Intensive Agriculture and Industrial Society

1. Intensive Agriculture and Industrial Society Benefits And Problems of Globalism See Chapters 6 and 7

2. Introduction Concepts of globalism / globalization Concepts of Industrial agriculture

3. To what do you think this poster is referring? What possible messages does this convey?

4. Technological Components • Mechanization • Machine planting/harvesting/processing • Concentration • Less crop diversity • Harnessing new energy sources • Green revolution • Genetic modification (new crops/fertilizers/insecticides) • Blue Revolution • Farming the sea • Specialization

5. Begins with the late 1700s Harnessing power with steam engines Use of fossil fuels Development of machines to sow and reap. Enclosure laws (Europe) Small family farms the norm Malthusian predictions of population outstripping food production Process

6. Malthus

7. According to theory… • Population increases geometrically • Food production increases arithmetically. • A point is reached when population exceeds food production…with predictable results.

9. Seven billion people in the world as of last year, (Source: United Nations statistics) An unexpected contributor to population increase is increased longevity in developed countries.

12. Outcomes (known) • Industrialization led to concentration of populations, decline of rural. • Fewer producers in overall population • Rise of agro-industry • Local decisions have global impacts. • Food production costs are connected to energy costs more than labor

13. Adaptations • Societies that became more urbanized had to deal with unexpected social upheaval. • Dependency relations with food producers local, regional, and abroad. • More need for seasonal farm workers • Social adaptations (structural adjustment) • New concepts of time. • Commodification of time.

14. LUC • Law of Unintended Consequences • You can not plan for every outcome. • All outcomes have attached outcomes • Outcomes that are planned for often have unforeseen side effects. • Anthropologists and behavioral Scientists are best suited to recognize human causes for unexpected changes.

15. Increased social stratification Increase in urban poverty Greater divisions in social mechanisms for social mobility Class differences intensified (concentrated wealth) Dietary differences between rich and poor expanded New structural developments related to immigration, poverty, health, demographics Impact on Societies

16. From this…

17. To this. There are benefits and trade-offs.

19. Green Revolution • More food per acre • Intensive use of artificial fertilizers, efficient machines, new strains of crops. • Genetically modified strains. • Possible to feed the world… • Problems: highly sensitive to climate change, blight, energy costs, distribution issues, political issues, cost, new insect adaptations…

20. Laborers are exposed to toxins are higher levels.

21. GPS guided planting and harvesting.

22. Not all is well with the green revolution. India: first real test of corporate green-industry policy. Use of modified crops and crop specific insecticides.

23. Order 81 From an essay criticizing Monsanto. Current lawsuit brought by Monsanto against farmers not paying for new seed.

25. Biotechnology • DNA modification • Gene replacement/insertion • Self destruct seeds • Commercialization of patented food

26. Your next hamburger

28. Your hamburger • Needs 4 times the amount of grain to produce equal calories than consumption of the grain itself, and three times the energy. • Beef production uses high levels of energy and pollutes at high levels. • Meat is consolidated from many sources. • Estimated that 20% reduction in meat consumption would significantly reduce pollution and energy consumption.

29. Globally: meat consumption is on the rise, particularly in China. • Meat is viewed as a sign of prosperity.

30. Perhaps the answer for demand is factory grown meat. Read the article Meat Lab. Posted on course webpage.

31. Frankenfoods

32. Why are people so concerned about genetically modified foods?

33. Blue Revolution • Auqaculture: fish farming • Factory fishing: processing at sea • Problems arise when farm stock accidentally breeds with wild stock, reducing viability of the wild strains. • Genetic engineering is not a proven technology.

34. Aquaculture

35. Factory ships can remain at sea for months and catch many tons of fish, flash frozen, then delivered to markets.

36. Additional consequences with unknown impact • Distancing of consumer from production • Loss of local control and accountability • Food supply dependent on political disruptions afar. • Lack of knowledge concerning actual food safety. • Price supports

37. New competition in food global production: biofuels

38. New and alarming… • Competition between production of grain for food or for alternative fuel supplies. • Bio fuels are not necessarily less polluting or energy efficient as land previously reserved for food production is removed from the arena. • Distribution costs lead to elevated food prices.

39. Modern food production and consumption is linked to transportation and therefore linked to energy prices

40. For next week… • Go on-line and find the current statistics for: