Term Paper on "Issue With Food Supply"
Term Paper 4 pages (1142 words) Sources: 2
[EXCERPT] . . . .
Food SupplyTechnology, Industrialization, and the Problem of the Modern Food Industry
One of the interesting features of modernity is that human beings today are almost obsessed with efficiency, trying to achieve the maximum at the shortest time, get the most out of least effort, and earn as much profit as possible. There is certainly nothing wrong with efficiency -- it is essentially a good thing -- but the way efficiency is pursued today somehow blinds people to the extent that they no longer see hidden costs of many of their efforts. For example, because of too much focus on the directly quantifiable costs of production, industries, and to a lesser extent ordinary folks, cannot differentiate between the price of producing a good and the cost of it. This is most evident in the way the food industry operates today. Attempts to maximize the food production while spending less and working less have made us negligent to the hidden costs of this business -- costs such as irreparable damage done to the Earth's crust, atmosphere, and human health.
The nature without human intervention operates in a balanced and cyclic way, where every living organism and chemical contributes to overall stability. McDonough and Braungart (2002) explain that the system of nutrients and metabolism in nature make sure that there is no such thing as waste. For instance, extra blossoms on trees that fall are not useless. They decompose on the ground and feed a variety of organisms and microorganisms, while also enriching the soil. Another example is how carbon dioxide exhaled by humans and animals are taken in by plants for their own growth. Animal dung is the safest and most nat
download full paper ⤓
This natural equilibrium of the Earth's ecosystem, however, was disrupted by the Industrial Revolution when humans began to alter the equilibrium, taking away substances from the land and altering them substantially, making the return of these substances to the soil almost impossible (McDonough and Braungart, 2002, pp. 98, 101-2). With the technological development during Industrialization, which allowed better transportation and more efficient means of harvesting and gathering agricultural products, people began massively transfer nutrients from place to place, disrupting the natural balance that ensured ecological stability (ibid, p. 96). Efficiency of the industrial era led to the development of consumer societies, which further disrupted the Earth's natural equilibrium and damaged the ecosystem. For example, many people today prefer dumping recyclable products that contain toxic materials into landfills rather than reuse or repair them. And many businesses that produce goods operate in such a manner that recycling is not profitable; so they package products in such a way that they cannot be reused (ibid, p. 98). People buy more, allowing producers to earn more, but this seemingly profitable way of running businesses has hidden costs that may turn out to be too costly for humans and the planet in the long run.
Since the beginning of the industrial age, people learned the values of technology and efficiency, assuming that with smart brains and machinery, people could conquer the nature. With this faulty mindset, humans calculate the costs of production in terms of price rather than cost although business accounts often confuse the two words. In agriculture, there… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Issue With Food Supply" Assignment:
Read The three articles on food: *****Prices And the Life Exchanged: Costs Of the U.S. Food System;***** *****Potato,***** From The Botany Of Desire; And *****Waste Equals Food.***** From One of these readings, identify an issue with the food supply: pesticides, loss of arable land to beef production, genetically modified seeds, the artificially suppressed cost of food, lack of biodiversity, etc.
Using At least two other sources, discuss that issue in a paper with proper APA documentation.
What is the issue, and how did it come about? What, if anything, is being done to fix the problem? Make Sure you have a clear thesis, and that you support it with quotes and specific information properly cited.
*****
How to Reference "Issue With Food Supply" Term Paper in a Bibliography
“Issue With Food Supply.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2011, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/food-supply-technology-industrialization/347945. Accessed 28 Sep 2024.
Related Term Papers:
Issues of Global Overpopulation and Food Supply Can We Feed the World Term Paper
Overpopulation [...] overpopulation and the food supply, two global issues facing the world's population today and in the future. The Earth's population is expanding faster than it has ever grown… read more
Term Paper 3 pages (1059 words) Sources: 6 Style: MLA Topic: Agriculture / Food / Culinary
Food Nutrition and Culture Term Paper
However the board did not say that they will decommission units 5 and 6 of the station.
Pasolini, Antonio
Fukushima Radiation Affecting U.S. Tuna
30 August, 2013
The iodine in… read more
Term Paper 10 pages (3321 words) Sources: 8 Style: MLA Topic: Agriculture / Food / Culinary
Food Justice Many Facets Essay
Labor issues are of the utmost importance, as the agricultural and chemical industries are party to modern-day forms of slavery that are rarely challenged. Working conditions on farms, exposure to… read more
Essay 6 pages (1763 words) Sources: 5 Topic: Agriculture / Food / Culinary
Food Security Research Paper
Food Security
Over the last several years, the issue of food security has been increasingly brought to the forefront. Part of the reason for this, is because there has been… read more
Research Paper 2 pages (688 words) Sources: 1 Style: APA Topic: Agriculture / Food / Culinary
Food Biotechnology Term Paper
Food Biotechnology
The objective of this work is to critically review at least six sources of literature related to food biotechnology which contain arguments against the use of food biotechnology… read more
Term Paper 7 pages (1922 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Agriculture / Food / Culinary
Sat, Sep 28, 2024
If you don't see the paper you need, we will write it for you!
We can write a new, 100% unique paper!