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

[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

[Camilla House]

What a load of b*ll*cks. Keep it local. Keep it organic. Think they failed to mention the gm crops that in scientific research were found to have given rats lesions but still got them on the supermarket shelves because the big corporations hold all the power. Oh and what about the fact that insecticides came about after WWII when there were loads of chemicals left over from nerve gas???

[mygodsgrace1]

This is so full of lies I about choked reading it! Typical propaganda by BIG AG who are interested in Big Profits, not healthy safe food. I am a small farmer. I produce pure food from real live soil. No chemical fertilizers , pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or gmo's. Pure natural health giving food as God designed in the first place.

[vile pitchers]

You're facts are wrong are u propaganda for Monsanto, you have been throughly brainwashed. Farming has become corporate. Food is a commodity to be traded, if flowers cost more, then people will plant flowers, even if their continent is starving. Cash crops waste water and space. We need to unglobalize the food market. We waste half of the food before it even gets in the fridge. Big agriculture will cause more famine, feeding hungry is NOT in the interests of it. Read Dirt by David Montgomery.

[vile pitchers]

False Video read: Dirt: The erosion of civillizations. Its true that in the past agricultural techniques werent so brilliant, and suffered from soil degradation. but the reason why farming today is so bad, is because it is profit driven, relies on energy intensive chemical fetillizers, and pushed out small farmers. It promotes monocultures which damage the soil, we wont survive using these methods unless we completely farm food synthetically, which does not appeal. Small organic is way forward!

[Kahur2007]

The Only Sustainable Agriculture Is The One When You Give Back What You Take. .....

[Ageconomist]

Your points re o