sustainability writing question and need the explanation and answer to help me learn.
How is the industrial food system in the US connected to the rise of obesity in the US?
Typed response (word or pdf document; ~500 words)
You should write a concise, yet detailed essay with a clear argument based on the course material. Support your arguments and the points you make with specific examples and details from our course material.
Do NOT write an essay that simply strings together a list of loosely-related facts and observations.
DO NOT draw on external sources outside of our course material to write your response.
Use your own words (i.e. do not plagiarize).
Requirements: 500 words
Culture of Consumption
Announcements:➢Starting New Section of our course (Module #3): How Sustainable are Industrial/Postindustrial Societies, like our own (the US)?➢CC#4 this week, based on Lecture, Film, & Readings➢Our Class Schedule has been updated➢Please review updated syllabus/schedule and note all changes➢Due dates for assignments have not changed (aside from Exam 2), but the order of our readings and lectures has shifted.➢Exam 2 will be taken online (on Canvas):➢Available Wed., Nov. 1 (7pm/after class) &➢DUE Wed., Nov. 8 (4pm/before class)➢Exam 1 Results….
Exam 1 Results•Average: % •Median: %Distribution: A: B: C: D:
Which one are you more scared of?…Polyface Farms, Swoope, VirginiaIndustrial Chicken “Farm”
FILM: “Food Inc.”Why are carrots more expensive than potato chips in the US?This is connected to the broader topic of the next few lectures: How is our government subsidizing (paying for!) deteriorating health, social & environmental conditions?Film Reflection #3: “Food Inc.”
Industrial Food(?) Production
FILM: “Food Inc.”Why are carrots more expensive than potato chips in the US?This is connected to the broader topic of the next few lectures: How is our government subsidizing (paying for!) deteriorating health, social & environmental conditions?
3The Anthropology of Food•Is this food?•In the US, we tend to reduce food to nutrients.•Why do you eat what you do?•Do you take a plate-centric view of food?•Humans are uniquely omnivorous. No other mammal, can adapt so readily to different foods. –Inuit survived on diet comprised almost entirely of animal meat, organs, and fat.–Many societies are vegetarian: Hindus
4The Anthropology of Food•Food is a vitally important, both biologically and socially.•The word, “Companion,” for example
5The Anthropology of Food•Linguistically food has privileged status1.Food is so important that we use it to categorize other things, especially people. How we eat & what we eat tells others who we are.2.Eating is a primary way to initiate and maintain human relationships.
61. We use food to connote different social groups:“You are what you eat!”
7Examples: No pork = JewsVegetarianism = Hindus, ‘hippies’Frogs = FrenchKrauts = Germans “You are what you eat!”The manner of preparation of food, what is eaten, how it is eaten, etc, serve to convey social information. 1. We use food to connote different social groups:
82. What is eaten, how it is eaten, etc., serve to convey social information.•Drinks are for strangers, acquaintances, coworkers, and family•Meals are for family, close friends, honored guests•The meal expresses close friendship•Sharing a meal expresses shared social identity and relationship•The grand operator of the system is the line between intimacy and distance. Douglas, M. (1972). “Deciphering a meal.” Daedalus 101(1): 61-81.
9“You are what you eat!”•What do we eat?•Is your choice of food an individual choice?•What are your(?) choices?•Variety? OR corn koalas•We need to think beyond the plate and analyze the food system.
10The US food system in the 1920s•24% of the US population worked in agriculture.•Average farm produced 20 bushels per acre, roughly the same as Native Americans•US farms were diverse: cattle, chickens, corn, wheat, hay, oats, potatoes.•They were more resilient•We spent 22% of our income on food in 1949
11We spend significantly less on food today than we have historically.2022 = 11.3%
12The US industrial food systemThe Myth
13The US industrial food systemThe Reality
The MythThe Reality….
15The US food system today•Today 1.5% of the population works in agriculture •Since 1960, the number of farms has declined from 3.2 million to 1.9 million, but average size has increased by 40% and productivity by 82% •Most just raise single commodities –e.g. corn and soybeans
16•What we think of as “normal” farming in the industrial age.Industrial farming is based on the monocropping paradigm
17Industrial Farming•Great turning point in the industrialization of food: 1947 when a munitions plant switched over to making chemical fertilizer•Discovery of synthetic nitrogen changed everything•Fixing of nitrogen allowed farming to be based on fossil fuel rather than the sun.•Probably the most important invention of the 20th century.Haber-Bosch process
18Industrial Farming•Invention of ‘hybrid’ seeds.•Hybrid: crops selected for certain traits; pollinated in the lab.•Most of the scientific research occurred at public universities and was considered a ‘public good’.•Key selected trait, YIELD•“Green Revolution” – combination of hybrids with fertilizer–Oxymoron?
