CONTRIBUTED: Farming is a major part of everyone’s lives, whether they know it or not. Every item of food, clothing, or other major products can be sourced to farming. With how big farming has become, it is obvious that it has changed the world.
The Main Ways Farming has Changed the World
- Provides constant food and shelter.
- Tries to preserve and save the environment.
- Has integrated new forms of technology.
- Provides jobs for millions of people.
Kirkwood Community College Digital Media Assistant Professor Randy Langel grew up on a small farm and lived there until he was 18 years old. He loved living on a farm and would not replace it with anything. Langel said he believes that farming has impacted the world positively because of: The ability for fewer and fewer people to take part in food production, the addition of more machines and the fact that it allows people to live wherever they want and still have food. Langel also believes that farming has negatively impacted the world because, “People are disconnected from sources of food.” They don’t know where food comes from. He also thinks that the food is more processed now more than ever.
Kirkwood student Samson Kimani said he believes that farming has positively impacted the world because farming feeds people. Without farming, “we go hungry.” Kimani also believes that farmers are very important and vital. Kimani does not personally see any negative impacts of farming, but he understands different points of view.
When it comes to the technology that farming has implemented, Langel believes that the crossbreeding of crops is the biggest positive advancement in agriculture. According to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, “Plant breeders used what they knew about the genes of a plant to select for specific desirable traits to develop improved varieties.”
Langel believes that pesticides are the biggest negative advancement in agriculture because people don’t know how harmful they are to people, animals or crops.
Kimani believes that the irrigation methods are the most positive advancement because it helps crops survive. Kimani believes that the most negative advancement has been the cotton gin due to how it aided the advancement of slavery during the Civil War.
There’s no question that farming has changed the world. Whether it be positive or negative, without farming, we would not be where we are today.
Categories: Contributed, Feature
