
Conclusion
Despite some arguing that the implementation of Prop 2 will lead to job losses as well as expose people and birds to illnesses such as salmonella and bird flu respectively, it will in the end ensure better food quality as well as safety for the animals.
Work Cited
Cregier, S. E. Farm Animal Ethology: A Source Book. Captus Press: Ontario, Canada. 1989. Pp. 196 213.
Peter Carruthers. The Animal Issue: Moral Theory in Practice. Cambridge University Press. 1992. pp. 35 50.
R.L. Kitchell and H.H. Erikson (eds.). Animal Pain: Perception and Alleviation. Williams and Williams Co., Baltimore. 1983. pp. 58 79.
In the past, factory farming was regarded as a technological triumph that would sustain food sufficiency in the growing world population. Today, a growing concern from various experts, including agriculturalists, as well as scientists and policymakers, perceives factory farming as a dead end, a mistaken agricultural approach, and destructive invention to the living systems (Pluhar 455). Factory farming poses serious health threats that cannot be overlooked. Several scientific researchers have shown that the modern practice of factory farming is an increasingly acute danger to human health, the environment, and animal welfare. Until recently, animal welfare associations have avoided the controversial factory farming debates, focusing instead on other conventional aspects such as pet overpopulation and frequent instances of animal cruelty. However, a clash between the moral agents including the animal rights activists and the influential agribusiness businesses appears unavoidable.
Intensive animal confinement and mechanized production procedures generate an enormous volume of animal products used in human consumption (Williams 373). An urgent attention on effects of factory farming to human health, environment and animals is paramount to curb possible disastrous effects in future. Failure to contain and control these methods can lead to a global crisis. Despite the many merits associated with this method, the extent of danger it poses to humanity overweighs all outstanding advantages associated with it. The Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production investigation research 2008 on the impact of factory farming confirmed the harmful effect posed by products produced through this method and recommended a 10 year for the closure of the most intensive production techniques used in factory farming, including battery cages, force feeding birds to reap their fatty livers for foie gras and gestation crates (The Characteristics of Industrial Agriculture 1). The researchers concluded that the current factory farming is quite purely unacceptable due to its harmful effects on humans, environment, and animals. These findings came at a time when not only the United States but also the global demand for animal products, particularly meat, has risen to their highest point yet. Based on findings explored from a variety of ethical viewpoints, especially utilitarian and rights based perspectives, there is a need to consider other alternatives.
This short writing was meant to highlight that the world we live in today is highly dependent on factory farming and the deep, everlasting impacts it has on our society and lifestyles. Although highlighting the advantages that provide sustainability and economic stability is important, the aim of this paper is to bring forth the wide array of disadvantages and threats to the society and environment that these methods bring. But with all that being said, the industrial livestock production has become a very important part of how the world functions and how the food supply is dependent on it and is distributed across the globe.
Harm to Animals
Disease and Life Expectancy
Most of the issues that are connected with the factory farming effect on animals are caused by such factor as overcrowding. Large numbers of birds and animals are kept on small territories, which facilitates the spreading of infections. The fish population is also subject to this problem, as the long-term overcrowding may lead to the higher competition for food and result in stress and decline of the immune defense, which can cause the growth of disease rates (Gregory & Grandin, 2007, p. 136). Moreover, the inability of animals to live a natural life results in their shorter life span, which is also disadvantaging for humans as they do not receive enough proteins that could potentially be developed through more sustainable methods (Fick, 2008, p. 163). Thus, the conditions of flock and cattle raising are not only harmful to animals but they also strongly decrease the population, resulting in the lack of food for people.
Painful Practices
The ways of keeping birds and animals used in factory farming are often cruel and causing pain. For instance, there is a practice of beak trimming of chicken that is done to prevent the cases of cannibalism among birds kept in small rooms (Poultry Hub, 2017, para. 1). Besides, most chickens are kept in cages for the most of their lives, which causes various health issues with legs and feathers since they are not adjusted to stand or rub against the wire. These birds need worms and other organic food found in the earth for their optimal growth and functioning (Healthy Eating Politics, 2017, para. 2). However, in the case of factory farming, it is almost impossible to keep an eye on the great numbers of chicken roaming the open ground. Moreover, not all countries have yet adopted the regulations that would allow slaughtering farm animals without them feeling stressed during the process.
Ethical Concern
It is not surprising that more and more people become concerned with the conditions in which farm animals are raised. Although it is true that the large portion of the worlds population is primarily concerned about the cost of products, most people in the developed countries are willing to pay more for food that has been produced in a sustainable way. This is one of the results of the grand survey conducted for ASPCA the last year (ASPCA, 2016, para. 5). Other key findings include the misconceptions about the popular labels regarding the industry and the small literacy in the field of monitoring the farm animal welfare. These results show that although people are concerned with the state of farm animals, they do not make much effort to study the subject in depth. Marketing is a powerful tool to make people believe that the food they consume is eco-friendly, yet a little portion of customers studies whether these claims are true. It is possible that the primary concern of people who choose sustainable food producers is to look better in public through supporting the modern ethical trends. However, even this artificial interest has already created a demand for the new agricultural techniques that would prevent the animal suffering. It may possibly occur in the future that the developed countries will pass the laws prohibiting the factory farming. In any case, the survey made for ASPCA clearly shows that people lack education in matters concerning animal cruelty in the field of the food production.
Harm to Humans
Farmers Health State
It is not only animals who suffer health issues from the factory farming methods. People who work on farms also go through the illness cases directly caused by the use of chemicals during their work. For instance, the study of the rice field workers in the Philippines has shown that they experience problems with sight, blood pressure, and digestion (Naylor, 1996, p. 64). The research connects these problems with the extensive use of pesticides for tackling weeds. Another evidence shows that the long-term exposure to the sun can cause problems with skin such as the early aging and melanoma cases (Ulimwengu, 2009, p. 1). Besides, people who work directly with animals are regularly exposed to viruses and diseases that can be transmitted to humans. While this issue can be present in natural farming, the intensive methods pose higher risks due to the larger numbers of cattle.
Disease Spreading
The spreading of diseases among other people is also influenced by the factory farming. The overcrowded facilities create perfect conditions for the development of viruses and pathogenic bacteria (Geer, 2014, para. 2). Because of a large number of animals, viruses can mutate to get new forms, which is happening every year. Studies suggest that the factory farming could lead humanity to the situation of the so-called antibiotic apocalypse when new viruses would be resistant to all forms of medicine (Woolfe, 2016, para. 1). This estimation seems particularly accurate, as scientists are currently observing the growing number of flu forms which become harder to treat each year. All the vaccines that are currently used in the healthcare system may become ineffective due to the rapid development of the new disease types, and humanity may need to rethink the whole treatment ways to tackle this problem along with changing the ways in the agricultural field.