19Big gains, but big problems
20Example: Gulf of Mexico hypoxia•Hypoxic zone: Oxygen depleted waters caused by excessive amounts of pollution…Problems: Industrial agriculture is polluting & wastefulEnormous amounts of chemical and fossil fuel inputs, contribute to environmental degradation. Runoff, increase in nitrogen.>1 calorie fossil fuels used to produce 1 calorie food, before synthetic fertilizers, 2 calories of food for 1 calorie of energy invested.WET MILLING (Pollan, p88): each calorie produced = 10 calories of fossil fuels burned
21The rise of industrial agriculture also destroyed the small farm•As corn production increased, price of corn declined. Only way for farmer to maintain livelihood was to produce more corn.•Needed less people to grow just corn and soybeans. Small farms disappeared, Depopulated farming communities. “Growing corn is just riding tractors and spraying”. •Cheap corn made it profitable to fatten cows and chicken with corn, hence the farmers couldn’t sell their livestock. –i.e. They cannot compete with CAFOs
22US policies have pushed the price of grains down•Government farm policies once limited production and supported prices, now they increase production and drive down prices.•~$5 billion a year spent subsidizing corn (1995-2020 = $117 billion)–In just 2019: $16 billion in farmer bailouts bc of ‘Trump-China trade war’•Gov. is really subsidizing Cargill and Coca-Cola while the farmer is further impoverished. –4 cents corn = $4 box cereal•Federal payments amount to half the income of Iowa farmers.
23Post WWII Policy – Destroy Family Farm•Since the 1950s, small farms have suffered:–Ezra Benson – Eisenhower era (1950s) “Get Big or Get Out”–Earl Butz – Nixon era (1960s) “Adapt or Die”–Battle was over by the 1970s
24The logic of supply and demand and industrialization are difficult to reconcile with agriculture.• Ecological parameters • “Fixed stomach” & Demand is inelastic: We all need food! Another problem: Farming is not like running a factory
WTF?
27US policy has meant that:•Junk food is cheap•Fruits and vegetables relatively more expensive•$26 billion in direct payments, vast majority goes to very large farms (~2008)•$32.8 billion in 2020 in direct payments (36% farm bill)•Biggest beneficiaries: Food processors and meat producers15 cents$1.25
28Harvested Acreage – The Basic Numbers•268 million acres planted – the source of our food•All food is plant based – animals are intermediaries•Only 1.1% of farmland is used for growing vegetables
29The food system paradox•Worldwide nearly one billion people are undernourished. Usually rural and dependent on agriculture.•And another one billion are obese. •Cuts across class lines but strong correlation: poorer people in rich countries tend to be obese.
30If you are low income, which would you choose?•One dollar buys 1,200 calories of potato chips, and only 250 calories of carrots
31In 2020 there were more than 2.3 billion overweight adults; and, as of 2023, over 1 million of them obese (World Health Organization (WHO))In Japan, about one in every 20 adult women is obese, compared to one in four in Jordan, one in three in the United States and Mexico, and up to seven in 10 in Tonga (2012)Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975 (WHO, 2021).Do we need more production???The current food system has many problems: Health problems
32Monocropping and the “green revolution”: Environmental and Social Problems•Contamination of groundwater•Release of greenhouse gasses•Loss of crop diversity•Eutrophication of lakes, streams, coastal marine ecosystems•Employment opportunities decreases in rural areas and variety of local diets reduced.•Benefits larger richer farmers…impoverished many.•We have exported the green revolution to much the rest of the world•Can we feed the world without destroying it????
33In 1960s we exported industrial farming to the rest of the world. •Centered on “high-yielding” varieties of wheat, rice, and maize that need chemical fertilizers and herbicides to survive•Urged consolidation and centralization•Surpluses and profit margins proportional to size of farm…small farms lose their viability•Key selling point: Generate rural prosperity through the production of marketable surpluses. Make farmers business people!
