...organic agriculture. According to Best, (2007) “the question as to why humans behave toward the environment is an environmentally friendly or degrading manner has been discussed in the sociological literature for more than 30 years.” (p. 451). Farmers are unable to produce their product and their land has been standing uncultivated in order to reduce the surplus of production. The long-standing concern about the social and environmental sustainability of industrial agriculture has been added to the rising question from dependency on cheap energy derived from fossil fuel. The United States is currently dependent on Industrial Agriculture, switching to Organic Agriculture will benefit the economy and help the environment. Industrial Agriculture Although the United States is currently dependent on industrial agriculture it was somewhat prosperous in accomplishing the goals of maximizing market based production and furnishing brief economic returns, it overlooked many of the unintended negative consequences. The most important recant consequence was the soil and water degradation and the loss of the farmer and the robust rural communities (Kirschenmann, 2009). It compromises the land with abundant use of fertilizers and contaminates the water. This was based on assumptions specifically the trade, technology, and aid could triumphantly address global food shortages and inequities. Woodhouse states (2010) “that the aggregate production achieved by modern agriculture will...
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...From: Sustainable Agriculture, Nestlé To: Hans Joehr, Corporate Head of Agriculture, Nestlé Subject: SAIN Update – Corporate Synergy Recommendation Date: October 24th, 2012 Recommended Action: I recommend implementation of increasing the amount of resources to help small sourced farmers upgrade their capacities and educate them on environmentally sustainable practices. Sustainable agriculture is not only an issue of supply and quality, but Nestlé should look to update Sustainable Agriculture Initiatives Nestlé (SAIN) to include a greater role with farmers to further decrease environmentally destructive agricultural practices. Issues: Agricultural production on the scale that Nestlé is involved in can have several negative environmental impacts from pesticides, fertilizer, irrigation practices, and conversion of forest to croplands. Implementing increased sustainable agricultural policies will reduce the impact of the many destructive practices that are still in use today. Nestlé has a corporate obligation to continue to explore, modify and expand policies of SAIN to ensure that we not only maximize our profits and improve yield, but also decrease our impacts on an environment as whole. It is time that Nestlé begins to take increased accountability with its farmers and properly stewards them in best agribusiness practices including environmental sustainability. While SAIN has made important strides in the agribusiness industry, thus far, Nestlé’s decentralized...
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...environment to produce the delicious slab of meet on your plate? Did you know that 2,500 gallons of water are needed to produce 1 pound of beef? Or that animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gas emission than the transportation industry? Or that the cattle industry is the leading cause of deforestation? The cattle industry impacts entire landscapes due to the demand for land used for pasture or feed crop production. Thirty percent of the Earth’s habitable surface is directly or indirectly used to produce livestock (Livestock’s Long Shadow, 4). With the world’s population at 7 billion and rapidly increasing, farmers and ranchers are faced with securing enough...
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........................... 5 ENVIRONMENTAL/ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY ........................... 5 ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY: ................................................................. 6 SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY: ....................................................................... 7 OPPORTUNITIES & CONSTRAINTS IN ORGANIC AGRIBUSINESS ........ 7 OPPORTUNITIES ......................................................................................... 7 CONSTRAINTS ............................................................................................. 8 SUSTAINABLE PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIC INTEGRATED AGRIBUSINESS – GOALS/KEY FEATURES OF THE ORGANISATION . 10 DESIGNING THE ORGANIC PRODUCTION SYSTEM .............................. 12 MANAGING THE CONVERSION TO ORGANIC FARMING.................. 13 CHALLENGES IN CONVERSION PROCESS ........................................... 14 VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS OF A TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE SYSTEM...
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........................... 5 ENVIRONMENTAL/ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY ........................... 5 ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY: ................................................................. 6 SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY: ....................................................................... 7 OPPORTUNITIES & CONSTRAINTS IN ORGANIC AGRIBUSINESS ........ 7 OPPORTUNITIES ......................................................................................... 7 CONSTRAINTS ............................................................................................. 8 SUSTAINABLE PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIC INTEGRATED AGRIBUSINESS – GOALS/KEY FEATURES OF THE ORGANISATION . 10 DESIGNING THE ORGANIC PRODUCTION SYSTEM .............................. 12 MANAGING THE CONVERSION TO ORGANIC FARMING.................. 13 CHALLENGES IN CONVERSION PROCESS ........................................... 14 VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS OF A TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE SYSTEM...
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...agricultural productivity. In 1960 one hectare of agricultural land was required to grow food to feed two people. By 1995 one hectare was required to feed four people and by 2025 the same area will need to feed five people. Feeding this growing demand requires sustainable solutions for agriculture across the world. This involves balancing the need to produce food with concerns for the environment. Sustainability is a ‘virtuous circle’. If agriculture uses sustainable solutions it will be able to meet the needs of future generations and become the type of farming which future generations want to inherit. As sustainable businesses grow, they develop better methods and solutions to support farmers and growers around the world. Both communities and businesses benefit and local economies grow. CURRICULUM TOPICS • Research and development • Market and product orientation • Business growth • Sustainability GLOSSARY Hectare: metric unit of measurement of land, 10,000 square metres or 2.47 acres. Sustainable: agricultural solutions that maintain resources, productivity and profitability and are environmentally friendly into the future. Virtuous circle: a form of renewal in which sustainable activities in agriculture create sustainable businesses within the...
