Industrial Agriculture - The 'Green' Revolution
Industrial agriculture, intensive agriculture, the green revolution. Different words for the same thing. Developing from the industrial revolution and the growing exponentially after WWII industrial agriculture concentrated on short fallows, monoculture crops, new varieties, artificial fertiliser, and a plethora of pesticides (herbicide, fungicide, insecticide) to overcome decreasing yields. History has shown that this method could be called 'More On' farming. To improve yield in ecologically depleted soils farmers have put 'more on'. More fertilisers, more pesticides, more monoculture to the detriment of the soils that support the crops. Industrial Agriculture has made great advances in the science of chemical agronomy at the expense of the natural systems that support soil food web.
Agroecology vs Industrial Agriculture
Industrial Agriculture Feeds The World?
Industrial Agriculture produces 30% of the worlds food for humans but uses 70% of the land. Much of Industrial Agricultures production goes to producing animal feeds and more recently bio-fuels.
Small (<2ha) farms and farmers produce up to 70% of the human food from about 30% of the agricultural land globally.
Small farms are gradually being acquired by industrial agricultural process and method; to the detriment of family farms and food species diversity.
References
Who will feed the world
Peasant and Family Farm-based sustainable agriculture can feed the world
Industrial Agriculture produces 30% of the worlds food for humans but uses 70% of the land. Much of Industrial Agricultures production goes to producing animal feeds and more recently bio-fuels.
Small (<2ha) farms and farmers produce up to 70% of the human food from about 30% of the agricultural land globally.
Small farms are gradually being acquired by industrial agricultural process and method; to the detriment of family farms and food species diversity.
References
Who will feed the world
Peasant and Family Farm-based sustainable agriculture can feed the world