The latest trend: genetically modified organisms
35India has a surplus of grain…but 250 million people are malnourished, and 1.5 million children die from malnourishment. Malthusian dilemma???Hunger has rarely been associated with overall food storages.Poverty (a social condition) causes hunger and famine.Buffer stocks of rice and wheat in India41.2 million excess tons of grain in 2002(Stone 2002)Glut not scarcity
36Genetically Modified Organisms: Pros and cons?PRO: The Industry case “The Malthus card”:1)Drought tolerance2)Reduce need for herbicides3)Reduce soil erosion4)Insect resistance5)Monsanto videos…save the world from hunger➢Golden Rice exampleCON: The critics’ case1)Ecosystem dangers2)Loss of biodiversity3)Health risks4)The profit motive…patents on crop varieties.➢Terminator gene
Example: Round-up (glyphosate) Ready Cotton37
•Introduced 20 years ago, miraculous results.•But then there was pigweed: palmer amaranth•Pigweed became resistant to round-up.Example: Round-up Ready Cotton38
39•Grows 3 inches a day. A single plant can release close to a million seeds. It’s a bully; if you let it grow beside cotton seedlings, cotton doesn’t stand a chance.Example: Round-up Ready Cotton vs. Pigweed
Example: Round-up Ready Cotton40
Use of herbicide-resistant crops in U.S.Source: USDA
Example: Round-up Ready Cotton•The industries’ answer: They will provide new crops resistant to other chemicals.•Others say: “End the race” and use agro-ecological methods–Example: Rye planting42
•Smother the weeds with a rye cover crop.•Use cover cropping rather than chemical sprays•A strategy of agro-ecology.43Catch a Pigweed in the RyeRye cover crop
Small-scale agroecology: An alternative to current practices•Agroecology=work with nature, not against it.•Some techniques:–Crop Rotations–Polycultures –Agroforestry Systems –Cover Crops –Animal integration 44
Alternatives????Polyface farms45http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=KxTfQpv8xGA
Industrial vs. Polyface farms•Industrial•Annual species•Monoculture•Fossil energy•Global market•Specialized•Mechanical•Imported fertility•Pastoral•Perennial species•Polyculture•Solar energy•Local market•Diversified•Biological•Local fertility46
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH7o3fxw6oEAlternatives:The Greenhorns47
Small-scale agroecology•Some evidence that plants grown this way are more nourishing than those grown in fertilized soils, but no conclusive evidence.•They taste better!!•Plants are less prone to disease and insects•Can be equally productive or more productive than industrialized farming•Why isn’t their more research into agroecology from private companies? Can’t patent the techniques!48
Can agro-ecology feed the world?•YES! But:–We’ll need to eat less meat–Eat locally grown foods (localvorism)–Give more control to the farmers–Create government policies that promote it–Results in healthier people and healthier farm lands•How can this happen?–Start at home–Get involved! First priority: Change US policies49
50Some of Pollan’s suggestions:•Eat food, not food products.•Spend more, eat less.•Pay no heed to nutritional science or the health claims on packages. •Shop at the farmers’ market. •How you eat is as important as what you eat…never eat alone.
Food Deserts
Ted Talk: Ron Finley“A Guerilla Gardener in South Central L.A.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EzZzZ_qpZ4w
Industrial Food(?) Production
FILM: “Food Inc.”Why are carrots more expensive than potato chips in the US?This is connected to the broader topic of the next few lectures: How is our government subsidizing (paying for!) deteriorating health, social & environmental conditions?
3The Anthropology of Food•Is this food?•In the US, we tend to reduce food to nutrients.•Why do you eat what you do?•Do you take a plate-centric view of food?•Humans are uniquely omnivorous. No other mammal, can adapt so readily to different foods. –Inuit survived on diet comprised almost entirely of animal meat, organs, and fat.–Many societies are vegetarian: Hindus
4The Anthropology of Food•Food is a vitally important, both biologically and socially.•The word, “Companion,” for example
5The Anthropology of Food•Linguistically food has privileged status1.Food is so important that we use it to categorize other things, especially people. How we eat & what we eat tells others who we are.2.Eating is a primary way to initiate and maintain human relationships.
61. We use food to connote different social groups:“You are what you eat!”
7Examples: No pork = JewsVegetarianism = Hindus, ‘hippies’Frogs = FrenchKrauts = Germans “You are what you eat!”The manner of preparation of food, what is eaten, how it is eaten, etc, serve to convey social information. 1. We use food to connote different social groups:
82. What is eaten, how it is eaten, etc., serve to convey social information.•Drinks are for strangers, acquaintances, coworkers, and family•Meals are for family, close friends, honored guests•The meal expresses close friendship•Sharing a meal expresses shared social identity and relationship•The grand operator of the system is the line between intimacy and distance. Douglas, M. (1972). “Deciphering a meal.” Daedalus 101(1): 61-81.