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...city and citizens in ruins. Few made it through the zombie attack, and now the city stands in an unstable and deteriorated state. With more than half the population already wiped out by the apocalypse, forming a secure and sustainable way of producing food for the community must be achieved by the city’s government. As my cities planner, I must decide on a sustainable and productive agricultural system that will support my cities recovering population. Planning ahead for Houston’s future, industrial agriculture stands as the only viable option to support the city’s future agricultural success. Before the zombie apocalypse, Houston stood as the fourth most populous city in the country. At its prime the city boasted well over two and a half million people, and had one of the largest oil and gas industries in the country. Now, the city stands barely even a shadow of what it used to be. The two million citizens that once thrived here now have dwindled to less than 800,000. The city’s government must decide how it will tackle the substantial job of feeding its surviving populous in this post-apocalyptic world. The officials have two options of agricultural style, either urban or industrial. Both of these come with their own pros and cons, but industrial agriculture is better suited for an area like Houston. The industrial model as a whole stands in contrast to the urban commutative farming model. Comparatively industrial farming stands as the only practical way of producing enough...
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...How redevelopment of a local food system meets economic and green jobs goals. The Western Lake Superior Sanitary District reported in spring 2009 that farmers are a key to the local economy. The 2007 Census of Agriculture stated that in Carlton, St. Louis and Douglas counties farming is one of the largest family-owned, small business sectors of the local economy. Farmers in these three counties sold $27.7 million of livestock and crops in 2007. Cattle and dairies are the most important component in our region with $17.3 million of total sales. They reported a potential to increase productivity here. About one third of the farmland in this region was fertilized or had manure applied in 2007, and hay fields averaged about 1.5 tons per acre. Nationwide, more than two thirds of cropland was fertilized (although that includes row crops) and hay fields were about 2.5 tons per acre – even in other parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin, with a similar climate. Farming is one of the bigger sources of income for self-employed business owners in this region. In Carlton County, for example, farmers sold $8 million of produce in 2007. Only self-employed construction firms, with $14 million of sales, and real estate, with $8.2 million in sales, were larger. It’s likely that agriculture in regions like the Northland will be even more important in the future. The United States currently has an abundance of cropland – about 1.4 acres per person in 2007. But that’s down about 10 percent since 1997...
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...choices. Our ecosystem and climate change are suffering as a result of our careless ways. Consumers have to make sustainable choices for food production and consumption because we have a responsibility to preserve our environment for the generations to come. One way of making a environmentally sustainable choice is by choosing to produce or help produce food in a way that will not only benefit us, but make a huge positive impact in the environment. We need to practice a sustainable way of food production...
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...Guillermo C. Reboca Case Study 3 “Monsanto’s Roundup Ready Wheat” BMGT 496 – 4021 Dr. Alan Goodman University of Maryland University College April 11, 2011 I. Thesis Statement Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) are the result of splicing foreign genetic material, like a transgene, into a target organism’s DNA to create an organism showing at least one new genetic characteristic. With the world’s population continuing to increase, farmers and their crops will be heavily relied on to produce the worlds agricultural needs. As one of the leading agricultural company in the world, Monsanto is focused on sustainable agriculture and has been one of many company that has assisted farmers in developing seeds that can lead produce the necessary result the world needs. One of the ways they do this is by creating genetically modified seeds such as the Roundup Ready Wheat seeds that can yield increase crops and be safe for consumption. However, because of opposition to GMO from other countries and organizations, Monsanto has the answer the moral question of whether or not to introduce the wheat or delay it or drop it entirely. I think Monsanto should introduce the wheat but only on a trial and timed basis. II. Significant Facts – Monsanto’s Roundup Ready Wheat Monsanto is one the of the world’s largest agricultural companies that specializes in both conventional and genetically modified organism (GMO) seeds and other products. They pride themselves in respecting...
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...Jill Weiss POLS-Y109 Opinion Editorial Paper February 10, 2013 Sustainable Agriculture to Eliminate World Hunger? World hunger cannot be caused by a deficiency in food. However, world hunger can occur through poverty and deprivation of land. When this occurs those the people it affects have limited, or no access to food. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have found that it is affluence, not shortages, that best describes the world’s food supply. (Nine Myths about Industrial Agriculture and Hunger) There are enough grains produced to over-accommodate every human worldwide. In other words, there is more food than the world needs, and that food is not spread proportionately among society. While some have more than enough, others have little to none. The world can contemplate sustainable agriculture as a feasible alternative to world hunger, because preserving its natural resources such as; land, soil, water, and clean air, farming less product, and distributing it appropriately among populations, we can ensure the lively hood of future generations. We are in a green revolution; thus, confiding in extensive water, energy, fertilizers and pesticide use. By using these natural resources in the volumes that we use them, we are taking away from future generations. Eventually there will be a scarce amount of natural resources for those generations to produce healthy crops. Since we already produce more than the amount required to survive, why not produce...
