Revolutionary Advancements in Agriculture; The Benefits and Detriments

It is said that change is for the best, is it not? Without change, one is not allowed the chance
to expand and develop ones potential. In the fields of Agriculture and other associated
branches there have been many changes and improvements that can only be described as
milestone achievements by humankind towards sustaining Mans livelihood and way of
living. Most of those revolutionary alterations in agriculture and farming occurred around and
during the Industrial Revolution (1840-1870), which greatly enforced and strengthened
Mans domination over the planet. However, these advancements might not be completely
beneficial due to newly-emerging long-term side effects that are troubling the minds of the
most forefront researchers and scientists. This dilemma therefore leads to a conflict of interest
as some people believe that these advancements in agriculture are essential, while there
are others who regard them as dangerous and therefore advocate a return to a more
traditional or organic approach to farming methods. To discuss both sides of this topic,
this essay will be focusing on three revolutionary events that undoubtedly have had a massive
impact on global agriculture systems: The Introduction of Synthetic Fertilizers and
Chemicals; the pioneering of Mechanized Labour and the implementation of Genetically
Modified Organisms (GMOs).
Firstly, the introduction of Synthetic Fertilizers as well as chemicals used to control pests
(Pesticides) completely transformed the agro-industry; they were introduced during the 18th
century when they were being mass-produced using the Haber-Bosch process developed
during World War I.Chemical and Inorganic fertilizers restore the depleted nutrients in the
soil, thus directly increasing yields at rates that were enough to keep up with the booming
post-war world population at that time. Pesticides, as well as Insecticides (other pest-control
chemicals) take care of pests more quickly and efficiently than previously utilized methods
(such as crop rotation), therefore minimizing the damage caused by bugs and maximizing the
crop outputs. However, with those benefits come the severe long-term effects; Insecticides,
being solidly composed of artificial chemicals at toxic levels, pose a high risk of poisoning
the local food web at all levels. The environment is especially at risk, being composed of
delicate bio systems that all depend heavily on each other in complex relationships. The very
biology of the environment is under threat of change. Animals, specifically humans are also
in danger of chemical poisoning. An internet website run by the Centre for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC, 2013) estimates that 10,000-20,000 physician-diagnosed pesticides
poisonings occur each year among the approximately 2 million U.S. agricultural workers,
groundskeepers, pet groomers, fumigators and a variety of other occupations are at risk for
exposure to pesticides Such figures alone in a First World country are staggering, and
unnerving to the general health-conscious public. Even Organic Farming, which abolishes the
use of Synthetic Fertilizers and chemical-based pest controllers, cannot offer a solution.
Rather, their recommended substitution to pesticides and insecticides are the fungicides,
herbicides and other organically derived pest regulators which are ironically more
environmentally problematic than their artificial counterparts. A more environmentallyfriendly alternative is required as the welfare of the natural world is rapidly prioritised by
many.

Secondly, integration of machines and mechanized labour into agronomy and farming
methods is considered a massive milestone achievement in the history of agriculture. More
than that, machinery signalled the onset of modernized agriculture, increasing the abundance
of yields rapidly and helping to keep up with the demands of the world. Farm tools had
originally made the transition from crudely hand tools often assisted by animal power into
steam-powered machines then finally into engine-powered machines that ran solely on fossil
fuels. Farm mechanization had originally brought many advantages to the farmer:
Fewer employees were required; as a result there was an increase in productivity per
farm; worker-overall production and production has grown considerably but the total number
of hours worked had fallen. Farmers used the expenditure used on labour to invest instead in
machinery. Farms also became bigger, allowing especially one-man farms to expand...
Increased production inevitably followed, as machines made large-scale land-clearance and
drainage projects possible, aerial topdressing made steep country productive for the first time
and electric fences allowed farmers to use pasture more efficiently (Watson, 2014).
As slow manual labour was being rapidly replaced by quicker, time-efficient machinery
numerous large-scale work was done faster which resulted in maximum profits. Machines
had the potential to do so much in so little time that many farmers thought they (machinery)
were the greatest invention in the history of mankind. On the other hand, the assimilation of
mechanised labour also hasits own set of problems, mainly socio-economical in context. The
demand for highly-trained permanent farm-hands rapidly diminished in the face of automated
labour. Countless individuals lost their jobs as the machines proficiently took over the work
previously occupied by workers, thus rendering them useless. Unfortunately a minority of
these farm workers were only knowledgeable in farming; the rest were mostly uneducated,
unqualified in any other occupation and are not well versed with other forms of employment
thus seeking employment in another trade is almost impossible.
Then there were the machines themselves; they were first deployed in an era where Man was
just getting to know machinery. Most people didnt have an idea of how they worked or even
what they were. This incompetency disappeared after about three decades of working with
machines, but the inconvenience of maintaining and fuelling machines still posed another,
maybe even a bigger financial strain on the farmer in the long term. Machines used on the
farm also contribute to green-house gas emissions, as they are powered by carbon-based
fossil fuels. A speculative view is to be adapted to address the above issues, as mechanized
farming is an important factor in global food production.
Lastly, another recently developed branch of modernized agriculture deals with the
incorporation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) into farming; it was an
innovation in science that revolutionized the agroindustry and held the promise of possibly
being able to feed the world. According to Dr Keith Kantor-the CEO of Service Foods Inc.
which is the largest all-natural food company in the United States:Any microorganism,
animal or plant that has been modified at the cellular level is termed a Genetically Modified
Organism (GMO). Genetic alterations are usually performed by scientists and researchers for
scientific research purposes(Kantor, 2013). The very genes of the organism (plant/animal)
is altered at the cellular level, usually by adding the genes which contain the desired