9“You are what you eat!”•What do we eat?•Is your choice of food an individual choice?•What are your(?) choices?•Variety? OR corn koalas•We need to think beyond the plate and analyze the food system.
10The US food system in the 1920s•24% of the US population worked in agriculture.•Average farm produced 20 bushels per acre, roughly the same as Native Americans•US farms were diverse: cattle, chickens, corn, wheat, hay, oats, potatoes.•They were more resilient•We spent 22% of our income on food in 1949
11We spend significantly less on food today than we have historically.2022 = 11.3%
12The US industrial food systemThe Myth
13The US industrial food systemThe Reality
The MythThe Reality….
15The US food system today•Today 1.5% of the population works in agriculture •Since 1960, the number of farms has declined from 3.2 million to 1.9 million, but average size has increased by 40% and productivity by 82% •Most just raise single commodities –e.g. corn and soybeans
16•What we think of as “normal” farming in the industrial age.Industrial farming is based on the monocropping paradigm
17Industrial Farming•Great turning point in the industrialization of food: 1947 when a munitions plant switched over to making chemical fertilizer•Discovery of synthetic nitrogen changed everything•Fixing of nitrogen allowed farming to be based on fossil fuel rather than the sun.•Probably the most important invention of the 20th century.Haber-Bosch process
18Industrial Farming•Invention of ‘hybrid’ seeds.•Hybrid: crops selected for certain traits; pollinated in the lab.•Most of the scientific research occurred at public universities and was considered a ‘public good’.•Key selected trait, YIELD•“Green Revolution” – combination of hybrids with fertilizer–Oxymoron?
19Big gains, but big problems
20Example: Gulf of Mexico hypoxia•Hypoxic zone: Oxygen depleted waters caused by excessive amounts of pollution…Problems: Industrial agriculture is polluting & wastefulEnormous amounts of chemical and fossil fuel inputs, contribute to environmental degradation. Runoff, increase in nitrogen.>1 calorie fossil fuels used to produce 1 calorie food, before synthetic fertilizers, 2 calories of food for 1 calorie of energy invested.WET MILLING (Pollan, p88): each calorie produced = 10 calories of fossil fuels burned
21The rise of industrial agriculture also destroyed the small farm•As corn production increased, price of corn declined. Only way for farmer to maintain livelihood was to produce more corn.•Needed less people to grow just corn and soybeans. Small farms disappeared, Depopulated farming communities. “Growing corn is just riding tractors and spraying”. •Cheap corn made it profitable to fatten cows and chicken with corn, hence the farmers couldn’t sell their livestock. –i.e. They cannot compete with CAFOs
22US policies have pushed the price of grains down•Government farm policies once limited production and supported prices, now they increase production and drive down prices.•~$5 billion a year spent subsidizing corn (1995-2020 = $117 billion)–In just 2019: $16 billion in farmer bailouts bc of ‘Trump-China trade war’•Gov. is really subsidizing Cargill and Coca-Cola while the farmer is further impoverished. –4 cents corn = $4 box cereal•Federal payments amount to half the income of Iowa farmers.
23Post WWII Policy – Destroy Family Farm•Since the 1950s, small farms have suffered:–Ezra Benson – Eisenhower era (1950s) “Get Big or Get Out”–Earl Butz – Nixon era (1960s) “Adapt or Die”–Battle was over by the 1970s
24The logic of supply and demand and industrialization are difficult to reconcile with agriculture.• Ecological parameters • “Fixed stomach” & Demand is inelastic: We all need food! Another problem: Farming is not like running a factory
WTF?
27US policy has meant that:•Junk food is cheap•Fruits and vegetables relatively more expensive•$26 billion in direct payments, vast majority goes to very large farms (~2008)•$32.8 billion in 2020 in direct payments (36% farm bill)•Biggest beneficiaries: Food processors and meat producers15 cents$1.25
28Harvested Acreage – The Basic Numbers•268 million acres planted – the source of our food•All food is plant based – animals are intermediaries•Only 1.1% of farmland is used for growing vegetables
29The food system paradox•Worldwide nearly one billion people are undernourished. Usually rural and dependent on agriculture.•And another one billion are obese. •Cuts across class lines but strong correlation: poorer people in rich countries tend to be obese.