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...The effects of trade liberalization in agriculture, particularly of developing countries, have become an important part of major studies in recent years after a decade of failed or unsafisfactory WTO negotiations. The trade talks launched at Doha, Qatar, in November of 2001, are considered to be the first of nine negotiating rounds to address the “needs and the interests” of developing countries (Elliott, 2007, p. 1). There have been many attempts to reach an agreement between countries on agricultural liberalization. The failure to reacha solution still persists, however, as was seen at the “Battle in Seattle”, in November of 1999 where strong anti-WTO sentiment took to the streets in mass protests. (Fabiosa, 2008, p. 1). This anti-trade stance asks the fundamental question whether agricultural trade liberalization is beneficial to developing countries or not. The growth of globalization creates interdependence among countries and increases the capacity of the economy of the countries to engage in international trade. Trade liberalization in agriculture has significant benefits to individuals who devote their lives to agriculture, mainly small farmers from developing countries. This idea would also promote economic growth in these countries. In order to make trade liberalization in agriculture an ideal concept, there are still a few hurdles that need to be cleared, such as granting developing nations funds to meet environmental...
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...Identify impacts associated with agriculture. SCI/256 Identify impacts associated with agriculture. In this paper, we will be discussing natural resources and energy of the Amazon Rainforest. We will identify some of the impacts associated with agriculture. The effects of growing human population have on the ecosystem. Management practices of sustainability and conservation of natural resources in that ecosystem. Risks and benefits of extracting or using one type of nonrenewable and one type of renewable energy resource from that ecosystem, and we will also assess management practices for sustainability and conservation of natural resources and energy. The Amazon Rainforest is vast and accounts for half of the rainforests in the entire world. The rainforest runs alongside the whole of Amazon River and stretches through nine different countries. The rainforest is over fifty-five million years old. In 2008, the rainforest was proclaimed to be one of the Natural Seven Wonders of the World by the New Seven Wonders of the World Foundation. The rainforest is on the largest recycling unit for converting carbon dioxide into oxygen, 20 percent of the world’s oxygen comes from the Amazon Rainforest. On the fifth of the world’s fresh water supply also comes from the rainforest as well. 25 Percent of Western pharmaceuticals are derived in the rainforest. There are over 50,000 plants, animal, and insect species...
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...Landscape and Resources Memo Laura M. Davis GEO/215 February 10, 2014 Renee Tan Landscape and Resources Memo The agriculture areas close to UrCity has, until recently, contributed to the reduction in overall city temperatures. Because of the significant growth of UrCity, this expansion has pushed agriculture further out into the desert basin. UrCity has experienced a rise in temperatures and changing weather patterns that are directly related to urban sprawl. UrCity’s expansion has also demanded an increase in water usage which has become a burden on existing water supplies. Many citizens have also noted the decrease in wildlife that has been typical of the city. This memo will address these concerns and offer viable solutions to the above noted issues. Agricultural Practices The farms surrounding UrCity have taken advantage of traditional farming practices. Monocropping, heavy use of pesticides, and large amounts of water have been keeping these farms operational and profitable for many years but at a high cost to their immediate environment. According to Sustainable Table (n.d.), “Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are derivatives of fossil fuels, including oil and natural gas. The use of fossil fuels is the reason the Earth is experiencing dangerous climate change (Climate Change). The overuse of chemicals has directly contributed to the problem of rising temperatures in and around UrCity. As UrCity becomes larger, the demand for land increases. This has pushed...
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...variety of offerings to include precision agriculture through a strategic alliance with AgriTech. PNI struggles to maintain a sustainable competitive advantage due to the imitability of the products and services currently being offered. Farmers are threatened by declining prices and PNI must find a way to compensate for declining fertilizer sales. This solution provides a cost efficient way to exploit the capabilities of AgriTech to enter a new market. By developing a partnership, PNI can be first to the market to gain market share and increase barriers to entry while creating a sustainable and profitable advantage. (Appendix 2) Support PNI’s goal is to satisfy both the customers’ and the company’s needs, forming a “win-win” philosophy. They have been able to charge higher prices to its customers because of their current differentiators including its unique products, Nutri-Plus line, as well as their excellent customer service and reputation. Although PNI currently offers its unique Nutri-Plus line of fertilizers, this capability fails the imitability test of the VRINE (Appendix 1) analysis as competitors can easily imitate it, although they have not yet done so. However, PNI’s sales consultants have continued to add value by effectively obtaining and retaining clients.(Appendix 1) PNI will rely on the sales team and the relationships they’ve developed to promote the precision services. An opportunity to expand into precision agriculture services, through a strategic alliance...
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