A little Sci-Fi
Don’t you think?
In-Vetro Meat production, GMOs, Cloning, Vertical Farming. Why do these new technologies remind me a lot about the movie WALL-E?!
Call me old school and traditional, but I rather stick to “voodoo-er” things like Biodynamic and Polyculture farming (following the 28 day life cycle of the moon) before I turn into a robot and have to dig for something that is left that is actually green and alive in about 50 years time.
2050, 2060. yea, those dates sound so futuristic like the Jetsons.
So why hasn’t it made our lives easier?
Technology is getting more and more advanced, which means it’s getting more and more complicated to keep up with science, while we become more and more manipulated through “free” markets in culture and lifestyle.
How “Safe” is this “Food”? and question always is: WOULD YOU EAT IT?! I guess we’d have to if it ever gets to a point where we must survive in this internet jungle… how high tech Darwinian…
No one knows any long term effects, but isn’t that backwards thinking? ‘Safe enough for now, but considering the huge stride in science and technology, we’ll worry about the health and well being of people consuming these products later, you know, if there are any after effects’… Umm. Isn’t technology supposed to make our lives better, and more competitive in preventative ways instead of use humanity as testing beans?
Nothing’s wrong with a lil old school — especially done in a new way, but these crazy ideas lead me to think that, someone’s going to figure out a way to patent the sun and it’s rays soon, and charge us a quarter every time we go outside to play.
I wonder what my grandpa thinks about all of this? I miss those days when I would frolic in the backyard while he was growing winter melon & tomatoes, and taught us how to fertilize the land with soybeans. I miss those days when our crab apple trees were too much to handle, and littered our front lawn with food for all. We would get down and dirty, helping my grandfather plant in the spring while my grandmother hung the laundry out to dry, and sometimes even the neighbour’s dog would run into the yard through the hole in the old fence and frolic around the garden too. I would run up and down and through the vines, happy as can be, playing hide and seek with myself and nature, you know, like the way I do now when I am only overjoyed to see a vineyard on my priviledged adult vacations when I go wine tasting.
Growing up farming your own food and having a garden used to be a wholesome family thing, and now we fight to have these rights and privileges all over again. ‘How do we bring these farms into the city?!’ Doesn’t that say something of value to the urban lifestyle? I find it funny that while I was perusing for Xmas presents yesterday on amazon and ebay looking for “windowsill herb gardens”, I found reviews of people complaining that it wasn’t “easy enough” to grow. Hahaha, even though everything would come in a kit, and all a human needs to do is to put the pre packaged soil into the tiny painted pots, place the seeds into it, and water. Funny that the people who gave bad reviews were the ones who lived in urban cities with not much sunshine in windows to begin with – like Manhattan. Versus people who raved about how easy it was when they lived in places like Florida, California, and Oklahoma.
I find myself constantly battling against my generation’s need for instant gratification also, but are these crazy technologies going to solve this “world hunger” crisis that seems so prevalent? Do we really need to worry about feeding the world when we have trouble feeding the country? Let’s start there. I never thought I’d be battling poverty, world hunger, or large corporations marketing to young children when I first joined this program. All I was interested in was Food, Eating it, and Where it all comes from.
I guess it’s all part of growing up too. Tracing your roots is never as simple as just placing the seeds into the pot. You have to make sure to take care of the sunshine, the water, and the soil that feeds that seed too.
Hmm…;)
xoxo J xoxo
December 4th, 2009 at 11:56 AM
Yes, you are right, technology is so advanced now a days, but it is not really being implemented in our society. You can blame the government for that.
I also think Vertical Farming does not belong in the In-Vetro Meat production, GMOs, and Cloning category. There isnt any genetically alterations with Vertical Farming. It’s just basically your “old school” way of farming, but instead of growing out, it grows vertical. Actually, its better than the “old school” way. It uses 90% less fertilizer, which doesnt flow into the rivers, so there less pollution in the water, there will be no need for pesticide, which is no pollution in us, and you can grow crops all year round with a controlled environment. Its the next logical step for farming. Remember, the world is growing in such a fast rate, and the projected population is about 9 billion in 2025. How can we fit all those ppls on earth with farmland?
I dont think that all these technologies are for instant gratification, but to be more efficient. How many crops are lost throughout the year via weather, disease, etc? Also, think about how much savings we would all get, because lots of the crops do not have to be transported all over the place.
