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Nicolette Hahn Niman, author of Righteous Porkchop, guided a session at the Naked Development Forum in May on the current state of agricultural systems, focusing in on the growing problems with the world’s food supply. Nicolette explained the inhumane living conditions for animals and told us the repercussions for these conditions – both for our health and the health of the land. She went on to speak about sustainable farming and its benefits – to animals, the land and to us. She cited several examples including she and her husband’s ranch, NIMAN RANCH, one of the largest organic meat distributors in the United States.

Factory farming: These farms usually consist of one crop (monocrop production) or animal – and they grow as much of this product physically possible in the amount of space they have. (Also known as industrial farming)

Traditional farming: These farms produce less  but produce greater varieties. Usually these maintain a cyclical farming cycle- rotating crops, animals and rest periods on the land, allowing time for regrowth. (Often associated with sustainable farming and organic farming)

As many already know, and many are finding out, the world’s agricultural systems have changed dramatically over the past century. Farms have gone from producing for a town or county to producing for multiple states and sometimes other countries. It seems traditional farms (and organic farms) have trouble competing with industrial farms, which can produce higher yields in less time. At first, one might think that sounds like a good thing – more food, less time to grow it, but at what costs?

If we only looked at the prices on grocery store shelves, yes, organic foods would probably come out on the higher end. But when Nicolette is talking about costs, she’s talking about the big costs- on the environment, our health, the welfare of the animals- not the price you see at the grocery store.

LET’S COMPARE: The Environment

Factory Farms:
Soil: growing so many of one crop (monocrop farming) is hard on land- it uses soil nutrients without replenishing them- leading to needing more and more fertilizer.
Monocropping: Growing a single crop destroys diversity, including animal diversity. This is a problem because without diversity disease is more easily spread and can wipe out entire populations.
Waste: Not growing crops and animals on a single farm creates waste- as animal manure, a natural fertilizer, has no need on a farm which doesn’t grow crops nor allow its animals to graze.
Toxic Run-off: Pesticides and manure often end up in run-off which goes into streams, contaminating human water sources. Salinization also makes water unusable.
Oil: Factory farming processes use tons of oil: tractors, bringing feed in from other sources, shipping animals to processing plants, running processing plants, and shipping the products all over the world- factory farming is dependent on oil. According to a study by Iowa State, fruit and vegetables travel an average of 1500 miles during their lifetime.
Irrigation: Some farms are using aquifer water at a rate in which it cannot be replenished. At this rate the aquifer will eventually dry out.

Traditional Farms: Growing limited amounts of crops and animals, traditional farms are able to use manure as a fertilizer. Rotating animals and crops, the land has a chance to regrow and keeps its value over the years.

LET’S COMPARE: Our Health

Factory Farms: Crops often have pests, so to combat these pests factory farms use pesticides or switch to GMO (genetically modified organism) seeds, most of which contain pesticide. For animals, keeping unclean close quarters spreads illnesses. Loading their food with antibiotics helps in preventing these illnesses but these pesticides and antibiotics don’t just disappear once the animal is processed. Many towns and cities have issued complaints against factory farms who have contaminated their water source and directly effected their well-being.

Traditional Farms: The long-term effects of consuming pesticide and antibiotic residue is largely unknown but often debated. Eating foods grown traditionally doesn’t leave the result up to question.

LET’S COMPARE: The Animals

Factory Farms: These animals don’t lead normal lives. Pregnant sows are kept in crates where they cannot move until they give birth. They have scabs on their bodies from rubbing against the bars. Cows are fed corn diets which their stomachs are not made to process- this often causes giant tumors and bloating. Chickens are have their beaks seared off. Turkeys are bred with chests so large they can no longer reproduce naturally. This doesn’t seem like a life worth living.

Traditional Farms: Animals have room to move and interact with one another. Pregnant sows can make nests for their young before giving birth. Animals are outside year-round with access to shelter. They can exercise, graze, and breath fresh air.

Conclusions
“Nicolette’s session brought up many important issues: from unsustainable farming methods to environmental costs, something needs to be done about farming in our country.  Education and action are needed. It’s important to keep ourselves aware of how our food is produced. We have the power to cause change simply with our personal choices. As cliche as it sounds, every time we pick up our fork we have the power to vote for change- read labels, ask questions, and keep yourself aware. Agricultural systems are our most important infrastructure” – Kate Stice

FACTS & FIGURES:

Water

• Agriculture is the #1 water polluter.
• Less than 1% of water on Earth is available for human consumption. (97% is seawater, 2% is glacier water.)
• 13% of US farmland is dependent on irrigation.
• 20% of irrigated water is taken out of aquifers that cannot regenerate it as fast as we’re using it.

Air

• 38% of confined pig facility workers have chronic lung disease.

Soil

• 52% of US land is used for agriculture as opposed to 3% being used for urban.
• Every minute we lose 2 acres of farmland.
• We lost farmland 51% faster in the 1990s than in the 1980s.
• We’re developing the best farmland in unsustainable ways, using up its resources and leaving it barren. This will eventually leave us with only moderate farm land which will require more resources (fertilizers, irrigation, etc) to use it.
• 80% of US agriculture land shows severe to moderate erosion. This is a rate 17 times faster than nature can recreate it.
• 75% of genetic diversity had been lost in the 20th century. As mentioned earlier, without genetic diversity, disease can wipe out entire herds or populations.

Humans

• In 1930, there were more than 7 million farmers in the United States. Today, there are less than 1 million.

What isn’t working about our current food systems?

• Bad food is too convenient and cheap: The true cost of bad food is hidden (health, environmental problems); Lower-income levels consume some of the most processed foods due to a lower cost.
• Lack of public education about health: For most of the public there is a  disconnect between buying food and where the food comes from as well as how the foods we eat affect our health.
• Current production models don’t take the future fertility of the land into account: The average current production system is taking a cyclical cycle and trying to make it linear. Monoculture agriculture creates weak soil as well as less nutritious food. This lack of crop rotation uses up soil faster and degrades out future ability to create food with that same soil. With topsoil rates declining we can not afford for this system to stay in place.
• Poor assessment of highest and best use of land by municipalities some of the best topsoil used for subdivisions.
• Current system does not reflect “true costs” as in the environmental costs and human health. Government subsides have contributed to this distortion of the market place.
• Transportation of foods take up a lot of fuel, time, energy and money in our economy.
• Market demand has promoted efficient food production, not healthy food production. Our economy is creating the most food that lasts the longest. We create food that travels well and has a long shelf life, not based on nutrition.
• Modern growing methods are bad for our health: Besides, factory farming pesticides create major health issues and there are doubts on the long-term effects of genetically modified food.