Antibiotics and Hormones
Apart from the threat of the disease spreading, factory farming is a source of the populations health state worsening, as the majority of meat and dairy products are full of antibiotics and hormones used on animals to prevent them from falling ill or to help them gain mass. When antibiotics are consumed by people, they can cause the extinction of the natural microflora in the digestion system, resulting in the malfunctioning of the whole body. Hormones are even more dangerous, as they change the vital processes in a body that can lead to such problems as diabetes and obesity. The recent survey made by the National Research Center shows that people become more concerned about reducing antibiotics in food production (National Research Center, 2015, p. 3). More than half of the respondents answered that they find this matter to be very important. However, it is impossible to reject the usage of medicine in factory farming since the large numbers of animals cannot be kept healthy if they live at the same place. It becomes evident that the current methods in agriculture are not satisfying as perceived by the majority of the American population. The problem is further deepened by the food producers who do not state on their products that animals were treated with antibiotics and hormones. It might be the task of the government that needs to address this issue and make the farming safer by obliging producers to regulate the amount of medication they use since ensuring the interest of citizens is the countrys top priority.
Harm to Ecology
Deforestation
The fact of destroying the natural landscape by factory farming is probably the most pressuring issue caused by this industry. Such problem as deforestation is the biggest one, as it can be traced in the emerging states like Ghana, where there is an urgent need to create a more effective department of agriculture, as the country is suffering from the inappropriate land usage (Asante, 2005, p. 185). Asia is also suffering from the current practices. For instance, vast territories of the mangrove forests are suitable for shrimp farming, which is causing a gradual destruction of these areas (Barbier & Sathirathai, 2004, p. 56). It is easy to predict that if the current methods of farming continue to prevail, the state of the Earth will change in the next several decades. Forests provide oxygen and protect the planet from overheating. Failure to save these precious territories will result in the climate change.
Loss of Species
Deforestation and changing of other areas lead directly to the shortage of fauna species. As animals lose their natural habitats, they have to adapt to the new conditions, which is impossible to achieve in the short run. The World Wide Fund for Nature claims that 50 percent of the worlds lands have been turned into farming territories, which is threatening animals living there (WWF, 2016). The fauna world is not the only one suffering, as plants are also endangered in the changing world. The growth of the population in the United Kingdom has caused the increase in the territories used for the farming purposes, which resulted in the extinction of hundreds of domestic species (Marshall, 2016). While people strive to feed themselves properly, they forget the importance of their surrounding and it may soon happen that humanity will find itself to be one of the few species left on Earth.
Pollution and Starving
The issue of pollution is widely discussed in public. It is no longer surprising that farming causes water and soil contamination that heavily impacts the environment. However, it is much less discussed that pollution can harm the food production itself. The research made recently is based on the interview conducted with several farmers in Thailand who are growing rice (Khai & Yabe, 2013). One of the most peculiar answers given by the respondents is that water pollution is causing the production of rice to grow in cost. Contaminated water and soil prevent crops from the proper development, as many of them die. This information may serve as a reason for rethinking the modern ways of farming. Many regions of the world, and especially Asia, are dependent on rice, and the increasing cost of this product may lead to the starvation of millions of people. This fact undermines the initial idea of factory farming which lies in providing affordable food to as many people as possible through cheaper technologies and less workforce required to produce the product. It is possible that the problem of overpopulation is the primary cause to the fact that humanity cannot afford to switch to the more natural methods in agriculture. However, if things will be kept the way they are now, humanity may face famine along with the other problems already described in this paper. It is evident that the more lands are polluted by farming, the less territories can be used for food production in the future.
Conclusion
Summarizing all the factors stated above, it becomes clear that factory farming presents more disadvantages than offers benefits to people. Although this method of agriculture provides food for the large numbers of consumers, it cannot satisfy this need in the long run. Factory farming affects the whole planet and can no longer be supported if humans want to ensure they live in the healthy environment It becomes evident that, while this method of farming is extremely developed in the world and is currently the only option to produce large quantities of food, countries administration offices must thing of the new ways to eliminate the existing problems.
This paper has discussed in detail the issues caused by factory farming. Firstly, the cruel practices regarding animals can no longer be sustained in the modern world where people have come to an understanding of the life importance of every creature. Secondly, the impact of factory farming on the human health is also disturbing, as many people are currently suffering from diseases and viruses acquired through the consumption of meat and dairy products. Finally, the effect that the current methods in agriculture industry have on the environment are devastating as they destruct the land and sea habitats and cause many species of flora and fauna to go extinct.
It becomes evident that people are becoming more concerned with the situation. While the mass interest in the topic is essential, it should become the task of the governments to form laws and regulations that would change the current situation. Luckily, many administration representatives, especially in the developed states, have already paid their attention to the problem. It may be expected in the nearest future that factory farming would become much less harmful for people and environment since there are no real alternatives that could substitute this technique at the moment.
Nowadays, more and more businesses start campaigns to support the environment. Even food producers try to ensure potential customers their products are eco-friendly and good for health. The growing number of food suppliers who use natural farming methods supports the demand for the green technologies in agriculture. All of these trends can serve as a signal to the forthcoming end of such practice as the factory farming as it is known today.
References
Asante, M. S. (2005). Deforestation in Ghana: Explaining the chronic failure of forest preservation policies in a developing country. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
ASPCA. (2016). New research finds vast majority of Americans concerned about farm animal welfare, confused by food labels and willing to pay more for better treatment. Web.
Barbier, E., & Sathirathai, S. (2004). Shrimp farming and mangrove loss in Thailand. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.
Fick, G. W. (2008). Food, farming, and faith. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Geer, A. (2014). 5 modern diseases on the rise because of factory farming. One Green Planet. Web.
Gregory, N. G., & Grandin, T. (2007). Animal welfare and meat production. Cambridge, MA: CABI.
Healthy Eating Politics. (n. d.). Free range chickens. Web.
Khai, H. V., & Yabe, M. (2013). Impact of industrial water pollution on rice production in Vietnam. In N. W. T. Quinn (Ed.), International perspectives on water quality management and pollutant control (pp. 61-85). Rijeka, Croatia: INTECH.
Marshall, C. (2016). Nature loss linked to farming intensity. BBC News. Web.
National Research Center. (2015). Natural food labels survey. Web.
Naylor, R. (1996). Herbicides in Asian rice: Transitions in weed management. Stanford, CA: Stanford University.
Poultry Hub. (2016). Beak trimming. Web.
Ulimwengu, J. M. (2009). Farmers health status, agricultural efficiency, and poverty in rural Ethiopia. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Research Institute.
Woolfe, S. (2016, October 17). Factory farming could lead us to antibiotic apocalypse. The Canary. Web.
Rearing of cattle is an old practice that has been very beneficial to mankind. Before the discovery of wind and steam power, animal power was relied on as a major source of energy. Harnessing the power in animal muscles, communities ploughed their lands and carried produce to the market; increasing their economic productivity.
It must sound very surprising, strange and even absurd, to you my friends, to even imagine I can advocate for abolishment of beef farming in this country. Given we are all sons and daughters of farmers; you have every reason to consider anybody with my proposal insane. However, please do not dismiss me before hand. Allow me to explain to you my reasons and let see if they have some sense. I am convinced that our world would benefit immensely from a ban on beef farming.
Beef faming in this country and in the world as whole is very lucrative. Ladies and gentlemen, it is imperative for me to note how beneficial beef farming has been and continues to be to you. Meat and milk form a great bulk of peoples diets around the world. Consumption of quick foods like hamburgers in the streets of developed countries like the US continues to sky rocket.
Despite the negative effects of quick foods, people rely on them for convenience purposes. Most of the quick foods are beef products. It is projected that consumption of beef products is bound to increase fourfold by the year 2020 (Schossler 199). Therefore, for those established in the beef industry, huge margins or profits still beckon.
Cereal farmers are also making a kill in this by providing the animal feed that is on high demand due the increased animal farming activities. It is needless to say how beef consumption is beneficial to our body health. Consumption of lean meat, mark the word LEAN, is good for our health.
It is third behind cereals and grains as a source of iron. Beef is also an excellent source of protein, zinc and phosphorus which are important for our body nutrition. Proteins are very essential for our bodies. They are the building blocks for our bodies. I can already see living examples of users of these proteins here. They are well built and good looking.
Dear friends, you have all heard of Global warming, havent you? In the last couple of years, everyone was talking about climate change and global warming. We are all very afraid of the effects of global warming; arent we? From desertification in Africa to submerging of Islands to Increased Tsunamis, all these are basically effects of climate change. It is for this reason that the whole world has to pose as ask the question What are the causes of global warming?
The answer is simple, climate change and resultant global warming has to do with carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases form a blanket on the atmosphere and trap solar energy radiated from the earths surface. This leads to what we are calling global warming, which is causing adverse climate change. We all affirm that our cars, coal and our industries have very adverse effects on our environment.
However, I risk being stoned to death right now for pointing out that todays diets, especially meat consumption, is a major reason why global warming is happening. This sound awry and maybe very absurd but let me explain. A 2006 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture organization (FAO) indicated that beef farms produce higher percentages of greenhouse gases into the environment than cars and industries (CIWF.org). That sounds like an exaggeration, but the report is out there for all of us to read for ourselves.
Compared to crop farming, beef farming produces as much as ten times the amount of greenhouse gases. Gases like carbon IV oxide (CO2), nitrogen IV oxide, and methane are produced in high quantities during beef farming, beef processing and beef transportation to the markets.
From the FAO report, current contribution of beef farms is between 14-22% of 36 billion tons of carbon IV oxide equivalent (CIWF.org). This is a very high and alarming level. In this case, a small beef farm can produce the same amount of greenhouse gas that a car can produce when driven for several miles. In my introduction I pointed out that beef consumption is increasing all over the world. This boils down to increase in greenhouse gases; from expanding beef farms, thus accelerated global warming.
Additionally, the increased rearing of beef animals has led to increased deforestation as huge tracts of forest land, all over the world, are cleared to create room for pasture development. Clearing of forests for livestock keeping has seen the destruction of over 25% of the forests in Central America since 1960 (Robbins 220). To clear forests, most farmers simply burn them down.
Away from the global warming issue, considering the amount of vegetation that cattle eat, one would wonder if these are not creatures of destruction. Land dereliction and desertification has been caused to a large extend by livestock all over the world. The cattle trample on the vegetation while devouring tons of vegetation on a daily basis. An animal feeds on approximately 900pounds of vegetation every month. Lack of soil cover due this leads to soil erosion and hence reduction in the soils output (Shiva pp 70-71).
Ladies and gentlemen, suppose some terrorist organizes a bomb attack that kills 4,000 people, how many of us will bay for the terrorists blood? How many of us will advocate for the cruelest penalty against the terrorist? My bet is many of us would want to personally lynch such a person. We all want to live well and guarantee a better future for generations to come. However, as I look around, all I notice is people killing themselves and ensuring the future generations will survive in pain.
Let us stop to think about it. How many people do we know that have obesity, suffer from heart attacks and other related conditions that are related to diet problems? Consumption of red meat as well as processed meat is harmful to our bodies. Therefore, to remain healthy, we have to cut down on the amounts of meat in our daily diets.
It is medically verifiable that cutting down on meat consumption lowers the chances of getting heart diseases or cancer. Most of the processed meat passes through irradiation. People consuming such meat risk of getting cancer, which is a terminal disease (Schossler 202).
Dear friends, in conclusion, I wish to reiterate that I appreciate the economic value of beef farming and the nutritive value of proper meat consumption.
However, the odds are against the rearing of cattle and consumption of meat. Global warming, climate change, desertification and land dereliction are not only caused by our cars and industries! In this essay, I have provided convincing facts connect beef farming and global warming.
Secondly, I have also shown how unchecked meat consumption is harmful for health. Finally, the quest for more pastures has led to deforestation leading to increasing desertification in some parts of the world. Considering all this facts, I am personally convinced that is it more beneficial and healthy if we switched to vegetarian diets. A vegetarian diet would assure all of us of good health but also decelerate global warming.
Works Cited
CIWF.org. Global Warning: Climate Change and Animal Welfare, 2008. Web.
Robbins, Richard. Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism. Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon, 1999.
Schossler, Eric. Fast Food Nation; the Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Harcourt: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001.
Shiva, Vandana. Stolen Harvest. New York: South End Press, 2000.
The farmers markets, which are often organized as non-commercial organizations, play an important role in the emerging of the alternative food network. The impact of these organizations on the development of the food network partially can be explained by the processes of the regional clustering1.
The farmers market in this particular case fulfils the function of the food distribution from the agricultural to the urban environment. With the rapid growth of the urban population, the need for the food supply is constantly increasing. At the same time, many products are produced in the suburban areas.
Together they form the chain that plays an important role in the food supply.
Allegedly the tradition of direct agricultural markets was brought to North America from Europe and spread across the continent with European settlement 2
The first reported case of the farmers market appearance in America took place in the seventeenth century. However, the real boom of the farmers markets was observed beginning from the 1970. The existing popularity of this AFN may be explained by many factors.
These are not only the producers wish for the attaining benefits and the consumers interest in the fresh foods, but also the specific friendly atmosphere on the farmers market. The importance of this sphere for the American food system can hardly be overestimated.
