| The
Impact of Our Food
Today's industrial agriculture
is a productive industry, providing food and fiber both for our
country and for export abroad. But, because of its reliance on
energy, water, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers, today's
conventional agriculture can be damaging to our health, our environment,
and our local economies. By making a few conscious choices, we
can have food that is healthy for us and easy on our planet.
Energy Use
Agriculture requires energy at many
points: fuel to run tractors and machinery, and energy to produce
and transport pesticides,
fertilizers, and finished product to the consumer. These vehicles
and machines are powered by petroleum products, the combustion
of which contributes to global
warming and air
pollution.
Water Use
According to the Union of Concerned
Scientists, food accounts for 73% of our water use. In some
regions, the extensive use of irrigation systems is pumping
water from reservoirs faster it is being replenished. Additionally,
enhanced use of chemical fertilizers has decreased the
use of biological fertilizers such as manure and other
organic matter, thereby decreasing the soil's ability to retain
water.
Pesticides
Every year, 5 to 6 billion pounds of
insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides, and other
synthetic chemicals are applied throughout the world. These
chemicals can leach into streams, rivers, oceans, and eventually
into drinking water. The Worldwatch Institute reports that
pesticides as runoff from farms, backyards, golf courses, and
landfill leaks are a major threat to our groundwater. Additionally,
though we may be able to wash pesticide residues off the outside
of fruits and vegetables, some of the toxic chemicals remain
in the food and can affect our health.
Cornell Professor David
Pimentel has deterined that our arsenal of pesticides is becoming
increasingly ineffective because of rapidly developing resistance
among pests. In fact, though pesticide use in the U.S. increased
ten-fold from 1945 to 1989, total crop loss from pests nearly
doubled from 7% to 13%.
Chemical Fertilizers
The widespread use of chemical fertilizers contributes to soil
erosion and soil loss by feeding the plant and not the soil.
Though they provide plant nutrients, chemical
fertilizers do not help soil absorb water, retain water, or improve
structure. Over time, this can create a "dust-bowl" situation
that that leaves soil open to wind and rain-induced loss or erosion.
In fact, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council,
one-third of our country's topsoil has eroded due to current
agricultural practices.This is a serious situation because topsoil
erosion affects water quality, habitat quality and contributes
to flood risks.
Rural Economic Health
The family farm is an integral part
of our nation's history, culture, economy, and environment.
Family farms provide open space, rural character, and fields
and forests for wildlife. A source of high quality fresh local
food, family farms also provide opportunities for business
ownership, independence, and employment. Yet family farms are
threatened. A 1998 report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
commission on Small Farms states,
"today we have 300,000 fewer farms than in 1979, and
farmers are receiving 13% less for every consumer dollar.
Four firms now control over 80% of the beef market…The
ownership and control over agricultural assets is increasingly
concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. Farmers have little
or no control over setting the price for their products".
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