Agricultechnology!

Agriculture and the environment

"You are what you eat"

As we came across the topic of GM foods, I admit, I had the common misconception of "fraken-foods" in my head. Previously, I was not the biggest fan of purple cabbage, and I would've staved off ketchup if I knew it was GM! Ask me again today, and I would tell you I am fine with GM food, as long as I know what I am getting. Most consumers would be fine with products that have altered genes to increase yields, but the general labeling of GM food is ill-advised. This lack of clear information on this industry has led to unfounded fears in the general public. 

Perhaps with clearer labeling schemes, GM food might gain more support. This is important as repeat purchases would help to reinforce business behaviors and help expand its scale of operations. I believe that GM food is going to be the food of the future. You could basically "configure" your crop to your advantage, increasing yields and creating hardier plants. With increasing global demand, as well as constant climate changes, it's impractical to use the non-modified seeds due to the fragility of the crops.

Looking at existing agricultural practices, it is impractical to continue doing things the same way we have for centuries. Families in Bangladesh are passing down the same plot of land, generation after generation. This once arable plot of land has been drained of its nutrients, decreasing crop yield. It is hardly enough for the family to sustain itself! 

This is where Prof brought about the comparison between farmers and farmists. It was an interesting look at farmers, who were once low-skilled workers as compared to the bulk of today's population. There was something that wasn't pointed out though, and that would be the areas in which the farmists carry out their work.

Farmists are able to work on non-arable land, which is especially important considering the centuries of crop cultivation being carried out on almost every single plot of nutrient-rich land in the world. This means that farmers today are unable to achieve yields like in the past. On the other hand, farmists work in the lab, where it is not only space-efficient and achieves the same yield, but overall its just an effective method of cultivation. This is because you are able to control the environment in which the plants are grown, instead of the traditional method of crops being at the mercy of the weather. Not only should the crop have high yields, but the guarantee of yields at constant time periods are crucial as well.

Furthermore, there has always been the problem of a misallocation of food resources around the world; Hunger is one of the MDG's that has not been achieved yet. One of the contributing factors would be due to uncertainty of yields in crops. Why do I say so? Developed countries are buying up arable land in less developed countries to "counteract" the different climates countries across the globe might experience at any one point of time (e.g. the temperate climate in Europe as compared to the tropical climate of India), in order to diversify their crop yields. This would not be fair to the less technologically-advanced countries, who have to stick to the traditional way of growing their produce due to the lack of technology. The area of arable land still available for cultivation is thus reduced, leading to less food produced for the country.

I believe that the future should look to agricultural labs, as a stable way to generate food for the population. World food production has to increase exponentially in order to meet the demand by 2050, and with all the uncertainties in climate change, GM foods are definitely the way to go. However, this adoption has to be facilitated through stages. Developed countries should take the first step first, as they have the technology and means to achieve farmists. This would give developing countries more arable area to use the traditional method of growing crops, allowing for a smoother transition towards farmists. In the end, every farmer should aim to become a farmist!

Overall, I would rate this session a 7.5/10. I will never take the food we have for granted ever again!