Through out the years farming has changed from farmers actually going out and plowing and growing all sorts of crops to one to two farmers driving trucks producing more crops but only two crops still are being plants which is corn and soy beans. This change in how things are done is actually worsening the soil and damaging it so that it can not be repaired. This is happening everywhere and because of this the farmers need more land to grow cause once the soil cant be used to grow anything they move on to the next plot of land, killing more and more of the earth. This extra land being used also cause problems for the animals that live on the farm. The land they once were able to stay in has been used to plant the farmers crops so the animals are put into pens in which they have no space to walk around. This is also happening in the Amazon Rain forest in south America. Many trees are being cut down and the soil used to plant grass in which they can feed the cattle for all their meat. This kills the soil and every time it does they move deeper into the rain forest leaving many people and animals out of their homes. I wonder how its going to be like in 10-20 years when there is no healthy soil anymore and the farmers will need to find a new source of land where they can farm. And if this is the case then more and more trees are going to die and we would be cutting down "the lungs of the earth" and causing many problems for us humans in the future.
The two main plants that grow on a farm are corn and soybeans probably because everything that we eat has some version of corn in it. Although I had learned recently about the three sisters. This name came from native Americans whom have been farming far longer then we as "Americans" have. The three main agricultural crops are corn, squash and beans. These are the perfect crops to plant with each other. The squash goes in between the corn stalks and the beans usually grow on the stalks and all three are supposed to be beneficial for the others. I wonder if farmers started planting more crops that did well together instead of having genetically made corn that are the some so they wont have to fight for sun and nutrients then would the soil not get eroded.
Everything that is happening could be blamed on both the corn and the tractors (new technology). So what I am wondering is new technology a good thing? and are the consumers also to blame for the loss of farms. The consumers consume much more then they can eat and want everything in high supply. With this many of the farms feel pressured to produce a huge quantity of crops. Because the horse and plow could not meet these demands they have become obsolete and tractors have taken their place. Then the corn was seen as the crop that gave the farmers the most money because you can practically find it in anything we consume, so they began to grow just corn at huge amounts so that they can meet the demands and in doing so have been unable to feed their own families from their "labor" because the corn has to go through being processed first in order for it to be eaten.
I can not stop to comprehend what has been going on with the fertilization of crops. Having created ammonium nitrate fertilizer by fixing and controlling nitrogen is something I would never have thought of. I feel in a way this is just as bad as it is good in peoples eyes. I cannot understand humans needs to be able to have a power over everything and to later and change things that should be left alone. Nitrogen is one of the main leaders of causing acid rain when fossil fuels are leaked into the air. Acid rain can hurt crops and plants by causing them to die. "Liberated from the old biological constraints, the farm could now be managed on industrial principles"(45). Now humans are no longer need nature to help support them but instead can use their chemicals and products to survive. But this causes problems for the wild life. "By fertilizing the world, we alter the planet's composition of species and shrink its biodiversity" (47).
Vincent:
Its like the quote in the book "men have become tools of their tools. With not needing sunlight anymore and using fertilizers made from nitrogen and a bunch of other things, we have put our hands in the fact that all these things will keep working for us. We are now dependent on them to keep growing crops and there will be many changes to them so that they can grew more and more crops most effectively. A better thing to farmers is all of this new technology but they don't think of the other outcomes of it. Like how it is effecting the other life sources around them. Naylor's family has even been effected by some side effects like the fact that they cannot drink tap water. they see this happening and now the cause but wont stop to think why are we doing this and how can we stop it? Do you think you have an idea to why they continue to use all the new products knowing all the consequences?
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5 comments:
Kate-
Wells in the book the farmers are told that they must grow more crops to produce more food, to sustain their life styles. But with more crops each year the more they have to use, so it's an endless cycle, that's why they cant break out of it. but unlike the farmers of today some farmers don't use the land more than twice every couple of years to refresh the nutrients, and that's a way they can break out of it. To answer the question all you have to do is look at their shoes and how they sustain life; even if there was a better solution this would be worst especially with the growing population and the high demand for produce. what do you think now?
I would disagree with your last segment about not needing nature on our side. I believe that nature is needed even if we have all of these chemical enhancers. The ground itself gets exhausted and loses all of it's minerals if it keeps getting planted over and over on. Even if we have chemical fertilizers, these chemically grown corn is extremely bad for us. Think about it we're consuming chemicals in a different form. We do need nature, we manipulate nature but we end up shortening our lives.
“So what I am wondering is new technology a good thing?” New technology can be something good and also bad. In this case it can be seen as something bad because like you said, everything that is happening can be connected back in a negative way towards corn and new technology. In relation to other things, whenever something is done by hands and requires human beings to get the job done, and then technology is made that can do the job for humans...there is a cut back made in how many humans you actually need to do the job.
I know, people are always saying to be green, and save the earth and animals, yet we're turning every piece of free land we can find into anything that may be benefitting for us yet not the earth. Though farmers depend on how much land they need, because prices are rising and money is more important now, and they need more and more land in order to plant more corps. in the end the problem always seems to be money really.
i like how you mentioned something you knew alot about like the amazon rain forest. its good to connect things.
Kate-
I like that you acknowledge the soil issue. I overlooked that in my own post, and I will add it to a second draft. Now, when you wonder if technology is a problem, I would say that Kiana's point is essential. Technology, for all of its flaws, greatly reduces the amount of manpower needed, and also allows for more crop to be grown. However, the counter-argument to that is that less technology would encourage more independent farming, so i guess there's that. As for the corn issue, the fact that consumers demand a higher amount of it is a result of a capitalistic idea, the concept of supply and demand. When the demand is greater than the supply, the economy can boost, so perhaps asking for more than there is is good up to a certain point.
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