The benefits of the farmers market are obvious as for the consumers as well as for the farmers. The consumers are attracted by the fresh and healthy products, and by the great variety of them, as compared with the supermarket chain.
Consumers patronize farmers markets first and foremost because of the superior quality of the produce relative to that which may be found at regular large-scale supermarkets. 3
Low prices are another benefit of the farmers markets. It goes without saying, that the quality of the products is better than in the supermarket.
For the farmers the benefit lies in the cost saving of the production transportation and in the ability of the wholesale with the large grocery companies. Moreover, sometimes the farmers are attracted by the simplicity of the trade process and the absence of the bureaucratic acrimony, as it often happens with the large companies.
Not only the freshness of the products, but also the direct contact of the consumer with the farmers were the main factors, which guaranteed the farmers markets popularity. Moreover, this AFN profited the development of the local agricultural sector and for the development of the local economy.
Qazi and Selfa in their research found out that the major part of the customers were attracted by the freshness of the products and by the great possibility of choice, rather than money economy. 4
At the same time, it must be admitted that there are several definite problems with which the producers of the agricultural products face. Industrialization is one of them.
Historically the structure of agriculture in America was organized on the basis of the hereditary system which was a powerful and effective form of economic organization 5. Such a structure was not only the basis of the economic wealth, but also the important social and political value to the development of our nation .6
Last time, there is a tendency for changing of this agricultural structure. In the present time, the circumstances force farmers to increase the output of the production. It leads to the industrialization and the commercialization of the agricultural structure.
According to the statistic research the amount of farms are constantly decreasing. Such a tendency constitutes a menace to the existing of the farmers markets.
The problem is not only in reducing the amount of farms. At the present day, a great deal of farmers in order to be competitive use the modern technologies. The industrialization of the agricultural sector often leads to the usage of the genetic engineering in farming.
Many researches state that the industrialization possesses a definite threat to farming. In spite the fact that the influence of it on the global economy of the country is doubtful, Hamilton proposes several ways to sustain it at least in the agricultural sphere.
First, it is necessary to reignite the debate over the industrialization7 in order the society to understand all its consequences. Secondly, it is necessary to regulate some economic relations, such as the use of the contract production in the cattle breeding.
Moreover, there must be implemented a certain regulatory environment for the farmers protection.
In spite all these negative factors, it is necessary to mention some positive events in the sphere of the farming. Not so long ago, there appeared several farming independent organizations such as the American Farm Bureau Federation, or the National Corn Growers Association.
Though the tendency for the industrialization of the agricultural field is still high, the consumers interest for the fresh agrarian products does not subside. With the development of the industrialization, the price for the natural products becomes a less significant factor for the consumer.
The interest to this AFN will promote the appearance of the new markets.
Bibliography
Hamilton, Neil. Agriculture Without Farmers? Is Industrialization Restructuring American Food Production and Threatening the Future of Sustainable Agriculture? . Northern Illinois University Law preview 14. (1994): 613-657
Porter, Michael. Location, Competition, and Economic Development: Local Clusters in a Global Economy . Economic Development Quarterly 14, no. 15. (2000): 15-34.
Taylor, Davis and Chad Mille. Rethinking local business clusters: the case of food clusters for promoting community development . Community Development 41, no.1. (2010): 108-120.
Spitzer, Thomas and Henry Baum. Public Markets and Community Revitalization . The Urban Land Institute and Project for Public Spaces 10. (1995):29-69.
Qazi, Joan and Theresa Selfa. The Politics of Building Alternative Agro-food Networks in the Belly of Agro-industry . University of Exeter in Cornwall, and Utah State University 14. (2004):46-71.
Footnotes
1 Davis Taylor and Chad Mille, Rethinking local business clusters: the case of food clusters for promoting community development , Community Development 41, no.1, (2010): 114.
2 Thomas Spitzer and Henry Baum, Public Markets and Community Revitalization , The Urban Land Institute and Project for Public Spaces 10, (1995):41
3 Michael Porter, Location, Competition, and Economic Development: Local Clusters in a Global Economy , Economic Development Quarterly 14, no. 15, (2000): 16.
4 Joan Quazi and Theresa Selfa, The Politics of Building Alternative Agro-food Networks in the Belly of Agro-industry , University of Exeter in Cornwall, and Utah State University 14, (2004):52.
5 Neil Hamilton, Agriculture Without Farmers? Is Industrialization Restructuring American Food Production and Threatening the Future of Sustainable Agriculture? , Northern Illinois University Law preview 14, (1994): 614
Catos On Farming (a translated part of his famous treatise De Agri Cultura ) is of considerable historical interest. This text, or, more precisely, a practical guide to agriculture, depicts the life of a large Italian economy in republican Rome in the 2nd century BC. Cato himself was a landowner and wrote his treatise in the way that a man with a good knowledge of agriculture could write. No wonder his favorite saying was: Rem tene verba sequentur know the matter, the words will come by themselves. Catos description of the natural estate in On Farming shows a pragmatic, almost capitalist approach to farming. In fact, in this chapter, he seeks to give recommendations on the organization of developed commodity production in order to obtain the highest possible monetary income. Therefore, his advice on how to cultivate such an estate uti quam sollertissimum habeat is translated from the idea of the involvement of an agricultural estate in developed commodity-money relations: so that it is as profitable as possible (8.2). At the beginning of the chapter, it indicates that the owner can sell not only grown products but also firewood and brushwood from a suburban estate. Based on personal experience, he argues that the estate owner should strive to sell rather than buy. Strict frugality is observed when managing a rural villa: money should be treasured and spent sparingly after careful calculations. Cato recommends receiving income not in pursuit of profit but by minimizing unnecessary expenses.
The same views underlie the so-called scale of property profitability as an essential feature of an ideal estate. Cato lists the plots of certain crops in the following order: If you ask me what would make a farm the first choice, I will say this: varied ground, a prime position and a hundred iugera; then, first the vineyard (or an abundance of wine), second an irrigated kitchen garden, third a willow wood, fourth an olive field, fifth a meadow, sixth a grain-field, seventh a plantation of trees, eighth an orchard, ninth an acorn wood (1.7). If, when considering the issue, we proceed from his views on the management of the family economy, it becomes clear that this passage was written not at all in order to show how the house owner can earn more money. This appears to indicate which industries on the estate generate the most savings and avoid unnecessary spending. From this point of view, Catos recommendations are ideal: the location of the willow tree immediately after the vineyard and the garden is not accidental, since in this passage a scale of the main and auxiliary industries is given, with the help of which the owner of the estate can collect, preserve and process the crop with the least loss.
