For most of mankind, humans followed an agrarian lifestyle as a means to live. This lifestyle has shifted in recent years as societies turned towards industry. Following the Industrial Revolution, lifestyles were dramatically altered and encouraged people to leave their farmsteads to move into the city. At the same time, birth rates dramatically increased, creating a greater urgency for food security. Farmers managed to increase food production with the development of technology as well as scientific innovation. Industrialized agriculture was developed as a solution for securing food security and ending world hunger.
Industrialized agriculture first began with the improvement of farm tools. The development of machinery such as the steel plow …show more content…
The industry quickly grew to meet the needs of the population to the point that its growth remained unhindered. Farmers soon found themselves growing too much food, resulting in an unstable market. “To discourage the resulting surplus, the government instituted the Agricultural Adjustment Act of May 1933, which paid farmers not to produce specific abundant crops or livestock, such as wheat, corn, hogs, and dairy products,” (Kline 2011, p. 75). Here we have a situation where is there is enough food to feed the people, but instead farmers are being told to withhold their production. While this practice helped protect farmers, it did little for consumers who were currently experiencing the Great Depression. Nowadays, the U.S does the opposite, subsidizing farmer’s surplus to maintain steady market value. “...the Environmental Working Group released an analysis that showed correlation between areas where farmers have been enjoying rising farm subsidies and growing poverty, and a Walmart in Ohio is holding a food drive in its store… for its own employees!” (Leonard 2014, P. 67). Current supplies outweigh demands, yet farms continue to expand unfettered. In a normal situation, a farm would be forced to downsize or go out of business. Instead, taxpayers bail out farmers while requiring assistance for their own livelihoods. The practice of government subsidies is controversial as it protects the …show more content…
“According to the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization, worldwide consumption of meat has increased from 23 kilograms to 42 kilograms per-capita between 1961 and 2009.” (Stoll-Kleemann 2015, p. 2). American diets have changed dramatically in recent years with increases of corn, meat and dairy in their diets. The government promotes the consumption of these surplus foods, lowering their costs and making them easily available. Thanks to the subsidies, the products produced from industrial farms are cheaper than foods produced by other means. The trend of over consumption reflects itself in American culture with large serving sizes and excess caloric
Industrialized agriculture first began with the improvement of farm tools. The development of machinery such as the steel plow …show more content…
The industry quickly grew to meet the needs of the population to the point that its growth remained unhindered. Farmers soon found themselves growing too much food, resulting in an unstable market. “To discourage the resulting surplus, the government instituted the Agricultural Adjustment Act of May 1933, which paid farmers not to produce specific abundant crops or livestock, such as wheat, corn, hogs, and dairy products,” (Kline 2011, p. 75). Here we have a situation where is there is enough food to feed the people, but instead farmers are being told to withhold their production. While this practice helped protect farmers, it did little for consumers who were currently experiencing the Great Depression. Nowadays, the U.S does the opposite, subsidizing farmer’s surplus to maintain steady market value. “...the Environmental Working Group released an analysis that showed correlation between areas where farmers have been enjoying rising farm subsidies and growing poverty, and a Walmart in Ohio is holding a food drive in its store… for its own employees!” (Leonard 2014, P. 67). Current supplies outweigh demands, yet farms continue to expand unfettered. In a normal situation, a farm would be forced to downsize or go out of business. Instead, taxpayers bail out farmers while requiring assistance for their own livelihoods. The practice of government subsidies is controversial as it protects the …show more content…
“According to the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization, worldwide consumption of meat has increased from 23 kilograms to 42 kilograms per-capita between 1961 and 2009.” (Stoll-Kleemann 2015, p. 2). American diets have changed dramatically in recent years with increases of corn, meat and dairy in their diets. The government promotes the consumption of these surplus foods, lowering their costs and making them easily available. Thanks to the subsidies, the products produced from industrial farms are cheaper than foods produced by other means. The trend of over consumption reflects itself in American culture with large serving sizes and excess caloric