Week 2

Food production capacity is faced with a number of challenges. Among the benefits are the use of pesticides for crop protection these products are vital to increasing food production. Crop losses would double if existing pesticide uses were abandoned, significantly raising food prices. Even after harvest, crops are subject to attack by pests or diseases. Bugs, rodents or molds can harm grains. However, pesticide use may cause an increased risk to human health, and the natural environment (Atreya, Sitaula, Johnsen, Bajracharya, 2011).
In addition to increasing crop yields, crop protection products used in stored products can also prolong the viable life of produce, prevent huge post-harvest losses from pests and diseases, and protect food so it is safe to eat. The crop protection industry’s aim is for farmers to grow an abundant supply of food in a safe manner and prevent costs from increasing. Food production processes benefit from advancements in agricultural technologies. In addition, incompetent pesticide use in agriculture is likely to degrade human and environmental health leading to a decline in human productivity, economic and social consequences limiting groups whose livelihood depend solely on agriculture ( Atreya, Sitaula, Johnsen, & Bajracharya, 2011). Agricultural productivity is key to ensuring that this demand can be met at an affordable price, and crop protection products help increase productivity and useable crop yields.
I personally am concerned about the food I eat. Even organic food is no longer necessarily pesticide free due to the whittling down of organic standards by the agricultural industry’s lobbyists. My concerns are about pesticides and herbicides lingering on produce, unknown genetic engineering in produce due to lack of requirements for labelling, and antibiotics, hormones, and other drugs fed to the animals that produce meat, dairy, and eggs I eat. Safety concerns regarding human and animal disease linked with livestock products...