Application-specific advice on housekeeping is also abundant in Catos text. Further, he gives brief recommendations for the arrangement of a suburban economy. First of all, he recommends cultivating, as in an ideal estate, all sorts of grapes (7.1), although for the owner, who is accustomed to counting every ass, the most profitable is a vineyard where the vines wind through the trees (arbustum). Moreover, in general, one needs to approach this issue reasonably and grow everything that suits (7. 1). The suburban economy should have an orchard where apple trees, several varieties of pears, pomegranates, table varieties of quince (7.3), and several types of fig trees (8.1) grow. Olives are good to have two varieties for pickling and fresh consumption (7.4) and several types of nuts, including almonds (8.2).
In addition, the presence of the leading agricultural industries provided food for the staff of the estate, the housekeeper, and his city name. Cato explicitly states that the owner will not only easily sell the products and firewood obtained from arbustum in the city, but he will also be able to use them for his own needs. The vineyard produces many wines of the most varied quality, both for the daily rations of workers and the owner. An irrigated vegetable garden, which can bring several bountiful harvests of vegetables per year, serves the same purposes. The olive garden provides the necessary amount of olives and oil in the familys diet. The meadow is needed for grazing livestock, primarily for oxen and sheep. Without a harvest from a grain field, the daily ration of a slave family is unthinkable. Leaves from the forest are used to feed sheep, from whose milk cheese was prepared, consumed in large quantities by all strata of Roman society. Grapes climbing trees produce the best wines at the lowest cost. Finally, the acorn forest supplies both pig feed and materials for work and crafts. The presence of such a set of industries allowed the owner to save his money significantly.
If there is also a prosperous city, a navigable river, a sea, or a trade route nearby (1.3), then the homeowner has ideal conditions at minimal cost to provide everything necessary, and as soon as the surplus remains, on occasion, it will be possible to sell it profitably. Thus, according to Cato, with such a set of industries and in the order in which they are listed, the ideal estate allows one to lead a zealous and frugal lifestyle in the spirit of the covenants of the ancestors and even receive an income that will be the purest and most faithful. Thus, the idea of frugality for the sake of the development of the family economy and the expansion of property was reflected in Catos speeches and deeds and formed the basis of his treatise De Agri Cultura.
Background on Authors Methodology
To reconstruct Catos views, first of all, it is necessary to take into account the time of compiling De Agri Cultura. There is no consensus on the account in science, although the dominant idea is that the treatise was written in the middle of the 2nd century. BC. (Astin). Following Plutarch, historians distinguish two stages in the life of Cato. In his youth, he was actively involved in the arrangement of estates, and at that time, he had only two sources of income agriculture and thrift, and at the second stage, rural work gave him a pleasant pastime, but he began to receive income from various commercial and financial transactions, sometimes of dubious nature (Cornell). This testifies to the evolution in the economic worldview of Cato the attitude towards agriculture as the primary source of income was replaced by the attitude towards it as an occupation with different goals. Thus, the spirit, ideas, character of the treatise correspond not to the time when Cato already considered the countryside a place of rest and entertainment, but to the first stage of Catos life, when agriculture was the most important source of income for him. The idea of frugality for the sake of developing the family economy and expanding property was not only reflected in the speeches and deeds of Cato but also formed the basis of his treatise. Therefore, it is no coincidence that only two chapters are devoted to the suburban estate in the treatise. It did not fit well into the economic views of the author.
In chapters 7 and 8, attention is drawn to the terms in which the author describes the estate designated in 7.1 as fundum suburbanus. In chapter 8. 2, he talks about the economy, using the term sub urbe, under the city. And just below, he calls ownership not suburban, but urban fundus urbanus. The fact that Cato considers his estate to be suburban or urban is quite remarkable and indicates the location of this site. Dionysius of Halicarnassus noted that numerous and extensive suburbs adjoined Rome on all sides since the era of the kings. Houses with rural plots wedged into the territory of the city, and it was impossible to determine to what extent the city stretches and where the suburban area begins from. Thus, the city and the countryside merged together, and the impression was that the city stretches endlessly (Hollander). This passage expressed the prevailing view of the Romans in the mass consciousness about the situation in the suburban area, which was reflected in the terminology of Cato.
The list of many fruits grown for sale in ripe form, processed or harvested for future use for sale, to which firewood was added at the same time (7.1), shows that the listed products turned out to be goods that can significantly diversify the table of various strata of urban dwellers, as on weekdays, and on holidays, as well as something that could not be done without during family and social celebrations. In the treatise, Cato in chapters 7 and 8 just advised the householder, who already has a medium-sized estate and is familiar with the practice of its processing, how also to cultivate a garden plot directly adjacent to the city or even located on its outskirts, and what to give there preference. After all, a simple set of vegetables on a peasant plot has long been well known to every Roman farmer. All this shows that Cato recommends an ingenious approach to solving the problem of choosing crops cultivated in a suburban garden area to get away from the traditionally narrow range of crops in the peasant economy (Bonner). Therefore, the sollertissimum in Chapter 8. 2 in the context of all of the above should be translated as most skillfully, i.e., differently than it was traditionally done in the peasant economy, taking into account new knowledge and opportunities.
Discussion
The treatise was written in a short time immediately after Catos return from Greece in 191, but until 187 BC, when denarii began to be minted, which, however, is not mentioned in the treatise. It was then, at the turn of the 3rd and 2nd centuries. BC. in Italy, rural villas of the classical type are spreading, and the question of how to equip them in the best possible way arises before the owners of the estates. In this situation, after the end of the Hannibal War, Cato, having familiarized himself with the advanced agricultural knowledge of the Punians and Greeks and having accumulated rich personal practical experience, established the optimal forms of functioning of his own estates in the shortest possible time. He presented the results of his activities in a treatise intended for contemporaries who, in economic practice, followed the same path and were in dire need of advice of this kind. During this period, Cato still considered it possible to obtain a reasonably high income from agricultural activities. Besides, the ambitious Cato, having published the treatise, also pursued political popularity and fame, which he needed in the early 180s when he was preparing for the elections for the post of censor (Reay). Therefore, the treatise On Farming was based, in addition to the authors own experience, also on the precepts of the ancestors.
In the Late Republic era in ancient Rome, a particular type of rural estate developed a suburban economy (suburbanum). Its description has come down to us in the treatises of the learned agriculturalists of that time Cato and Varro. Researchers of the economy of ancient Rome, both domestic and foreign, approaching the classification of the various types of estates that arose at that time, primarily from the standpoint of the marketability of the economy, classify the suburban estates described by the authors mentioned above to one type (Hollander). The main criterion, in this case, is the level of connections with the market and the possibility of obtaining high incomes through the sale of grown products in a nearby city.
