J. The positive social impacts of the industrial food system

Technological change led to the high costs of industrial agriculture and the production of cheap and plentiful foods; however, does this necessarily imply more adverse effects? On the contrary, agencies such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have trained farmers in community based farming projects since the 1970s to accommodate for the growth in demand of food products such as meat. The adoption of this new integrated production system was very much necessary for the production of convenient and low-cost foods. With the help of the USDA, agriculture contributes $117.2 billion out of the $188 billion of the total economic activity of the United States. This hefty 62% of agriculture’s contribution implies that the food market is highly consumer driven and that the population food demand is high.

Consumers demand food safety, freshness, quality, convenience, and attractiveness of food. This spawned a new industry relying on new avenues of technological advance. The consumers’ demand for quality ushered the new practice of industrial organic farming. The USDA is in the constant struggle for farmers to practice this new line. Today’s demand is so high that the United States has sold over $58 billion organic products worldwide. Every year the demand for workers not only in the rural industries increase to meet the growing demand for organic food.

Farmers have estimated in short-term calculations of profit and productivity the costs of industrial agriculture and often consider it a great success. Over the course of seven years from 2001 to 2008, the total income for the farming population increased by over four million dollars. The increase in farming productivity brings in more revenue for the rural communities to spend on education and their own necessary expenses. This led to a decrease in crime rates in the rural areas and more individuals attending higher levels of education.