My grandparents were farmers, and I can vividly remember all the effort they put to plant, weed, and harvest. Their hands were always rough and thick from working the soil, their backs bent from long hours in the sun. But to talk of the food my grandma makes, it is always different. The rice smells natural and its rich, the tomatoes, the maize and its natural sweetness. Back then, farming was purely manual, as they rely on nature.Then technology stepped in, and everything changed.
I studied Agricultural Technology, and that had opened my eyes to see how far science has taken farming. Now tractors replaced hoes and cutlasses, genetically modified seeds has also now replaced the ones passed down through generations, and fertilizers made the soil produce more than ever before. We upgraded from waiting months for crops to grow naturally. Also with technology, we now have irrigation systems that bring water to farms even in dry seasons. Now, we can produce more food with less effort, but as the topic implies "at what cost"
Talk of nutrition, the more we manipulate food, the less natural it becomes. We shouldn't just focus only on mass production, but also the quality of what's being produced. Because In trying to save and feed the ever increasing population of the world, we may have sacrificed the quality of what we eat.
Back then, my grandparents raised chickens also, they feed and raised them for months, but today there are boosters, growth boosters thaat can turn a chick into a full grown one in just a matter of weeks. And what is the result, the meat is big but soft, and all. Same applies to vegetables, fish, and all, everything grows faster and not better.
Like I mentioned the growing population earlier, that would be some people's argument, as we can't afford to go back to traditional farming methods that takes too long. Without technology, food shortages would be worse, people will suffer and hunger will spread. Now the question is, can't we have both, both quantity and quality?
I personally believe that the problem isn’t technology itself, but the way in which we use it. Science has tried by giving us great tools, but we often prioritize profit over health. Farmers are under pressure to produce more, and so they use whatever methods for high yield, even if it means sacrificing nutrition.
We might possibly reach a time where even technology won't be able to save the soil as all the enhancers, growth boosters, fertilizers, chemicals and all that we pour into the land will strip the soil of its natural richness.
I believe it can be fixed, one of the reasons why we studied agricultural technology is to look more into what's lacking and how technology can be of help, we found out theresnlow yield, then a lot if things were out in place to enhance and hasten production, now its the richness or nutrition value of the produce, I believe technology can provide a solution to that too, where we won't just ficus on yield but on the quality too. The first step is balance. We don’t have to abandon agricultural technology, but we need to be smarter about how we use it. Organic farming should be encouraged, chemicals should not be over relied on. A world where we can produce food quickly without it losing its natural taste and nutrients is possible.
Also, consumers demand for healthier food, farmers and food companies will have no choice but to adjust. The problem is, people often don’t think about nutrition until they start experiencing health issues. And by then, the damage has already been done.
Another solution that I believe would go far in helping is the involvement of the government, government should set strict policies on how food is produced, ensuring that farmers do not overuse harmful chemicals. Research institutions should also get more funding too and people should be made to know that heslthbis indeed wealth, what they eat can affect their over all well being.
If we continuein this path of prioritizing quantity over quality, we will find ourselves in a future where food is plenty, but different ailment and diseases will be more common due to what, poor nutrition. We shouldn't just eat, but eat well.