The term conventional agriculture or farming refers to the use of chemicals and genetically modified organisms to raise the yields of food production. These farming systems share many characteristics in the whole world. First, they are done to a great scale with extensive acreage of farms and employ significant capital investments to bring out the best management and production technology. Also, the systems involve rapid technological innovation with the mechanization of the farm becoming the center stage of the production to make handling easier. The crops are always planted in single rows continuously on the same piece of land over many years or seasons. In such farms, the use of pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers is extended to take care of the nutrient balance and keep away pests and diseases (Pimentel et al., 2005). The crops require high labor efficiency to manage from planting to processing, and most processing always happens on the farm to reduce the transportation cost. Conventional farming highly depends on agribusiness to boom. However, this kind of system is not limited to crops alone. When it comes to livestock, the production takes place in confinement and in systems that allow for close monitoring and control. With this in mind, it is important to find the motivation for this kind of enterprise. The philosophical foundations of this sort of agriculture are based on the assumptions that nature is in the same competition as any other organism and it has to be defeated. Secondly, the progress of such farming is characterized by the constant evolution of large farms and pushing out farm communities. Thirdly, the development of humans is found in the measure of the consumption of capital or material goods. Also, science is a liberal entity that is driven by natural forces to produce the greater good. Finally, industrial agriculture is built because the measure of efficiency is mainly be achieved by looking at the bottom line (Pimentel et al., 2005). Conventional farming, although began by making people happy at the high yields, has its problems that make the people have uproars. The whole society is up in arms against the green revolution which does not prove that it still deserves the name. First and foremost, conventional agriculture employs the excessive usage of chemicals. The impact that these chemicals have on the lives of humans and animals on this planet is tremendous. In the underground sources of water, there have been traces of chemicals that were used as pesticides beneath the concerned area ( Oquist et al., 2007). Also, surface waters are not spared when it comes to pollution with chemicals. There are areas in the ocean where no animal nor plant can survive due to high levels of toxicity that result from chemicals that are washed away. The process of eutrophication and “dead zones” are evident in most lakes, rivers, and oceans. There has been a reduced water quality resulting from these chemicals, mainly phosphorus, and nitrates. The fish are dying and drinking water supplies diminishing slowly into the chemical front ( Oquist et al., 2007). Secondly, the excessive working of the soil with the massive machines cause an increased disturbance that leaves the soil finer and bare. The bare soil is left exposed to agents of erosion such as the wind and flowing water ( Oquist et al., 2007). The topsoil thus becomes susceptible to erosion and degradation. The other aspect that involves is compaction. The heavier machines that work through the soils when harvesting or preparing land causes a hard pan just beneath the topsoil thus interfering with the free circulation of air through the ground. As a result, the soil becomes quickly flooded in the advent of the rains as the spaces become too small for water to infiltrate through ( Oquist et al., 2007). Through the growing of one crop over and over seasons, the soil organic matter becomes exhausted faster, and the nutrient levels fall to levels that cannot sustain plant growth. This is why such farming has to subsidize through fertilizer application continually. In lands that are irrigated, problems such as salinization of the soil and water ensue, reducing the functionality of the soil. Such extensive farming requires excessive usage of water in the production and processing of the produce. In fact, agriculture is the single largest consumer of the world’s water. This makes water scarcity increase ( Oquist et al., 2007). There is a slight concern about the natural circulation of the natural resource to maintain water availability. The use of pesticides in conventional agriculture has caused a dire imbalance in the ecosystem ( Kremen & Miles, 2012). There are organisms that have become resistant to the chemicals. These include insects, fungal pathogens, and mites. On the other hand, there is increasing stress on the pollinator. As the only source of food becomes intoxicated, they die. There has been a growing concern for the fate of the bumble bees. Of all the concerns that conventional agriculture creates, the one that has created the greatest divide is the topic of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). A GMO is an organism that has its genetic makeup altered using scientific techniques referred to as recombinant DNA technology ( Hudson, 2016). This technology defines the ability to combine the molecules of the DNA from different owners into one substance in the laboratory. These organisms are categorized into three groups; genetically modified plants (GMP), genetically engineered microorganisms (GMM), and genetically modified animals (GMA). They are further classified into different classes on the harm they would cause humans or the environment. Although this practice of engineering organisms can help to keep the desired strains of DNA, it is important to know the downside of such practice.
