What is the best way to feed the world? Some people argue that intensive farming is the best answer for everyone. Intensive farming grows crops in a big way. Modern machines are used on enormous farms that produce large amounts of food, both quickly and cheaply. Yet, it is not worth the harm that intensive farming is doing to our environment. It is important to stop intensive farming now to protect the planet Earth.
One of the problems with intensive farming involves the chemicals that scientists have developed, such as fertilizers. The same crop is grown year after year on the same field. These plants eventually drain the soil of nutrients, and then farmers must feed the soil in their fields with fertilizers.
Over time, some of the fertilizers seep through the soil and end up in our water sources. Fertilizers can promote the growth of tiny plants and bacteria that use up most of the oxygen in the water. Fish and other creatures die because they cannot breathe. This situation is heartbreaking and unacceptable.
To avoid these negative impacts, farmers could take advantage of other scientific advances. For example, they could use thermal imaging cameras, which take aerial photographs of crops as they ripen. In these photographs, healthy and diseased crops show up as different colors. With this information, farmers know exactly where to use fertilizer. They can use small amounts only on the parts of the fields that need it. Although this technology will not completely prevent fertilizer from seeping into our waterways, it is a good start.
On large farms, insects can spread quickly across fields, destroying crops as they feed. To keep insects away, many farmers spray chemical pesticides on their fields. Unfortunately, traces of these chemicals are often found in our food and water. Researchers conducted a ten-year study and found that ninety-seven percent of water samples showed small amounts of one or more pesticides. It is plain to see that these chemicals are bad for the environment, and bad for our health, too!
Farmers should find other ways to control pests, such as using natural pesticides that break down into harmless substances. Onions and marigolds have strong smells that many insects do not like, so farmers could grow these common plants between their crops to get rid of pests naturally. Natural pesticides are also less likely to disturb the local ecosystem. Chemical pesticides often kill beneficial insects—insects that prey on the harmful insects.
Intensive farming may work for a while, but it cannot last forever, and over time it destroys the environment. We need to find a better way to feed our world. Stop intensive farming now, before it is too late!
