Everybody needs to eat everyday; after the air we breathe and the water we drink, food is the basis of life. As the world's population increases, so does the demand for food. Consequently, there is pressure on the land used to produce that food as urban centers expand, as the techniques for intensive agricultural production aim for one more bushel of corn out of each acre and one kilogram of beef from every pasture.
In the rush to produce more for a hungry world, the aspects of food quality, environmental concerns and sustainable agricultural practices have been in the background. Today, however, they are becoming important issues as consumers wonder about just what it is that they're eating and how it is produced. Farmers, for their part, become concerned that with 98% of the population no longer working on the farm, people become detached from the source of their nutrition, the farm, and what it takes to produce that food. Is milk simply a plastic bag on the supermarket shelf, or is it part of an incredibly complex biological and technological process that now feeds nearly 6 billion people?
AgroMedia is an attempt to examine these issues and provide you, the student, with some understanding of what it takes to feed the world.
Have a taste . . . enjoy!
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Soil and Water Conservation | Biotechnology | |||
| Good soil and water are essential to our agricultural system. Unfortunately, careless actions can wash away or pollute these precious resources. This section looks at the problems facing soil and water conservation as well as the actions taken to defend these resources. | Biotechnology is a big and controversial field of science. This section explores both sides of the story, looking at issues like biodiversity, the history of biotechnology, and a crash course in the biology behind it. | |||
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Animal Welfare | Costs of Producing Food | |||
| Animals are often part of agricultural and scientific work. Sometimes, they are mistreated. But what is mistreatment? How does it apply to agriculture? Lab testing? Has the lot of animals improved? | The economics of growing are more complicated than simply seed and feed. Many other factors determine the cost of agricultural products. Food must be processed, packaged and transported, often fresh, to the consumer. Along the way, the businesses involved have some complicated choices to make. | |||
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Environmental Impact | Globalization | |||
| Every action taken by humans has some environmental impact. Agriculture is no exception. This section explores issues like global warming and use of chemicals as they relate to agriculture. | The "New World Order" seems to involve a trend towards globalization, that is, farmers all over the world competing with each other. This section explores the impact of this, the ethics involved, and how farmers can respond to the trials imposed by this system. | |||
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Pesticides | Non-food Products | |||
| Pesticides are a fact of life for many farmers. Used improperly, the farmer risks all sorts of trouble. With careful planning, pesticides can be the lesser of two evils, reducing crop loss and increasing quality. This section explores various approaches and philosophies applied to pesticides. | Most people have heard of hemp fibers being used in clothing. How about straw paper? Agricultural products have found their way into many places other than the kitchen, and inventive new ideas are always being brought forward to save our limited non-agricultural resources. | |||
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Energy Use | Credits and Help | |||
| Along with the rest of the modern world, agriculture has become dependant on a reliable source of energy. The challenges faced by any sort of farmer when that source dries up are enormous. The ice storm of early 1998 in the Montréal region was an example of such a situation. This section will also take a look at renewable energy and energy situations for farmers worldwide. | Needing help? This link will take you to the help page, where the glossary, search engine and the site map are at your disposal. Along with these links, there is a section devoted to the people who sponsored and constructed this website. | |||