Technology will not solve world hunger, but it can do its part to drive prices down, so it can be more affordable in the long run.
Just my 2 cents. =)
December 4th, 2009 at 2:09 PM
thanks for responding,
and i have to respectfully disagree, hahaha.
vertical farming is using technologies (hydroponics, aeroponics, drip irrigation, & testing out fogoponics) that require way more water – and a way to figure out how to conver urban grey water waste and poop into energy. given it will be a great way to use up urban waste and you’re saving on fossil fuels for transport, BUT
these technologies require plants to be suspended in “nutrient” rich solutions, and these “nutrients” needed to simulate soil growth is all created by chemicals. or there will be a surge in the creation of these chemicals needed in order to feed these plants if they’re not getting these nutrients from natural compost from the food we eat and worm bins (i.e. like the “technologies” that gave birth of chemical fertilizers post wwII, and irradiation)
also, there’s talk about livestock being incorporated into these “farmscapers” that has yet to be tested, and figured out — and most likely will be in vetro meat production.
i’m not opposed to it at all, but it’s theories have many loop holes that still need to be tested, prototypes built and monitored. (AND, who has the money and resources to do this now? large corporations – so once again our food production will be in the hands of money, and agri business who may be looking for the best return for their initial crazy expensive start up costs in the first ten years of implementation)
anytime you go MASS production with any MONOCULTURE farming ’structures’ you’ll run into heavy environmental problems.
never mind the use of WATER, and how to figure out how to FILTER it properlly, and how much energy we need in order to do that when WATER pollution is a HUGE glazed over issue now. (why do u think bottle water sells so well? culture of fear and mistrust, ppl don’t even drink water out of the tap, let alone allow that to go straight to a vertical farm system that relies on the use of clean water from urban areas in order to produce)
the prices of food will also never go down if agribusiness keeps lobbying to keep the power big commodity crop prices subsidized, (i.e. corn) it’s more like understanding and putting value back onto the cost of FOOD, and the labour that produces it, in order to respect the process of it’s creation and where it comes from. People need to know the real cost of food, and they do now with all the cheap crap out there that’s affecting everyone’s health.
i’m not looking to solve world hunger – people will ALWAYS be hungry, that’s how go made us, but what’s interesting about hunger, is that it makes everyone equal, and highlights all the inequalities implemented through the access to our food system
December 4th, 2009 at 2:26 PM
also, i don’t blame the government for holding back technology like GMOs and Cloning.
these things NEED regulation,
esp nowadays with all the GMO drift in crops –
spoke to my friend Ray, former food scientist who worked at an organic soy sauce factory the other day about his job was to test for the presence of gmo beans, interesting stuff… because to the naked eye, they look the same.
these technologies significantly alter the way we produce food, alter natural life cycles on the planet, and can destroy vulnerable ecosystems… the way humans have been finding ways to feed the masses has been manipulating nature for so long. it’s a pure take take take relationship, and we’re now terrified of its aftereffects…
and really all the government can do is go “well no one has died… yet.” so let’s throw more money into short term “scientific research studies to prove that” …such and such… blah blah blah.
so of course they get all the blame for that… they are only how much of the population trying to represent how much of the population when the smartest people in the country are discovering more ways to control, manipulate nature through science? yes, yes, interesting stuff, wooohooo for discovering how smart and powerful we are — i guess that’s why we also have the power to reason and have morality play big parts in our lives too…
in order to feed the need to feed the masses, there need to be more long term ways to take care of the planet, while we co-exist on it.
overpopulation?! stop having kids!! haha. j.k. i don’t want to get into THAT conversation.
just think about in vetro production of humans nowadays and how common that is. then think about in vetro /cloning cow production. how is that different?! At least the damn human KNOWS she is going to get preggers, poor cow….
(maybe there’s a switch in afluent cultures nowadays, from fighting for woman’s rights to fighting for animal rights…)
so much to think about hamster wheel on crackkk….
thanks for the scintillating inspiration ;)
December 4th, 2009 at 3:36 PM
DAMN! talk about a 4 page letter!
1st of all, hydro aero fog use does not use more water, because everything is recycled. Its proven,
http://www.aeroponics.com/
then click on “True aeroponics” (stupid site uses frames…argh!)