Cato speaks of a suburban estate, suburbanum, in only two chapters, 7 and 8, and the middle-sized villa rustica is central. This imbalance does not seem to be accidental. Such little attention paid to the suburban estate by a learned agriculturalist indirectly indicates its minor importance in the economic structure of a noble Roman family (among senators and equestrians) at the beginning of 2 BC (Astin). This was due to the ideas of Roman societys highest social groups about the priority of mos maiorum in motivating economic activity, about the nature of the prestigious property, and worthy forms of activity (Foxhall). In contrast to a medium-sized estate, the suburban estate had few opportunities to demonstrate the owners high status since a large part of it was occupied by a garden where various fruit trees (7.3) and flowers (8.2) grew. Cato wrote his work, the guarantee and personification of the high social status of the Roman elite were located, as a rule, in Italys central regions, a medium-sized estate based on the labor of slaves. The suburban estates of the nobility, located under the walls of Rome in the neighborhood with small plots of ordinary citizens and not much different from them in terms of the set of cultivated crops, did not play such a role (Astin). Thus, in the treatise, one can see the contradictory views of Cato during the period of writing the treatise. On the one hand, he already knows how to calculate profit and knows how to get it in the best way. However, on the other hand, he is a bearer of civic values based on the mos maiorum, with an attitude towards land as a status value.
The book of Cato has long served as a rich mine for anyone involved in the economics of the second century BC. The facts reported by On Farming are both essential and eloquent. However, no less than the reported facts, the order in which these facts are located tells us about ancient Italys economic situation. The composition of Catos book allows us to look further and penetrate the countrys economic life more profoundly than it can be done based on the reported data alone. This circumstance is both curious and methodologically critical: the source illuminates the past not only by what it says but also by the way it speaks.
Works Cited
Astin, Alan Edgar. Cato the censor. Oxford University Press, 1978.
Bonner, Stanley. Education in ancient Rome: From the Elder Cato to the Younger Pliny. Vol. 91. Routledge, 2011.
Cornell, Tim. Cato the Elder and the origins of roman autobiography. In: A. Powell, Ch. Smith (Eds.), The Lost Memoirs of Augustus (2008): 15-40.
Dalby, A. (1998). Cato on farming-De Agricultura-A modern translation with commentary. Prospect Books.
Foxhall, Lin. The dependent tenant: land leasing and labour in Italy and Greece. The Journal of Roman Studies 80 (1990): 97-114.
Hollander, David B. Farmers, and agriculture in the Roman economy. Routledge, 2018.
Many bird species in the Murray-Darling Basin risk disappearing. The Australian Action Plan for Birds declared twenty-four bird species to be in the category of almost endangered species. It also identified fourteen species of birds as already endangered. Many farmers and encroachers have cleared the grass cover and woodland habitats.
Residents have already cleared 85% of the forest in Victoria and 75% in the neighbouring NSW for different reasons. The rest of the forest is scattered all over the basin while some part of it rests on infertile soils. The residents have also continuously collected dead and living timber in these forests. Such activities have led to the depletion of bird habitats. The authorities also deliberately introduced foxes into the basins ecosystem, leading the depletion of bird species due to predation.
In most regions of the basin, many birds have lost their habitats due to fire and forest clearance. The frequent fires and forest clearance in these areas have led to extensive migration of different species of birds.
Many people who live along Murray and other rivers in the basin have been engaging in the destruction of both living and dead trees along these rivers. Their destructive activities include cutting down the trees for firewood and timber and ring barking. Some natural activities along these rivers have also contributed to this loss of trees. They include waterlogging and salinization. These activities have greatly reduced breeding places and habitats of many water birds.
The victims of the problem
The loss of birds will greatly affect the people who live in this basin. They may not have seen the consequences of losing the birds now, but will see them in the future. The birds are part of the basins ecosystem, and losing them makes the system incomplete. Besides, the region is likely to lose the economic benefits it has been getting from the tourists who have been visiting the region with the purpose of seeing the different species of birds.
Attitudes of farm owners and ecological experts
Farm owners have never thought about the elimination of the birds as a possible threat to the entire ecosystem. They always think about their welfare at the expense of their colleagues in the ecosystem. If they were aware of this fact, they would not cut down the trees for firewood and timber. They would also spare dead trees to serve as habitats for the birds. On the other hand, the experts are fully aware of the consequences of losing birds. As a result, they have come up with different policies to remedy the situation.
Data analysis
The available data indicates that the basin will have 38 species of birds under the threat of completely dying. Currently, 24 species of birds are almost disappearing while 14 species have already disappeared. Statistics also indicates that the major cause of threats to the birds is human activities. Human beings are busy destroying habitats and breeding places for the birds. So far, people who live in the regions that fall in the Murray-Darling Basin have cleared 85% of the forest in Victoria and approximately 75% of the forest in New South Wales. If this trend continues, the region is likely to lose lots of revenue.
Local and international projections
The Australian Action Plan for Birds indicates that this trend is likely to go up in the future. Evidence shows that the number of people encroaching on forests and other natural resources is rising every day. Therefore, it is imperative that the number of endangered species will continue rising. There is little international research on this topic, but as a rule, the destruction of habitats leads to the migration of all species that reside in that region.
Division of the problem into a series
Experts should divide this problem into three categories and handle them separately. These sub-branches are habitats, birds and water. Problems that directly relate to habitats such as the cutting down of both living and dead trees should then get separate solutions. For example, the government should abolish the cutting of trees, whether dead or alive, and give harsh punishments to the offenders.
The authorities should also look at the problems that come with the water in the dams and find solutions to them. For example, they should reduce the level of salinity in the water by adding fresh water in the dams through fresh water tributaries. They should also solve problems that relate to the birds separately. For example, they should take some of the endangered birds and breed them separately in a good environment.
Existing programs
Existing programs that attempt to handle this problem include:
Integrated catchment management
The National Plan for Water Security
Water for the Future
Abatement plans
Responsible government authorities
The Australian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management is in charge of the entire problem. This ministry oversees everything that relates to the environment, forestry, agriculture and water. Therefore, this problem entirely falls within its jurisdiction.
When it comes to food, fresh and straight from the farm has always had this undeniably delectable taste and, as such, for this paper, I chose to explore the local farmers market which is just a minutes walk away from the station which for me is a rather convenient place to go. When I visited the location, first at 9 am then at 11 am, it was unbelievably packed with people quite literally covering nearly every single square inch of my walking space. It was not just one particular age group or ethnicity that was there, in fact, there was a diverse array of people ranging from people that were teens (the Twilight t-shirts were a dead giveaway) to people ranging from their late to early 20s, 30s, and even 60s.
The distinctiveness of the Food Event
There was a sense of exploration in the place in that people did not just congregate in any specific area, rather, they went from stand to stand buying, tasting, and, enjoying themselves. If I were to describe the entire scene an apt description would be to call it a scene of ordered chaos in that despite the sheer amount of people crisscrossing in front of me there was at least a sense of order in that the booths themselves were lined up in a particular way and people did at least stand in line when it came to buying different kinds of produce. There were a few instances where my foot was stepped on and the sheer amount of people crushing me from all sides made me feel like my personal space was violated but I guess that is to be expected given the schedule I chose to make my observations.
