Modern Sustainable Agriculture

Takes on myths about modern agriculture perpetuated by films like Food Inc & popular media, presents facts about 'factory farming', corn, organic food & pesticides, biotechnology, livestock production & climate change, meat consumption and climate change .

( a longer slower version of 'A Guide to Sustainable Agriculture')

This provides an example of the impacts of economic growth and technological change, the invisible green hand.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• sustainable agriculture
• biotechnology
• agriculture
• sustainability
• green technology
• organic food
• livestock
• beef
• corn

[Ageconomist]

For research comparing the sustainability of local vs modern supply chains, see my posts under economics and sustainability at economics principles and applications dot blogspot dot com

[Ageconomist]

Modern production practices (biotech, pharmaceutical technologies) processing & supply chain mgt made possible by companies like monsanto, ADM, Cargill, & Wal-Mart stack up very well in energy use/GHG emissions vs. Local sourcing

[Ageconomist]

When you include GHG associated with both production and transportation, that's where the local and other less conventional models of food production have the greatest challenge in terms of sustainability.

[Ageconomist]

...the irony in his own words he admits without realizing the positive impacts of modern agriculture

[Ageconomist]

Of course Pollan was not saying anything positive about corn, thats the geniuos of including it in this video, that he has gotten so tied up in emotive political ends, he's overlooked the miracles of modern science and corn production, he misses the forest for the trees in that quote. That's the

[Ageconomist]

Your points re organic are well taken and i agree

[Ageconomist]

Your points re o

[Ageconomist]

The point is, most of tge farms that get classified by activists as 'industrial' including most CAFO's are in fact family owned, and considering all of the evidence presented in this video, and more, come closer to meeting your definition of sustainable than smaller scale organic/local models.

[shanehughes3]

"Not one definition fits sustainable agriculture."

False. Sustainable agriculture is that which can be continued perpetually without causing its own destruction or the destruction of the world around it.

Modern agriculture is NOT sustainable agriculture.

[shanehughes3]

Organic does not equal sustainable. In fact, organic has come to mean so many things that it now means nearly nothing. Many sustainable farmers don't even bother calling their products organic, because organic is just a catchphrase that supermarkets use to sell certain product lines