The Future of Agriculture
For our class discussion this week, imagine that you work for a non-profit organization that offers grants to innovative projects that will help promote sustainable agriculture around the world. You have a limited amount of money to donate to worthy projects. Will you direct your organizations funds: 1) toward projects that focus on organic farming methods; 2) toward ones that support technological advances in conventional agriculture; or 3) toward ones that support the use of biotechnology (genetic modification) in agriculture?
To get you started on making a sound decision, here are some resources. First, please read over these USDA factsheets on high-tech conventional farming, biotech farming , and organic farming
- High-tech conventional agriculture
- Biotech agriculture
- Organic agriculture
Once you have reached a decision, share it with the class. Explain in detail why you favor that agricultural strategy over the others. Support your arguments with material from credible and/or scholarly sources. In responding to peers, respectfully critique the choices they have made, supporting your alternative perspectives using credible and/or scholarly literature.