For instance, some crops get modified to act as pest killers ( Hudson, 2016). Due to the lack of selectivity, the plants can end up killing even the beneficial insects which makes the ecosystem imbalanced and loss of biodiversity. The crops are also denied the benefits that these insects bring to them ( Kremen & Miles, 2012). The engineering of the genetics of plants can make it possible for some insects to develop resistance to pesticides. As a result, more pesticides are used, and the effects are elevated as discussed above. Also, of great concern is these organisms to the health of humans. They can be the pioneers of new allergens ( Hudson, 2016). To explain this, engineering involves interfering with the protein sequences as new genetic material is added to the existing ones. Some people argue that organisms can be a source of antibiotic resistance. Plant genetic engineers have for a long time tried to attach the genes they are working with to the antibiotic resistance ones to make it possible to treat the plants that acquire the new genes by treating them with antibiotics (Hudson, 2016). In the long run, the plants can extend the resistance to the body, making medicines not work when required. As much as conventional agriculture has negative impacts on the lives of people and the environment, this does not mean that there is no other way that food can be sustainably produced. One of the ways of carrying out beneficial agriculture is through practicing organic farming. The definition of organic farming includes the production system that mostly avoids the use of fertilizers, livestock feed additives, pesticides, and growth hormones that are synthetically produced. The system of organic farming is primarily interested in the minimal usage of industrial chemicals in food production (Pimentel et al., 2005). This practice is a holistic one that involves respect for the functionality of every part of the agro-ecosystem, including plants, livestock, soil organisms, and people. The practice is friendly to the diverse community and optimizes their fitness and productivity. The benchmark of the development of such a system is the establishment of an enterprise that is at peace with the environment. Unlike conventional farming, which eyes the final product, the general principles of organic farming are based on environmental protection (Pimentel et al., 2005). The practice minimizes soil erosion and degradation, promotes a sound state of health, decreases pollution, and optimizes biological activity. The system harbors healthy soil biological activity in the buffer zones thus maintaining long-term soil fertility and high levels of nutrients. Organic farming, as it respects the space and role of every organism in the agro-ecosystem, it supports biodiversity within the ecosystem ( Kremen & Miles, 2012). The usage of naturally produced materials makes the system able to recycle the resources in the best way possible within the enterprise. On livestock, the system brings out tentative care by meeting the health and behavioral needs of the animals for them to grow naturally. To the most extreme degree possible, organic cultivating frameworks depend upon rotations of crops, crop residues, legumes, compost manure, green fertilizers, off-homestead organic wastes, mechanical development, mineral-bearing rocks, and parts of natural pest control to keep up soil efficiency and tilth, to supply plant supplements, and to control weeds, pests, and other vermin. Organic farming practices can't guarantee that items are entirely free of chemical deposits; in any case, strategies are utilized to limit contamination from soil, air, and water ( Oquist et al., 2007). Organic material handlers, retailers, and processors hold fast to guidelines that keep up the integrity of items produced organically. Natural deposits and supplements delivered on the ranch are reused back into the soil. Cover crops and green manure are utilized to keep up soil organic matter and richness. The control strategies for pests and diseases that are worked on are preventive, and include crop rotation, growing resistant plant varieties, selecting the resistant species of animals, and practicing improved genetics (Pimentel et al., 2005). Coordinated pest and weed control, and soil protection frameworks are useful instruments in an organic system. Organically endorsed pesticides incorporate "natural" or other items included in the Permitted Substances List (PSL) of the live models. The Permitted Substances List recognizes substances allowed for use as pesticides in organic farming. All grains, scrounges, and protein supplements are given to animals must be organically developed. The natural principles, for the most part, forbid the results of genetic modification and cloning of animals, manufactured pesticides, industrial fertilizers, ionizing radiation, sewage slime, engineered drugs, and manufactured food ingredients. Precluded items and practices must not be utilized on guaranteed organic ranches for no less than three years preceding the harvest of the affirmed organic items (Pimentel et al., 2005). Domesticated animals must be raised organically and fed totally on organically produced feeds. The other solution is carrying out sustainable farming practices. These are practices of food production that involve farming techniques that protect the public health, environment, environment, communities, and checks on the welfare of the animal. This form of agriculture is sustainable because our activities in production will not hinder future generations from doing the same while at the same time there is the healthful production of food. Just like organic farming, this type of system does not involve the use of industrial chemicals in the production of crops and the rearing of animals. In this case, there is a protection of biodiversity that aids in the maintenance of the ecosystem ( Kremen & Miles, 2012). The food produced through this system is clean and hence protects the health of the public. A healthy public results in a vibrant community. Some of the practices that are involved in sustainable agriculture include crop rotation to get rid of diseases, weeds, and pests. The rotation also provides alternative sources of nitrogen to the soil. Mechanical weed control, the usage of green and compost manures, and natural ways of pest control reduce chemical residues. In conclusion, it is clear that industrial or conventional agriculture is dangerous to people, animals, and the natural environment as a whole. The excessive usage of chemicals is toxic to us, animals, soils, and natural resources. It is mainly driven by the need to produce more yield while endangering the lives of consumers and future generations. However, several remedies can be carried out to reduce the effects and these are organic farming and sustainable agriculture.
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References
Hudson, J. (2016). Genetically modified products and GMO foods: a game of chance?
Kremen, C., & Miles, A. (2012). Ecosystem services in biologically diversified versus conventional farming systems: benefits, externalities, and trade-offs. Ecology and Society , 17 (4).
Oquist, K. A., Strock, J. S., & Mulla, D. J. (2007). Influence of alternative and conventional farming practices on subsurface drainage and water quality. Journal of Environmental Quality , 36 (4), 1194-1204.
Pimentel, D., Hepperly, P., Hanson, J., Douds, D., & Seidel, R. (2005). Environmental, energetic, and economic comparisons of organic and conventional farming systems. BioScience, 55(7), 573-582.
