Sustainable Agriculture: The Ethical Choice for the Future Essay

Sustainable Agriculture: The Ethical Choice for the Future Thesis: The idea of sustainable agriculture is a legitimate, logical, and necessary approach to the new concerns and problems stemming from current agricultural trends in light of impending global food shortages and rapid depletion of natural resources. Introduction Agriculture has been a principal source of obtaining food to meet basic needs of humans for thousands of years. More recently, with the industrialization of agriculture, increased efficiency, and a decreased need for small rural farmers, there has been a resulting disconnect of consumers to the process in which their food is produced. As we are embarking on a new century, there is growing concern that perhaps our industrialized agriculture system is not functioning as effectively as it has in the past. It is time that we move to adopt a new paradigm as we realize the effects of modern agriculture on our environment, economic viability, and social justice issues, in light of the impending global food shortage. According to John Ikerd from the University of Missouri, traditional agriculturists currently foresee a continued trend toward fewer, larger, and more specialized production units. They see current trends continuing until a half-dozen or so multinational corporations control vir tually all processing and distribution of agricultural commodities in a single global food and fiber market. With this movement continuing as it is now â€Å"there will be increasing reliance on biological technologies and information technologies at all levels within the global agricultural system. Forecasts of the continued industrialization of agriculture permeate both professional agricultural publications and the popular... ...orld today. It is the ethical choice for those of us concerned with the well-being of future generations and the rural communities today. Works Cited Hassanein, Neva. Changing the Way America Farms. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 1999. Bird, Elizabeth Ann R., et al. Planting the Future. Iowa State University Press, Ames, 1995. Pretty, Jules N. Regenerating Agriculture. Joseph Henry Press, Washington D.C., 1995. â€Å"Why so much controversy over Genetically Modified Organisms?† October 25, 2003. <http://www.cimmyt.cgiar.org/ABC/10-FAQaboutGMOs/htm/10-FAQaboutGMOs.htm>. Ikerd, John. "Sustainable Agriculture: A Positive Alternative to Industrial Agriculture" October 25, 2003 <http://www.ssu.missouri.edu/faculty/jikerd/papers/ks-hrtld.htm >. â€Å"Disadvantages of No-Till† October 25, 2003. <http://pas.byu.edu/AgHrt282/Tillage/sld023.htm> Sustainable Agriculture: The Ethical Choice for the Future Essay Sustainable Agriculture: The Ethical Choice for the Future Thesis: The idea of sustainable agriculture is a legitimate, logical, and necessary approach to the new concerns and problems stemming from current agricultural trends in light of impending global food shortages and rapid depletion of natural resources. Introduction Agriculture has been a principal source of obtaining food to meet basic needs of humans for thousands of years. More recently, with the industrialization of agriculture, increased efficiency, and a decreased need for small rural farmers, there has been a resulting disconnect of consumers to the process in which their food is produced. As we are embarking on a new century, there is growing concern that perhaps our industrialized agriculture system is not functioning as effectively as it has in the past. It is time that we move to adopt a new paradigm as we realize the effects of modern agriculture on our environment, economic viability, and social justice issues, in light of the impending global food shortage. According to John Ikerd from the University of Missouri, traditional agriculturists currently foresee a continued trend toward fewer, larger, and more specialized production units. They see current trends continuing until a half-dozen or so multinational corporations control vir tually all processing and distribution of agricultural commodities in a single global food and fiber market. With this movement continuing as it is now â€Å"there will be increasing reliance on biological technologies and information technologies at all levels within the global agricultural system. Forecasts of the continued industrialization of agriculture permeate both professional agricultural publications and the popular... ...orld today. It is the ethical choice for those of us concerned with the well-being of future generations and the rural communities today. Works Cited Hassanein, Neva. Changing the Way America Farms. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 1999. Bird, Elizabeth Ann R., et al. Planting the Future. Iowa State University Press, Ames, 1995. Pretty, Jules N. Regenerating Agriculture. Joseph Henry Press, Washington D.C., 1995. â€Å"Why so much controversy over Genetically Modified Organisms?† October 25, 2003. <http://www.cimmyt.cgiar.org/ABC/10-FAQaboutGMOs/htm/10-FAQaboutGMOs.htm>. Ikerd, John. "Sustainable Agriculture: A Positive Alternative to Industrial Agriculture" October 25, 2003 <http://www.ssu.missouri.edu/faculty/jikerd/papers/ks-hrtld.htm >. â€Å"Disadvantages of No-Till† October 25, 2003. <http://pas.byu.edu/AgHrt282/Tillage/sld023.htm>