- “plants to be suspended in “nutrient” rich solutions, and these “nutrients” needed to simulate soil growth is all created by chemicals”
Yes, you are correct, however, they are non toxic chemicals, mostly nitrogen and other organic nutrients, which is also recycled and reused. And, none of which will get into the ecosystem. Key thing here is NO pesticides! And, the idea here is NOT to eliminate regular farms, its another way to provide food, with consuming less energy / resources. Sure, it’s going to alter nature, but its going to alter it for the better, and we wont have to keep taking and giving back junk.
Farming livestock on the other hand is questionable, in all different kinds of angles. Like I said before, I’m all for vertical farming, I’m not really sure about the rest. But, if you think about the reasoning behind it, it kinda makes sense. One thing I read about the vertical livestock, is that you are not really growing the whole animal, basically, just the meat. Think about it, you wont have to be killing cows, and finding “human” ways in killing animals so you have a good dinner. Sounds like a good idea, and plus, that would help us with a cleaner / greener earth.
And please do not bring in the government to a technology discussion. There’s a famous quote (I forget by who), and it goes along the lines of, “Technology is not created to kill ppls, technology in the wrong hands kill ppls”. Should there be regulation on technology? Yes, but not to the extent we have. Perfect example is, Japan. Why are they so far more advanced than us in everyday technology? Their cell phones do so much more than some of our computers! I feel that the “regulations” are hurting the advancement of technology and ultimately mankind. Think about it, the lightbulb that will never burn out. How long did that take? Are you telling me it took ppls THAT long to figure it out? But, the technologies behind all computers / tv / etc. are basically doubling every year? With government, its more about power / money, than whats best for the ppls.
December 4th, 2009 at 4:05 PM
I’m not talking about technology in other realms,
I’m talking about bio-technology. I can’t argue for regulation in other realms, nor do i need to. because we do not consume tv’s. we don’t eat our cell phones. (other than our complete saturation of self proclaimed online identities that consume our own vanity and lifestyle with it nowadays, i am one, i embrace it, and i don’t deny the fact that i use FB, twitter, i have multiple online blogs, and i brand myself with them) I myself also marvel at Japanese technologies that do use their knowledge to become a more efficient culture. But i believe they also have VERY strict regulation, if not moral judgements on their society and how it’s governed – i will stop here, b/c i do not know enough to make any more assumptions about their culture as an outsider.
I’m not against technology and the advancement of it, it’s inevitable. What i scrutinize, assess, and critique is the fact (like you say) “that technology in the wrong hands kill ppls” — who IS controlling our BIO-technologies, Right. Now. ? …and then put it on the market, sell it in a way that shutters out all the other options, with no labels, and we BUY IT (so our dollars support their supply/demand chain), we CONSUME IT (without knowing). WE EAT IT ALL UP. even the aftereffects that no one knows anything about, until someone gets REALLY sick, and dies. and that’s happening. more often now. That’s my job, to assess this, — i am critical, because we have to be in this phase of our culture. people demand the right to know, at least i do, where their food comes from and how it was produced, and consumers are becoming more aware.
“With government, its more about power / money, than whats best for the ppls.”
YEA, and Who is protecting what’s “best for people”? No one, and that’s what’s scary. Everyone acts on their on interests, and in a capitalistic society, it’s all in the self interest of protecting one’s survival and pocket.
I doubt it sounds different when you’re talking about AGRIBUSINESS. people who spend billions lobbying to protect themselves and their businesses, over the priority of people’s health. At least you can do something about government,. you can pester, you can speak up, you can do something. You can’t do anything about the self regulating self protected large corporations, that use money and power to shut people up, and keep them ignorant about their lack of transparency and lack of accountability.
thanks for the link on aeroponics, and hydroponics, i don’t know much about it yet, I’m still learning. haha. but wouldn’t water STILL be an issue? look at all the run off from AQUACULTURE, and our heavily polluted oceans and over fished estuaries and ecosystems. How is this water going to be “cleaned and filtered” so we can use it?
in vetro meat – delicious? i dare u to eat it first! haha.
December 4th, 2009 at 4:09 PM
by the way, chemical nitrogen is produced by fossil fuels.
December 4th, 2009 at 4:22 PM
for clarification: Nitrogen is produced by Ammonia, which is produced by burning of Natural Gas or Coal (which are non-renewable sources of energy)
preliminary sites for further peruse:
http://www.noble.org/Ag/Soils/NitrogenPrices/Index.htm
http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/fossilfuels.htm