Food for the Future
{OUR ANSWER TO WORLD HUNGER}
The dawn of the Industrial Revolution and the development of technology are largely responsible for the existence of the agricultural processes we see around us today. Below are some common examples:
Farming machinery
Tractors were used for tilling, preparing the soil, planting seeds, as well as crop harvesting, and are considered the lifeblood of the farm.
Other vehicles like trucks, helicopters, and airplanes are also used for the aerial watering of crops, livestock herd management, and transportation of cultivated crops or farm machinery.
There are even machineries used for harvesting animal products, such as milking machines for milking cows.
John Deere Model R Farm Tractor. Reproduced from VanNatta Logging and Forestry site. (n.d.)
Irrigation
Before the integration of technology, plantations were watered through rainfalls, by hand, or farm animals, thus crops were vulnerable to droughts and overall water supply. Irrigation, the artificial watering of plants and fields, not only secured the availability of water, but also made the task of watering fields much more efficient.
For example, in dry areas like Egypt, water for crops is collected from the Nile River through water pumps.
Irrigation Africa. Reproduced from The Hope Project. (n.d.)
Modern Transportation
Modern transportation such as trucks, trains, or helicopters bring a great degree of convenience not only to farmers but to end-consumers as well.
Modern transportation technology help farmers to transport bulks of fertilizers, seeds and farming machineries from farm to farm. Additionally, they help to speed up the supply of farm products to markets for sale to consumers in all parts of the world.
Food. Reproduced from David Suzuki Foundation. (March 2010)
CURRENT AGRICULTURAL PROCESSES
Use of pesticides & other chemicals
Technology enabled the creation of chemicals, such as pesticides, that play an essential role in pest management and crop protection.
Pesticides play a key role in raising crop yields and ensuring sufficient food supply over the years. Chemical fertilisers also play an important role in increasing crop yield by providing farm soil with the necessary nutrients to optimise crop quality, as well as speed up the cultivation period regardless of field location.
Farm Pesticide Application. Reproduced from North Carolina Cooperative Extension. (August 2013)
Organic farming:
Although the use of pesticides drastically increases crop yields, pesticides are known to produce many adverse human health and environmental side-effects. This has consequently given rise to organic farming, a form of agriculture that strictly minimises or excludes the use of any synthetic chemicals, such as pesticides.
It involves integrating scientific knowledge of the ecosystem and modern technology, such as biotechnology, with traditional farming techniques that are centred on naturally-occurring biological processes. It has minimal impact on both the environment and human health.
Organic Food. Reproduced from EurActiv. (n.d.)