Swaziland

Swaziland Death tolls in Swaziland continue to rise while mounting pressure of the economy and lack of control brings Swaziland to the brink of disaster. Bordered between South Africa and Mozambique, Swaziland is a tiny country that contains 1. 2 million citizens. This country was promised independence by the British in the late 19th century. It was then granted to Swaziland in 1968. The current leader of Swaziland is King Mwsati III and the Deputy Prime Minister is Themba Masuka. While balancing a monarchy government and a crippled economy, King Mwsati is trying everything in his power to get Swaziland back on track.The death toll of HIV/AIDS is getting worse because of the lack of money the government funds to help prevent this deadly disease. Due to the consistent low Gross Domestic Product Swaziland receives each year, the government struggles to provide money which could help the country by offering education, treatment, and medicine. HIV/AIDS has taken over almost the entire co untry of Swaziland’s 1. 2 million citizens. Swaziland’s biggest problem continues to be the extremely high death toll due to a disease known as HIV/AIDS. According to Avert. om, â€Å"HIV is a virus that can only infect human beings†. This virus weakens your immune system by destroying important cells that fight diseases and continues to reproduce throughout the entire human body, if it goes untreated. AIDS is the final stage of the HIV infection. You retain the disease when your immune system is not working properly, or in other words, when your immune system becomes ‘deficient’. This disease can spread dramatically through contact with an affected person’s body fluids from sharing hypodermic needles associated with drugs.Currently in Swaziland, about three in every one hundred people are infected with HIV and about seven thousand people die each year. More than seventy thousand children have been orphaned throughout the country because they have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. The Swaziland government is trying everything in their power to limit this virus, but they cannot fulfill their plans due to stubborn people or lack of money the country inherits. As the current economic conditions worsen, the ability to assist those with HIV/Aids becomes difficult due to the lack of food and water.People have resorted to eating cow dung for nourishment as they need to have food when they take their medicine. With water being limited, due to the constant droughts; they have turned towards drinking the urine of animals. This has made it even more difficult for the government to assist. Swaziland is a small nation struggling for growth in their economy. Currently, Swaziland’s GDP has only increased by 0. 3% in the past year. Compared to other countries, Swaziland is ranked 191 out of 216 countries in the GDP growth rate. Swaziland has had numerous road blocks that have affected them leading up to a poor economy.This includes droughts, low agricultural activity, and the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS that have contributed to the many factors of struggling country. The increased spending for transfers, wages, and subsidies has not helped the economy but has led to budget deficits. Another economic problem for Swaziland is the lack of exports the country provides for other countries. According to Wikipedia. com, â€Å"The Swazi economy is very closely linked to the South African economy, from which it receives over 90% of its imports and to which it sends about 70% of its exports†.Because Swaziland is blockaded from the ocean, not many countries trade with Swaziland but trade with South Africa. Countries around the world believe Swaziland’s trading goods are not the best due to the disease of HIV/AIDs that has taken almost the whole population. Since Swaziland’s economy is slowly sinking or as stated by the Times of Swaziland, an â€Å"Economic Crisis†, the government will cont inue to struggle and provide the funding needed to prevent the major effect of HIV/AIDS that has taken over the country.Even though Swaziland has major economic and medical issues to address, the government still has a chance to turn it around if they can educate and assist the Swazis on what needs to be done. All Swazis agree that budget cuts are needed due to the financial crisis they are in, but they cannot agree on what should be done. Limiting the virus of HIV/AIDS could help the economy tremendously because less people will die each year causing more people to work and redistributing funds for other means. Families are breaking down and the percentage of orphans is increasing.The extended family support is declining with no one to look after the orphans or other family members, but if more treatment is available more healthy Swazis can be productive. By more people being able to work creates more goods to trade which can increase the GDP. If the economy recovers, many budget c uts will be eliminated and more funding toward HIV/AIDS will be spent. If the Swazis listen to the government and buy into a well-defined economic plan, I believe the country will slowly start to change and be on the road to recovery.

