The Dark Side of Modern Agriculture: The Challenges of Advanced Technology

in #hive-1538502 days ago
I have had to answer lots of questions from friends and strangers when they get to know I am into farming, especially that which is not on a micro scale. Of course, the literal thought would have been to have me on a farm with a hoe and a cutlass, tilling and ploughing the land. However, thanks to technology, ease has come to farming as a lot can be achieved in a short period. Advancement of science and technology has greatly improved the scale of farming and reduced the burden of having to invest human capital into farming.


The clause of mechanized farming, however, is upon the huge financial cost of setting up and maintaining the farm, even though there is the advantage of employing fewer hands to cultivate the land. In resource-rich environments, the application of advanced technology has almost effaced the need for human input and intervention. But at what cost is the advancement of technology putting a strain on our farms and, by extension, health?


You will likely agree with me that the majority of foods consumed have had some degree of chemicals introduced, which can vary from the point of seed preservation to even the application of fertilizer. Recently, I applied 'boom' to my harvested corn in a bid to eradicate pests and insects that would affect the harvest and subsequently reduce the yield. Of course, I was preventing further grain loss by the use of chemicals however, at the expense of consumers who may not exercise caution while processing such grains into processed meals. Of course, I have heard of synthetic and inorganic plants for human consumption.


Majorly, the human health is at stake of early breakdown, which is as a result of constant exposure to chemical produce from farms. Dare I say that the majority of farm produce have had chemicals applied to them, sometimes innocently?


I may wish to draw our attention to the prevalence of disease outbreaks among the middle-aged class, as it is now more reported that younger people are beginning to come down with disease conditions that were more common among the aged and elderly. I hope we know that the majority of grandparents lived past a hundred years of age, which can mostly be attributed to natural and local cultivation of farmlands.


A mild diversion is the release of methane from chemical fertilizers that are applied to plants. This is significant because this harmful substance is released into the atmosphere, further jeopardizing the ozone layer, which is expected to keep the earth safe from the extreme heat of the sun. Little wonder that with increased modernization and advanced technology, alternatives to natural meals have abounded and are equally cheap to procure, making them more attractive to be bought and consumed.


We are in an age where most of what we consume is food produce that is rich in chemical preservatives. The federal government once encouraged households to plant what they would eat. Such an idea is plausible, however seemingly impracticable, as a result of poor availability of resources such as power supply and water, and abundance of enough land for household cultivations. Of course, we could also consciously reduce our patronage of processed and chemical-rich foods while going for alternatives that are more natural.


While technology has brought a blessing of speed and increased coverage, it is vital that we know that it has brought in additional ills to our health and wealth.

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The rate of lifespan reduction can be attributed to the chemicals in farm produce. And some local food processors go as far as adulterating food just to make good profit at the expense of consumers health and life

It's unfortunate but yeah, the bitter truth

Hello @jjmusa2004
We've noticed that your engagement with other authors is poor, and that's not encouraging at all. You need to make comments on the post of others and also reply to comments on your posts as well. This is to foster growth within the community.
Thank you for sharing this with us.