<![CDATA[
<body><script type="text/javascript">
function setAttributeOnload(object, attribute, val) {
if(window.addEventListener) {
window.addEventListener('load',
function(){ object[attribute] = val; }, false);
} else {
window.attachEvent('onload', function(){ object[attribute] = val; });
}
}
</script>
<div id="navbar-iframe-container"></div>
<script type="text/javascript" src="https://apis.google.com/js/platform.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
gapi.load("gapi.iframes:gapi.iframes.style.bubble", function() {
if (gapi.iframes && gapi.iframes.getContext) {
gapi.iframes.getContext().openChild({
url: 'https://www.blogger.com/navbar/7340559453395959531?origin\x3dhttps://hitchhikers-guidetoglobalisation.blogspot.com',
where: document.getElementById("navbar-iframe-container"),
id: "navbar-iframe"
});
}
});
</script>
]]>
Copyrighted. Temasek Academy 2A/06 Hitchhikers.
Hitchhiker's Guide to Globalisation
Navigations at the right.
Saviour or Murderer?@
Tuesday, May 15, 2007 - 11:55:00 PM
What is agriculture?
In simple terms, agriculture refers to the science, art, and business of cultivating soil, producing crops, and raising livestock; in other words, farming. In its broadest sense, agriculture comprises the entire range of technologies associated with the production of useful products from plants and animals, including soil cultivation, crop and livestock management, and the activities of processing and marketing.
Agribusiness
Agriculture obviously leads to agribusiness. The term agribusiness, as stated in http://www.answers.com, has been coined to include all the technologies that mesh in the total inputs and outputs of the farming sector. In this light, agriculture encompasses the whole range of economic activities involved in manufacturing and distributing the industrial inputs used in farming; the farm production of crops, animals, and animal products; the processing of these materials into finished products; and the provision of products at a time and place demanded by consumers.
I would say, agribusiness is a globalised form of agriculture, and agriculture is a globalised need for the survival of humans. To explain agribusiness simply, it means that farming is engaged in large-scale business operation embracing the production, processing and distribution of agricultural products around the whole world.
Refer to: http://www.agro.nl/nrlo/english/rap9802e.htm
Above given is a website about agribusiness and globalisation (refer to the section “Plan of Approach”). I believe agribusiness is actually part of globalisation in economy. It states that agribusiness is the key player in the arena of international forces that is the subject of this study. Mainly the website proves that agribusiness is part of globalisation. My main point is that we survive because of the existence of agribusiness. The distribution of food by the companies allows us not to starve. This basically means that agribusiness is a “saviour” of us humans.
However, agriculture is also a main source of pollution. Referring to my previous post, pollution brings about ‘disasters’ to mankind. And agribusiness is the globalisation of agriculture. Thus agribusiness globalizes pollution. So in this case, I feel that agribusiness is seen as a “murderer” of us humans.
So how does agriculture pollute the environment? Significant changes in farming began to occur at the beginning of the 19th century. Between the American Revolution and the Civil War, tens of thousands of farmers surged westward to settle on the rich lands of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys. There a grain-livestock empire gradually took shape that was unequaled anywhere in the world. In the South farmers and planters pushed into Alabama and Mississippi and as far west as Texas, establishing a vast cotton kingdom and backcountry of mainly self-sufficient farmers. By 1860 the nation had 2,044,077 farms. Agricultural expansion was encouraged by removal of Indians from choice farmlands, liberal public land policies, development of canal and rail transportation, demand for food and fiber in the growing towns and cities, increasing exports, and especially improved farm machinery.
Image from: http://www.antiquetractors.com/yphotos/a17107.jpg
It was these improvements in farm machinery that brought about pollution. These machines indeed helped in saving human and animal labour. Iron and steel plows, reapers, threshing machines, grain drills, corn and cotton planters, and iron harrows and cultivators became common. For example, plows consist of a heavy blade at the end of a beam, hitched to a draft team or motor vehicle and the motor vehicle actually contributes to air pollution. So this is how these globalised machineries destroy and pollute our environment.
Image from: http://www.maine.gov/agriculture/pesticides/drift/mstblow1.gif
Besides, with our increasing world population, we need more food or crops. In order to acquire maximum yields, farms use pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers to keep the pests away and keep the crops healthy. This heavy usage of pesticides and herbicides pollute our environment as well. Nitrogenous fertilizers, an important part of the increased yield, result in nitrite contamination of drinking water, to which infants are particularly vulnerable. Nitrogenous fertilizers contribute to oxygen problems in water bodies and to greenhouse gas emissions. Phosphate fertilizers are of concern because of trace amounts of cadmium and other heavy metals that sometimes are part of natural phosphates. Cadmium can be taken up into certain crops, can cause renal toxicity, and is a potential carcinogen.
This is exactly why the title of my post is “Saviour or Murderer?” Without agriculture, we will not be able to produce our own food which is essential for our survival. But with agriculture, there will be pollution which will harm both humans and the environment. I feel that this question can never be answered, not ever.
Resources:
http://www.answers.com/topic/agribusiness
http://www.answers.com/agriculture
http://www.answers.com/pollution
Environmental & Health Expert,
Elysia Ong.Labels: Globalisation and Environment
Hitchhikers*
US;
THE GLOBALISERS FIVE
of Temasek Academy.
Political Expert
Chuang Ying Xuan
Economic Expert
Lin Xiaowei
Technological Expert
Michelle Ng
Environmental & Health Expert
Ong Wei Xi Elysia
Cultural Expert
Tan Eelyn
2A/06, Group 5.
AWARDS;
7th April 2007:
Globalisation & the Environment