The Age Of Innocence By Edith Wharton - 1558 Words

The family-oriented 1950 s were perhaps the last decade in which women s behavior and social norms were in agreement, according to the study, entitled American Women in Transition. There is much controversy on the social norms of women. In her well credited novel The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton uses gender roles to emphasize that women are seen inferior to men while portraying that it is socially acceptable in their society to objectify women and categorize them based on their actions. She uses two highly contrasting characters that both embody desirable traits as well as inexpedient traits in order to convey this. Wharton’s parents were wealthy conservatives who belonged to New York’s upper class. At the age of 23, she wed a wealthy upper class man as her parents had wanted. Wharton was not fond of any of the events which came along with the lifestyle, leading her to a nervous breakdown a few years into her marriage. When she was younger she had written short stories and poems, so subsequently when she had her break down it was recommended that she start to write again. She wrote the novel incompletely as a representation of her own life and struggles. Newland Archer evidently holds a predisposition for objectifying Countess Ellen Olenska as well as May Welland. Wharton describes this perception of May on page 6 of the novel as, â€Å"he contemplated her absorbed young face with a thrill of possessorship in which pride in his own masculine initiation wasShow MoreRelatedThe Age Of Innocence By Edith Wharton1539 Words   |  7 PagesIn Edith Wharton’s novel, The Age of Innocence, the old New York society accepted those who followed moral codes and dreaded hearing those who did not. Growing up in a society that has strict rules and traditions in the 1800’s, Wharton wrote books about this time period and how characters were affected by these societal rules and traditions. Edith Wharton grew up in New York City and spent most her life there. She met her husband, Edward Wharton there and continued writing other novels as well. LaterRead MoreThe Age Of Innocence By Edith Wharton2131 Words   |  9 Pages The novel, The Age of Innocence, is the story of Newland Archer, a lawyer and heir to one of New York s most prominent families. Newland is planning to marry the young, beautiful and sheltered May Welland, however when May s exotic cousin, the Countess Ellen Olenska, appears on the scene he begins to question these plans. Throughout The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton uses the social interactions and attitudes of Newland Archer and his friends as a means of weighing society itself. The genreRead MoreEssay on The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton539 Words   |  3 Pages Edith Wharton was the author of The Age of Innocence, a novel published in 1920. In the book, many topics were considered, such as divorce, the empowerment of women, and the lifestyle of the wealthy. The inspiration for these motifs occurred throughout her life. Although Edith Wharton’s work was not well-received, the topics included in her writings held many truths about upper-class society in the late 1800s; therefore, Edith Wharton was influenced by her past and societal experiences. WhartonRead MoreThe Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton1505 Words   |  6 Pages  Ã‚  Ã‚  The  narrator  is  able  to  share  how  life  in  high  New  York  society  functions.   More  specifically,  the  narrator  is  able  to  reveal  Newland  Archer’s  thoughts  and  emotions  as  he   works  through  his  internal  struggle.    ­Irony ­Ã‚   The  book  being  called  The  Age  of  Innocence  is  ironic  because  the  one  who  would  be  perceived   as  being  most  innocent,  is  not  as  naà ¯ve  as  believed.  May  Welland  Archer  grew  up  innocent  and   naà ¯ve  and  has  never  known  passion  until  her  husband  introduces  her  to  it.  Ã‚  After  Newland  begins   his  affairRead MoreThe Age Of Innocence By Edith Wharton And The Waste Land1398 Words   |  6 PagesThe Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton and The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot has similar recurring imagery. Both literary works portray two women in a way and compare these two women characters. Wharton’s portrayal of gender in the society of Old New York illustrates the â€Å"perfect† woman through May Welland along with the â€Å"imperfect† woman through Ellen Olenska, whereas in the poem The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot, the role and sexuality of women is shown through the juxtaposition of two women in the sectionRead MoreSociety in The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton Essay759 Words   |  4 PagesSociety in The Age of Innocence The Age of Innocence, written by Edith Wharton, is about the upper-class society of New York City in the 1870’s. The novel follows the life of an upper-class lawyer named Newland Archer. He is going to wed May Welland, who comes from another upper-class family. As the novel progresses Newland starts to become intrigued with May’s cousin, the poor Ellen Olenska. Ellen is called â€Å"poor† because she is shameful in the eyes of the society that surrounds her. EllenRead MoreThe Birth Of The Realism And Modernism Era1322 Words   |  6 PagesEdith Wharton Literary History The birth of the Realism and Modernism era appeared during the late eighteenth century to early nineteenth century. Both Realism and Modernism are evident in many of Edith Wharton’s literary works. Realism came from chaotic times where it â€Å"encompasses the period of time from the Civil War†(Realism from American). The United States grew enormously after the civil war with â€Å"the rapid growth in industrialism and urbanization, an expanding population base due to immigrationRead MoreEdith Wharton1675 Words   |  7 PagesBiographical Summary Edith Wharton lived a very interesting life. She had grown up in a relatively high class family. She had some trouble in her relationship though. Most of her novels are written about her past life experiences. Although she did have challenges to face, Edith Wharton ended up extremely well. On January 24, 1862, Edith Wharton was born in New York City. Her parents are George Fredric Jones and Lucretia Stevens Rhinelander. They were descents from English and Duitch colonists whoRead MoreSociety Wasn’t Built In a Day: Societal Structure in The Age of Innocence1493 Words   |  6 Pagesthing to arrive early at the opera; and what was or was not the thing played a part as important in Newland Archers New York as the inscrutable totem errors that had ruled the destinies of his forefathers thousands of years ago-Edith Wharton The Age of Innocence Societies, like houses and businesses are built a certain way. They each have a certain way of functioning and placing some people above others. Throughout history, there are plenty examples of this concept, the best of which lies withinRead MoreConformity in Edith Whartons The Age of Innocence Essay1292 Words   |  6 Pagesexpress the pitfalls of this new society. Edith Wharton analyzes the dual purpose of the silences through characters that represent different facets of views during the time. In the Age of Innocence,Wharton emphasizes Olenska and Archer’s silences to identify and criticize the invisible evils that lurk within the hierarchy of â€Å"old New York† and reveal the rationalization of a pretentious and delusional society. Depicting the nature of a desperate society, Wharton reveals, in this seemingly extravagant