Socio-Cultural Tradition of the Farmers Market
It is quite interesting to note that the current iteration of most farmers markets that are set up within metropolitan areas is that they are a representation of how the sale and consumption of food used to exist within society (Farmers Market, 54). It used to be the case that farmers farmed their goods, brought it to the local market, and sold it themselves (Shonrock, 37). Homemade jams, preserves, and other types of farm products were also regularly sold in this manner and were the primary source of income for some farmers. In the modern-day era, such processes have been eschewed in favor of supply chains and modern-day methods of food preservation and transportation wherein food that is from a farm can be transported hundreds of miles away before spoilage ensues (Justice, 16-38; Ng, 247-249).
While this has enabled society to grow and expand into a diverse array of regions, it has also resulted in a distinct socio-cultural loss wherein consumers no longer interact with the people that make their food (Shonrock, 37). As a result, this faceless method of food production and distribution has, in a sense, desensitized people towards the various plights of farmers wherein increases in food prices are viewed as merely corporate greed instead of as farmers merely trying to survive (Shonrock, 37).
Examining Consumer Behavior
When observing the various individuals, it became apparent that the number of people congesting the paths in between booths was not due to a continuous buying streak (though there were quite a few people with large bundles), rather it seemed as if people lingered to explore all the booths. Based on my own experience of coming to the Farmers market, I have always lingered for quite a while out of a sense of curiosity for the various products on sale.
You see, this particular market has always had a plethora of items for sale, it is not like a grocery store where there are a certain order and sterility to things rather everything is homemade, has a certain personal touch to how they were made and this results in what I would describe as a farm-fresh taste to the products which makes them far better than what I would normally find at grocery stores (McClellan-Brandt, 1).
Other people have the same idea since even if they are laden down with various bags and boxes, they always seem to go from booth to booth, exploring products, seeing the personal touches people have done, and determining which booth to come back to once they get back (Story, 822-828). Another interesting observation I made was that consumers enjoyed actively talking to and socializing with the farmers that were selling their products (McClellan-Brandt, 1).
From this behavior, I assume that including a certain degree of social interaction in the purchasing experience improves it. For me, this is indicative of similarity in cultural performances such as during family meals, birthdays or other such special events wherein social interaction was a cornerstone of such events. When considering this, it can be stated that the increased level of apparent happiness in direct interaction with a farmer that is selling his/her goods is in a way a fulfillment of an innate desire to socialize and to interact. Such aspects are not present in the case of normal grocery stores and supermarkets and, as such, are indicative of why farmers markets are deemed more attractive in the sense that they help to fill the innate desire to interact and be interacted with.
Examining the Differences in Buying Behavior
Feeling rather curious, I attempted a rather simple experiment and went to a grocery store that was a few blocks away to see the difference in buying behavior between people at the farmers market and people at a grocery store. During my brief period of observation at the grocery store, I never once saw a person carry several bags worth of groceries and a box full of apples (I saw more than a few people do this at the farmers market) and gone from one grocery lane to another just to explore . That in itself was the main difference I saw in buying behavior when I compared what I saw in the Farmers market to what I saw in grocery stores, supermarkets, or specialty stores like Whole foods.
There is no sense of adventure and exploration , people do not seem happy, interested, or even curious to shop in mass-produced and sterile stores rather they just seem satisfied enough to get the task over and done with (Winson, 584-600). Yet, with people shopping at the farmers market, despite being burdened with heavy packages and having to deal with the sheer amount of people, the experience for them seems to more pleasant for them, it is a far happier one and you can even see it on their faces their very expressions show that they are enjoying the experience of shopping for food (Knoblauch, 15).
Determining the Cause
Taking this into consideration, I have a slight hypothesis, I believe that people enjoy shopping when it is an experience rather than a requirement and this makes them shop longer, buy more products and patronize a location more so than other establishments. The farmers market can thus be thought of as a type of cultural experience that is associated with the consumption and sale of food. Such an experience can be compared to food festivals, fairs, and other such events albeit on a smaller scale that is more profit-oriented.
Interview
To better understand the point of view of a cultural experience, I interviewed several of the local participants of the farmers festival such as some of the farmers and buyers. One distinctive line of thought from among the consumers was that they felt better connected to the producers of their food and found the experience more fun as compared to merely buying the same items from their local grocery store. This is indicative of the earlier assumption of this paper which categorized a farmers market as not only a food event but a cultural experience as well. The same line of reasoning was evident in the case of the sellers wherein they believed that by selling directly to consumers, they were better able to know the needs of their clientele and respond to their needs and requests (Ng, 248).
Conclusion
From this perspective and the fact that I truly enjoyed walking around the booths eating cheese, an apple, a few sandwiches, some freshly squeezed orange juice, and a rather tasty apple pie, an experience at the farmers market is truly enjoyable and this in itself is what causes people to come back for more.
Works Cited
Farmers Market . Time 54.10 (1949): 54.
Justice, Hilary. The Consolation of Critique: Food, Culture, And Civilization In Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway Review 32.1 (2012): 16-38.
Knoblauch, Mark. Food For Thought: Essays On Eating And Culture. Booklist 104.22 (2008): 15.
McClellan-Brandt, Sarah. Farmers Market Thriving. (Cover Story) . Fort Worth Business Press 18.25 (2005): 1.
The story, Mary. Eating When There Is Not Enough To Eat: Eating Behaviors And Perceptions of Food Among Food-Insecure Youths. American Journal of Public Health 99.5 (2009): 822-828.
Ng, Maria N. Eating Chinese: Culture on The Menu In Small Town Canada. English Studies In Canada 37.3/4 (2011): 247-249.
Shonrock, Diana. World Food: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture, And Social Influence from Hunter-Gatherers To The Age Of Globalization. Booklist 109.11 (2013): 37.
Winson, Anthony. The Demand for Healthy Eating: Supporting A Transformative Food Movement . Rural Sociology 75.4 (2010): 584-600.
One of the major global objectives for global sustainable development is food production and nutrition. Entomo is a Canadian company founded by South African brothers that produces cricked-based foods to the local market (Paquin, Sushko & Lloyd, 2022). Although Entomo operates within a competitive market, one of its strengths is the low production cost, accomplished by using the innovative farming method that significantly reduces investment in labor (Paquin, Sushko & Lloyd, 2022). Another apparent strength is using a virus-resistant species, which prevents the company from substantial losses. Additionally, Entomo not only farms crickets but produces and markets them, and engages directly with the consumers (Paquin, Sushko & Lloyd, 2022). Such an approach contributes to improved control over the companys development and ensures that Entomo can incorporate customers feedback for enhancement.
