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Food For Thought: Industrialized Agriculture
By Hwaa Irfan
01/03/2001
Sura'tul Yasin (36), ayat 35, says, "So they may eat the fruit of it, and their hands did not make it - so will they not be grateful?"
No. It appears that we were not grateful, and we still aren't. We believe that genetically engineered plants (without full knowledge of the risks involved) can change the course of history by the year 2050, when we will have to feed an expected global population of ten billion. The modernization of agriculture has led most people to believe in none other than the application of modern science, technology and capital in order to increase food output - when, in fact, it is having the opposite effect.
Monoculture, with its intensive use of fossil fuels and chemicals that have been proven time and time again to be a serious hazard to the environment, reduces biodiversity and soil fertility, and increases salinity and erosion. Often, it requires an input of energy that is equal to or that exceeds the output of crops.
Between 1952 and 1990, 700,000 tons of pesticides were used in Egypt. Every year, 17,000 tons of formulated pesticides are imported - at a cost of 66 million dollars in 1970 that grew to 180 million dollars by the mid-90's.
The U.S. National Academy of Sciences monitored 14 successful organic farms over five years, some of which had not used agro-chemicals for 15 years. The farms had corn yields 32% higher and soybean yields 40% higher than local farms that were using pesticides. Furthermore, the London Food Commission's toxicological survey found that 40% of pesticides in use were linked to at least one adverse side-effect. Out of 426 chemicals listed, 68 were carcinogenic, 61 were capable of causing gene mutation, 35 have reproductive side-effects from impotency to birth defects, and 93 caused allergic reactions.
While pesticides may initially increase yields, they kill-off pollinators and place stress on the food chain, upsetting the predator-prey balance within the insect community. As a result, various insects become pests because pesticides have killed-off their predators. A process of natural selection and the survival of the fittest has developed immunity in over 1,000 major agricultural pests. Also, pesticides cause ground water, streams, and rivers become toxic and unfit to irrigate the crops.
Large-scale mechanization hastens soil erosion and other forms of environmental degradation. Constantly tilled soil erodes faster than it can be replaced by the normal deposit of particles on topsoil or the breakdown of rocks and other materials. Soil erosion worldwide has caused farmers to abandon an area that is one-third the size of all land currently being cultivated for the last 40 years. The solution to leave crop residue on the soil after harvesting to protect the fragile topsoil only shelters weeds and harbors plant diseases, causing more pests.
Spokesman Adlai Amor for the World Resources Institute (WRI) in Washington, which released a report at the beginning of this month, said, "Agricultural production is being achieved at the expense of our ability to feed ourselves and future generations." An example of this can be seen in the U.S. where almost all the original grasslands are losing their ability to support livestock.
Monocultures are more vulnerable to crop pests and price fluctuations. Its costs have been high; for this reason, the polyculture system is gaining momentum amongst environmentalists and agronomists. It involves planting, for instance, corn, beans and squash in the same area - the foods complement rather than compete with one another because their roots draw nutrition and moisture from different levels of the soil. The roots of beans fix nitrates and supply a natural form of fertilizer for the corn.
This method is over 2,000 years old and is still being practiced by the Maya communities. Its yield is contrary to the high yield crops (e.g., wheat, corn and rice) of the monoculture system that produce hybrids that farmers cannot breed themselves.
Because of the emphasis on industrialized agriculture, agricultural agencies have been supplying technical information, seed and credit to farmers who advocate large-scale cultivation.
In Japan, where consumers pay high prices for fruits and vegetables, large numbers of rice farmers have been persuaded to change over part of their land to orchards and truck farms. In China, the state abandoned the Maoist policy of 'putting grain first' in the late 1970's. This allowed farmers to combine a basic level of grain farming with all kinds of other crops and livestock. At the same time, farm prices were increased to a realistic level. Agricultural production shot up overnight, and farmers not only produced food but also raw materials for the development of rural industry. Their increased standard of living meant that they were free to become consumers of a wide range of industrial goods.
Women in the southern part of Sudan collect the best seeds from their sorghum harvest for planting during the following year. Traditionally, by a process of careful observation, their farmers made selections of crops to develop local varieties in order to increase biodiversity. They grow a mixture of crops as a safeguard against crop failure. This system reflects Allah's (SWT) natural genetic engineering, which utilizes the farmers' accumulated skills and wisdom.
Dr. Muhammad Helal (Egypt) said to the Egyptian Reporter, "We are developing the technology that will allow us to grow naturally without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. It is called micro-grafting - a technique that involves using nature to create crops that can withstand disease without using toxins."
Sources:
WDDTY, Vol. 6, No.3
Reuters. "Intensive Farming Fails To Feed The World" on EnvironLink News Service
Linden, E. "Condition Critical" in Time Magazine, April/May 2000
Liess, A., Kim, Y., Cohen, E., Tatum, K. and Illangasekare, S. "The Dirt On Modern Industrial
Agriculture: Leaving Our Children Hungry," Department of Human Biology: WebJournal.
Badawi, C. "Organic Matters" in the Egyptian Reporter
De Groot, P. "Making Sense of Sustainability" in New Scientist, No. 1924
Madeley, J. "Beyond the PestKillers" in New Scientist, No. 1924
Holmes, B. "A Natural Way With Weeds" in New Scientist, No. 1924
Bray, F. "Agriculture for Developing Nations" in Scientific America, Vol. 271, No. 1
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