Animals Practicing Complexity Analysis

In the world, there are one billion people undernourished and one and a half billion more people overweight. In this day and age, where food has become a means of profit rather than a means of keeping people thriving and healthy, Raj Patel took it upon himself to explore why our world has become the home of these two opposite extremes: the stuffed and the starved. He does so by travelling the world and investigating the mess that was created by the big men (corporate food companies) when they took power away from the little men (farmers and farm workers) in order to provide for everyone else (the consumers) as conveniently and profitably as possible. In his book Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System, Patel reveals his findings and tries to reach out to people not just as readers, but also as consumers, in hopes of regaining control over the one thing that has brought us all down: the world food system.

1. Explain why Michael Pollan finds the questions “What am I eating? And where in the world did it come from?” so difficult to answer.

The last thing that comes to our mind when we order a piece of steak at a restaurant is

In Blake Hurst’s “The Omnivore’s Delusion: Against the Agri-Intellectuals,” he opposes the accusations made by tofu-eating, recycled-toilet-paper-using, self-starving Michael Pollan and his followers. Throughout “The Omnivore’s Delusion…,” Hurst mentions how methods of farming have evolved to match demands of produce. The author states that “Only ‘Industrial farming’ can possibly meet the demands of an increasing population and increased demand for food as a result of growing incomes” (Hurst 4). This quote essentially means that “Industrial Farming” is the most efficient way to farm for today’s population level. A second point that is made by Hurst is that changes made by today’s farming are necessary. The author mentions that without the protection

As fads and trends come and go, there is one certain topic that always stays relevant--food. Whether it be new recipes or tips or restaurants, cooking and cuisine are two of the most popular subjects in America. Many people fret over “revolutionary” diets or organic recipes, yet others fail to actually track down the origins of their foods. Because of this, I did not hesitate when choosing a book. My curiosity pertaining to food got the better of me and I was overwhelmed by this burning desire to find out how our meals are grown, created, and end up in our homes. When I found The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, I read its description and realized that this book would answer all my questions in the history of food.

Industrial farming is intensive animal farming it’s also called factory farming. Animals are stuck in cages all day. More than 9.3 million cows were used to produce milk in the United States in 2008. More than 2.5 million dairy cows were slaughtered for meat. Usually just within hours of birth, calves are taken away from their mothers. (Farm) People don’t like industrial farming because animals have no access outside and there keep in temperatures that are intended to maximize production at a low cost.

In the book The Omnivores Dilemma, by Michael Pollan he brings us on his journey with him through analyzing the model of “four meals” and how our thinking habits have changed the way we choose to eat and go about eating throughout the years and the role our society and the different expectations put on individuals has effected their thoughts and relationship to food. Each section and chapter of the book is broken up into different fads, opinions and findings that Pollan has found along his journey. Throughout the book his pre determined notions and thoughts around our society with food is challenged but also is backed up by different healthful and food activists like himself and how like minded people can differer in opinions and thoughts on how our society has changed involving

We often think less about the food we eat every day. We have no Idea what the food we eat is made of or where comes from. Michael Pollan, the author of the Omnivores’ Dilemma, goes through a long journey to investigate the processes of food production in the United States. He started his journey from the industrial farms of Iowa and corrals in Kansas to organic farms and butcher houses in Virginia to finally, the supermarkets in which we all consume. He not only fallows the ecological path of food from farming to consumption, but also the development path of our diet over the years. Pollen indicates that we have so many options for our food, but we have a little knowledge about what should we eat and where our food comes from.