However, Entomo also displays several weaknesses that might affect the companys growth. Foremost, the company receives only 20% of its income from business-to-consumer channel, while 80% comes from business-to-business deals (Paquin, Sushko & Lloyd, 2022). As a result, the company gets smaller revenue because major deals include selling cheaper raw materials, while selling expensive consumer-packaged products (CPGs) constitutes a small part of the business. Another weakness relates to a lack of a unified marketing strategy (Paquin, Sushko & Lloyd, 2022, p. 4). Eventually, Entomo has not been successful in acquiring new customers despite social media and website engagement.
Nonetheless, there are significant opportunities for Entomos growth in the future. First, the company can increase the sales of CPGs through a collaboration with retail chains. In such a way, Entomo can reach new customers and increase its revenue by focusing on processed food production. Hence, the company might benefit from enhancing its marketing strategy through collaboration with successful marketing agencies. In addition, the company can produce food supplements from crickets as they contain protein, essential vitamins, and minerals.
The threats for Entomo refer to the competitiveness in the market. In particular, companies such as Aspire, Wilder Harrier, Naak, Bite Snacks, and Landish Foods offer insect-based protein products (Paquin, Sushko & Lloyd, 2022). Furthermore, there is a threat from large food corporations that might acquire innovative protein for their products. As international corporations are integrated into the existing retail and are better known among consumers, they can hinder the growth of such businesses as Entomos CPG sales.
Reference
Paquin, R., Sushko, I., & Lloyd, S. (2022). Entomo farms: Are Canadians ready to eat insects? Ivey Business School Foundation.
There was a combination of factors that contributed to the growth of the transatlantic slave trade. Among others, religious factors and racial attitudes common for European farmers at the time had a significant impact on this growth. The ability to expand overseas and reach Africa led to the development of the slave trade (BBC, n.d.). One of the most influential aspects was the fact that there was a shortage of labor in the colonies, and the first European farmers failed to find alternative labor sources.
In turn, there were several factors that contributed to the shortage of labor. For example, European farmers initially made attempts to make indigenous populations work on the plantations, but that was problematic because there were not enough of them to meet the demands of the planters. In addition, native peoples showed resistance to the farmers attempts to enslave them. Some plantation systems used indentured workers hired from poor white populations, but many of them tended to leave the plantations in an attempt to acquire their own land since so much of it was available at the time. British criminals were another source of labor available to European farmers in the colonies. However, there were not enough of them either because not many criminals were in a condition to perform forced labor.
Thus, the shortage of labor and the inability of European farmers to find alternative sources of it are the major factors that influenced the growth of the transatlantic slave trade. Enslaving African people were considered to be the most profitable way to find people to work on the plantations. Soon after the first enslaved Africans were transported to the colonies, all the other alternative sources of labor became insignificant.
Reference
BBC. (n.d.). Reasons for the development of the slave trade. Web.
Living on a farm has been described by many people as the best experience one may have. Some say it is cheap and healthy, while others claim that people brought up on farms have good family values. Yet, people like comparing farm life vs. city life. Some believe living in the city is much better due to the particular lifestyle. Their claims are based on the numerous opportunities people have in the city compared to those who live on the farms.
The main purpose of this persuasive essay is to contrast life on the farm to life in the city. By looking at rural and urban lifestyles, this paper will compare farms to cities to decide whether one option is better than the other. First, the essay looks at the similarities between them. Then, it reviews the difference between city life and country life. It concludes that the choice of residence depends on individual preferences.
Living on a farm has been described by many people as the best experience one may have. Some say it is cheap and healthy, while others claim that people brought up on farms have good family values. On the contrary, there are people who believe that living in the city is much better due to the particular life style.
Their claims are based on the numerous opportunities people have in the city compared to those who live on the farms. The main purpose of this paper is to check the differences and the similarities of two considered places and the effect those places have on society.
Similarities Between City Life and Country Life
The similarities between living in the city and living on a farm have been increasing over the years. Such amenities as gas and piped water are usually absent on farms. Moreover, such basic services as top quality healthcare and education with the use of innovative technologies may be absent as well. However, the government has been very instrumental in raising the standards of living in the countryside and presently you will find that just like in the city there is good road infrastructure, health care facilities, and education centers.
Another similarity between life on a farm and life in the city is the economic situation in both places is affected equally. The price of essential commodities, such as gasoline does not differ greatly. Financial turmoil at the international level influences both a farm and a city.
Country Life vs City Life: Compare/Contrast
There are many differences between living on a farm and in the city. It is widely known that a place one grows in has a great impact on the way a person perceives life. Behavior is affected, as well. Family is considered as the central institution for many people. The family is always near, and they are the only people one can turn to when things go wrong. A major difference is seen between family values imposed on a person growing up in the city and those applied on a person growing up on the farm.
Almost all young people on the farms live with their families, and they are actively involved in the daily running of the farm. This helps create a strong bond between the family members, which is much needed in creating a strong society. In the city, life is busy, and there is little time to spare for family activities and socialization. Most people in the city are career-oriented. They tend to put more time advancing their careers and neglecting their families.
This can be seen clearly in the way old people are treated in the city. Old members of the family are cared deeply by their families on the farms, while one can find people sending their old members of the family into special homes for the aged in the cities. Such cases are less common on the farms.
Another difference between living on a farm and in the city lies in the way people prioritize their needs and wants. Those who live on farms usually prioritize their needs to their wants. Everything is different from those who live in the cities as they can regard their needs and wants in the same way.
People living on farms have a simple lifestyle and unlike their city flamboyant lifestyle peers. This lifestyle helps people on the farms satisfy their needs. People living in the city are known for their I need to get it attitude which makes them indulging and buying the heavily advertised products and services.
Living on a farm can be described as a serene and healthy way of living. It is on a farm you will enjoy most of the beautiful sceneries, fresh air, animals, and fresh foods. Those who live on farms have an opportunity to enjoy eating fresh food, unlike those who prefer cities where most people live on canned food with chemicals which are harmful to human health.
The air in the farms is fresh, and there are few cases of lungs disease or breathing complications reported. In the city, the air is stale and full of smoke, dust, as well as harmful substances. In the farm, you will enjoy seeing animals in their ordinary inhabitance, unlike the city where you will only find them in zoos. The only wild animals one can probably find in the city are rodents and raccoons.
The city offers a person many opportunities that cannot be found in the farms. A person can decide to follow a more rewarding career and enjoy the fine things in life, entertain in clubs, go shopping, etc. Such things cannot be found on the farms.
Farm vs City: Conclusion
Each place has its advantages and disadvantages. It is impossible to say that one place is better than another one. It is better to state that one place is more preferable for a particular person than another one. Tastes differ, and people should remember it while dwelling upon differences is living either on a farm or in a city.