characteristics into the organism or by eradicating certain unwanted characteristics. Some

genetic alterations done in agriculture and related science fields include adding genes to make
certain plants/animals bigger or more enduring; introducing antibacterial genes to organisms
to make them disease-resistant or even to create new foods by implanting genes from other
organisms; adding animal genes to plants and so on.
Many benefits have been reaped from this new advancement, especially in the farming
industry. In developed countries, farmers who tried sowing GM crops are now enjoying
considerable economic and environmental benefits such as lower production costs, fewer pest
problems, reduced use of pesticides, and better yields compared with unmodified food crops.
GM crops are also programmed to have shorter growing seasons, thus producing two to three
times more output than the original crop. With the added bonus of being resistant to common
strains and diseases that tend to destroy unmodified crops, GM crops have the unfathomed
potential to flourish and to be the solution that mankind has been looking for: a way to feed
the worlds starving billions. Agood example would be the recently developed strain of rice
called Super-rice that is especially tolerant to major environmental stresses like drought, the
leaching of nitrogen into the soil and salt. This is the first rice to have ever countered all three
at once, and could just possibly make countries [Asia and Africa]badly affected by climate
changeclimate proof (Coghlan, 2014).
Even so, not even the severely controlled, perfected science of biotechnology could create the
ideal food crop. In developing countries GM food crops are harder to maintain, requiring
increased inputs of synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides than their natural
counterparts. Hence, cost of production is increased substantially and farmers run the risk of
obtaining a financial loss. On that same line, GM crops also pose a higher risk of massive
crop failure, especially for desperate farmers who grow only one type of crop on a large
expanse of land (Monocropping). An internet-based article (Indian Farmers Committing
Suicide as a Result of Monsantos GM Crops, 2014) reports that many Indian farmers started
suiciding at an alarming rate after switching to Monsantos (a leading institution in
biotechnology based in the U.S.) BT cotton in 2002 believing it was pest-resistant, only to
end up running very expensive production costs for the annual purchase of cotton seeds, the
costly use of GM crop seeds and the use of Monsantos specially formulated pesticides.GM
crops are also generating mass concerns about its virtually unknown long-term effects on the
human body if ingested. For instance, allergic reactions are caused by the introduction of
other proteins into crops that werent indigenous to the original plant. Subsequently, new
allergic reactions are caused to the human body. There are also been isolated cases of animals
dying after consuming genetically modified crops. GM crops may hold the key to feeding the
worlds billions, but care must be taken as to how to advance with such a valuable tool in our
hands since its longstanding consequences are not yet understood.

To recapitulate, humanity has been on the forefront of many revolutionary developments and
advancements in the sciences of agriculture and its related disciplines in an attempt to cater

for our ever expanding global population. Nonetheless, much has to done to ensure these
changes do not impair the only life-sustaining planet in the discoverable universe. It is ones
opinion that leading scientists and agriculturists, backed up by their various technological
institutions should endeavour to discover and immediately instigate a more environmentally
sustainable farming practice that hypothetically can at least keep up with the increasing world
population. A new integration of certain techniques from both conventional and Organic
farming would be quite plausible. There is so much potential just waiting to be unlocked
especially in Biotechnology and sustainable agronomy; if there is persistence in scientific
research and experiments mankind might just be able to finally achieve the ever-evasive goals
of attaining food security whilst ensuringenvironmental stability.

Bibliography

Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Pesticide Illness & Injury Surveillance.
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http://www.cdc.gov.niosh/topics/pesticides/
Coghlan, A. (2014). Super-rice defies triple whammy of stresses. New Scientist.Retrieved
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http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25147-superrice-defies-triple-whammy-ofstresses.html
Gucciadi, A. (2012). Scientists Warn EPA over Monsantos GMO Crop Failures, Dangers.
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http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-957532
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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100413112058.htm
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University of Technology

LA 101 Research Essay

MDG#7:
Ensure Environmental
Stability
Inali Kurumbi
ID: 14302488
BEMN/1
Ms. Kialo (Group B)