In a letter to the future President of the United States, Michael Pollan acknowledges the troublesome in food in our society. The future President campaigned on many things, including healthcare and energy. Food is also a main topic that is campaigned. The way that the food industry is currently set up in America is more than corrupt. Their goal is to feed the nation as cheaply as possible. Michael Pollan exposes this by suggesting three main ideas to the future President of the United States. The first idea that Michael Pollan has, is to make farming as natural as it can be again. Currently, CAFO’s are being used to produce our food, which is very unhealthy. CAFO stands for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation, which basically means animals

However, in the modern days, when the natural corn turns to be more about the concepts of commodities and profit-gaining tool rather than the purely definition of food, the food chain start to change significantly. Under the innovation of agricultural technology, corn is being grossly overproduced today. Pollan got a chance to meet with George Naylor, a corn famer from Iowa. Naylor said to him his corn farm’s productivity is twice as much corn per acre as his father could (Pollan, 2006). Many people feel good for the famers because they are now able to produce more corn. However, the reality is the opposite. The increased productivity only benefits corporations and gain exporters to receive more economical benefits from the consumers in the market place. Corn famers, on the other side, are struggling to make ends meet since corns are overproduced and the sale price has to be

In the article, “Deconstructing Dinner,” David Kamp discusses in detail Michael Pollan’s novel, The Omnivore’s Dilemma. In his discussion, Kamp breaks down the most notable aspects of Pollan’s novel, making sure that Pollan’s view that the American diet has led to dysfunctional eaters is clear. Kamp notes that throughout the novel, Pollan places an emphasis on the development of the final product, rather than the final product itself. I plan on utilizing this writing piece in backing up my claim that the American agricultural industry is changing from past traditional means.

Bad press is bad for business and a company’s bottom line. The agriculture business in America and around the world has seen heightened controversy due to leaked images of unethical treatment of animals. The industry hit hardest by this controversy is known as industrial agriculture or factory farms. Factory farms are very large centers that produce much of the meat, eggs, dairy, and other foodstuffs we consume. Factory farms have attempted to fight this bad press by sponsoring laws that outlaw the sharing of any images without the farm owner’s permission. I’ll argue that an effective New York Times article written by Mark Bittman (1) shows that laws attempting to stop the distribution of images through legislation or ‘Ag Gag laws’, a term coined by Bittman, are not the best solution to the problem for anyone including the companies sponsoring these bills.

In this project, Mark Shepard has a plantation full of life. A variety of plant and animals which are kept in balance together. His farm was constructed in Wisconsin and their main crops are hazelnut and chestnuts. But they also have a great variety of other plants. All crops are fertilizer by the animal’s feces, which is a great compost and is recycled into the soil which makes it stay alive. Also, Mark Shepard states that in comparison to calories, his farming method is most effective because his methods produce more calories than a corn plantation. A second example from the movie is Steve Gabriel’s WellSpring Forest Farm. Steve promotes the regrowth of forests and provides a range of products including, mushrooms, maple syrup, duck eggs and more. Steve Gabriel regrows trees and uses the trees to harvest mushrooms, then he lets the trees decompose into the soil and promote more growth. All together he’s enhancing the cycle of a natural ecosystem well helping out people by growing

On the flip side, those who are anti-GMO argue that genetically modified crops such as corn and soybeans are causing harm to the environment around them. Corn, soybeans, and alfalfa are all genetically modified to resist certain pests and other dangers. “The GM version of field corn protects the crop against corn rootworms and the Asian corn borer” ( What Foods are…). The GM soybean plant is resistant to pests and disease as well as tolerant of herbicides that are most effective, allowing for less herbicides use overall. Along with this, alfalfa is genetically engineered with herbicides that reduce weeds and protect against smaller pests. However, Advocates for the environment are concerned that the increasing use of

Today, people are creating alternative ways to improve our way of living. They came up with factory farming, which is a modern agricultural industry that mass produce animals for the purpose of supplying food/products for human needs. Factory farm sites holds large number of animals to be raised for food in a confined space in an area to minimize operation cost, and the mass production brings down the food prices as they could produce adequate amount of animals to meet the demand. However, except for supplying the needs of humanity and making much cheaper food. Factory farming is an unhealthy agricultural practice to both human and the environment. Factory farming contributed to serious pollution problems, the animal treatments are cruel and it has affected the business opportunity of traditional farms and its workers by occupying their markets. Factory Farming is a threat to human health and the environment, therefore the government should take action on it.