30If you are low income, which would you choose?•One dollar buys 1,200 calories of potato chips, and only 250 calories of carrots
31In 2020 there were more than 2.3 billion overweight adults; and, as of 2023, over 1 million of them obese (World Health Organization (WHO))In Japan, about one in every 20 adult women is obese, compared to one in four in Jordan, one in three in the United States and Mexico, and up to seven in 10 in Tonga (2012)Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975 (WHO, 2021).Do we need more production???The current food system has many problems: Health problems
32Monocropping and the “green revolution”: Environmental and Social Problems•Contamination of groundwater•Release of greenhouse gasses•Loss of crop diversity•Eutrophication of lakes, streams, coastal marine ecosystems•Employment opportunities decreases in rural areas and variety of local diets reduced.•Benefits larger richer farmers…impoverished many.•We have exported the green revolution to much the rest of the world•Can we feed the world without destroying it????
33In 1960s we exported industrial farming to the rest of the world. •Centered on “high-yielding” varieties of wheat, rice, and maize that need chemical fertilizers and herbicides to survive•Urged consolidation and centralization•Surpluses and profit margins proportional to size of farm…small farms lose their viability•Key selling point: Generate rural prosperity through the production of marketable surpluses. Make farmers business people!
The latest trend: genetically modified organisms
35India has a surplus of grain…but 250 million people are malnourished, and 1.5 million children die from malnourishment. Malthusian dilemma???Hunger has rarely been associated with overall food storages.Poverty (a social condition) causes hunger and famine.Buffer stocks of rice and wheat in India41.2 million excess tons of grain in 2002(Stone 2002)Glut not scarcity
36Genetically Modified Organisms: Pros and cons?PRO: The Industry case “The Malthus card”:1)Drought tolerance2)Reduce need for herbicides3)Reduce soil erosion4)Insect resistance5)Monsanto videos…save the world from hunger➢Golden Rice exampleCON: The critics’ case1)Ecosystem dangers2)Loss of biodiversity3)Health risks4)The profit motive…patents on crop varieties.➢Terminator gene
Example: Round-up (glyphosate) Ready Cotton37
•Introduced 20 years ago, miraculous results.•But then there was pigweed: palmer amaranth•Pigweed became resistant to round-up.Example: Round-up Ready Cotton38
39•Grows 3 inches a day. A single plant can release close to a million seeds. It’s a bully; if you let it grow beside cotton seedlings, cotton doesn’t stand a chance.Example: Round-up Ready Cotton vs. Pigweed
Example: Round-up Ready Cotton40
Use of herbicide-resistant crops in U.S.Source: USDA
Example: Round-up Ready Cotton•The industries’ answer: They will provide new crops resistant to other chemicals.•Others say: “End the race” and use agro-ecological methods–Example: Rye planting42
•Smother the weeds with a rye cover crop.•Use cover cropping rather than chemical sprays•A strategy of agro-ecology.43Catch a Pigweed in the RyeRye cover crop
Small-scale agroecology: An alternative to current practices•Agroecology=work with nature, not against it.•Some techniques:–Crop Rotations–Polycultures –Agroforestry Systems –Cover Crops –Animal integration 44
Alternatives????Polyface farms45http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=KxTfQpv8xGA
Industrial vs. Polyface farms•Industrial•Annual species•Monoculture•Fossil energy•Global market•Specialized•Mechanical•Imported fertility•Pastoral•Perennial species•Polyculture•Solar energy•Local market•Diversified•Biological•Local fertility46
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH7o3fxw6oEAlternatives:The Greenhorns47
Small-scale agroecology•Some evidence that plants grown this way are more nourishing than those grown in fertilized soils, but no conclusive evidence.•They taste better!!•Plants are less prone to disease and insects•Can be equally productive or more productive than industrialized farming•Why isn’t their more research into agroecology from private companies? Can’t patent the techniques!48
Can agro-ecology feed the world?•YES! But:–We’ll need to eat less meat–Eat locally grown foods (localvorism)–Give more control to the farmers–Create government policies that promote it–Results in healthier people and healthier farm lands•How can this happen?–Start at home–Get involved! First priority: Change US policies49
50Some of Pollan’s suggestions:•Eat food, not food products.•Spend more, eat less.•Pay no heed to nutritional science or the health claims on packages. •Shop at the farmers’ market. •How you eat is as important as what you eat…never eat alone.
Food Deserts
Ted Talk: Ron Finley“A Guerilla Gardener in South Central L.A.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EzZzZ_qpZ4w
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