American Food Production System

Most of our food supply originates from agriculture, the production of food through farming. Over the past century, industrialization and other similar trends have drastically transformed the United States agriculture, redefining farmer’s decisions towards their ecosystems in the process. While industrial agriculture has increased food production, it has also resulted in various health, environmental, social and economic issues. Organic and sustainable agriculture movements offer alternative approaches that are more ecologically peaceful and healthy.

In the past several years, the economics of the food production system has changed dramatically. Thousands of farms have doubled as new government policy have encouraged bigger, more intensive farm techniques, such as the production of meat, eggs, etc… Many corporations such as; producers of seeds, meat and milk now control most aspects of the food production system, giving them enormous power to control the markets, and of course enable them to influence agricultural regulations. Promoters of this new industrial model show off their “efficiency,” demonstrating their ability to produce a huge amount of cheap food. These demonstrations however, fails to take into considerations the many undercover costs, such as declining farmer equity, environmental damage, and health consequences.


Decisions about what food is produced, how it is produced and who produces it are being changed from farmers to the hands of a small number of really influential corporations. This new trend of agricultural concentration can leave farmers with fewer choices about where to acquire supplies, such as seeds, pesticides, and where to process their products. Farmers are being pressured into following the practices that are specifically dictated by the big companies, leading to a loss of skills, agricultural knowledge, and a bigger loss of animal biodiversity. In the end, industrialization and market concentration forces a farmer to give up on what they believe is the best for their land and animals. Trying to address these types of issues in the current food production system requires a more collaborative effort from farmers, industries, and most importantly the consumers.

Heavy reliance on agricultural chemicals is one way by which the practices associated with industrial agriculture can greatly affect our environment. In order to provide crops with nutrients, most farmers now apply some type of chemical fertilizer, or manure to farm crops. Over time, many of the targeted species, develop resistance to the pesticides being used against them. This causes farmers to continually need to apply more chemicals to achieve their goals of keeping away pests from their crops. This specific practice is contributing to the loss of biodiversity. People can be also be exposed to the pesticides through air inhalation.

Due to all these problems, new type of movements towards a more sound agriculture have gained more popularity. These alternatives aim at reducing the health, environmental, and economic issues associated with the current food production system. In a more local level, communities can have their own garden where vegetables are grown pesticides-free. Something really important that every individual can do is know where their food comes from and spread the wealth of knowledge by informing others.