The problem we are addressing is that the industrial agriculture system is unsustainable. It uses large amount of fossil fuels in both production and transportation, which has adverse environmental effects and contributes to our dependence on foreign oil. It also contributes to an increase in health issues related to diets rich in processed foods and animal products. Industrial agriculture also has a tremendous impact on our communities. Many rural communities fell apart after the loss of their local farms because of pressure from big agriculture. Throughout the U.S. there is a fundamental disconnect between people and the foods system; many people do not know where their food comes from or anything about seasonality, and many don’t have respect and gratitude towards the farmers, which sustain them. In addition, due to the way we produce and process animal products, it is much easier for bacterium like E. Coli and Salmonella to enter the food system. Also, we cannot overlook the fact that industrial-scale animal farming practices such as CAFO’s are ethically questionable when it comes to treatment of animals.
This is a problem because environmental issues are becoming more prevalent in our society and the effects of fossil fuel use are becoming more visible. There is also an epidemic of chronic disease in the United States that correlates strongly to industrial-scale agriculture and health care is strongly affected by this. The huge disconnect between people and their food is problematic because they no longer have an idea of where their food came from, who farmed it, how it is farmed, and it’s greater impact on the health of the environment, their local community, and their own well being. Today’s farmers are and older, underappreciated group of people; but without their labor and expertise, we would be without food. The possibility that our food is easily contaminated is very serious because it opens up the possibility for terrorist attacks and means that contamination could be extremely widespread because of the concentration of our food sources.
Today, there are around 2 million farms in the country. That’s down nearly 5 million from the 1930’s, and only one fourth of the 2 million are family run farms. (http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/familyfarms/)
The food industry accounts for 10% of all fossil fuel use in the United States. Of all the energy consumed by the food system, only about 20% goes towards production; the remaining 80% is associated with processing, transport, home refrigeration and preparation. (http://attra.ncat.org/new_pubs/attra-pub/PDF/foodmiles.pdf?id=Virginia)
If we do nothing to change our current food system, the environental effects could be devastating and cause ripples through the ecological community. We would see the health of our population decrease and the concern over health care increase significantly. Our farmers and workers would face greater degradation, poorer conditions, and lessened appreciation, while our people grow increasingly ignorant of the effects on our local communities’ health, culture, and environment. The current industrial-scale food system is totally unsustainable and it is vital that we begin to consume locally produced, sustainably grown food.
We should all care deeply about these issues because food is such a huge part of our daily life. We all have a right to know where our food comes from and if the practices used to grow, process and distribute that food are safe and sustainable. With the current disconnect between people and their food, it is often hard to know what industrial farming entails and there are many people who would like to keep it that way. More than likely, when people are educated about our food system they will begin to make different personal choices and demand changes. We cannot afford to remain apathetic when it comes to what we eat; it is time to start thinking locally.
