Intensive Animal Farming
Introduction
Food is big business. Multinational corporations oversee vast production facilities,
churning out incredible amounts of food for an ever-growing population, and amassing
tremendous profits all the while. Demand for cheaper food, in greater volumes, and with lower
production costs are among the confluence of factors that have fuelled the rise of a system of
intensive agriculture that dominates much of the world today. But this isn’t how it once was, and
it shouldn’t be assumed that intensive farming is the only way to go, or that it is even a way we
should go. Intensive farms are widespread in developed nations and increasingly prevalent
worldwide. Most of the meat, dairy products, eggs, fruits, and vegetables available in
supermarkets are produced by such farms. Therefore Intensive animal farming should still
operate for our economy.
Counter-Argument
Food supply and Increased production of meat, eggs, and milk contributes to a
significant percentage of the food consumed globally. The reduced costs of production and
increased yields make food cheaper and more readily available. Intensive livestock farming
provides food security and supports livelihoods. Despite the numerous benefits accrued from
intensive farming, it also comes with its share of negative side effects. Intensive farming is a dire
threat to the global environment through global warming effects as well as the loss of ecosystem
services. Intensive animal farming is a major driver of global environmental degradation as well
as biodiversity loss, At face value, it is hard to discount the importance of this industry: the direct
contributions of livestock farming to the economy are estimated at about 883 billion dollars and
this does not account for the services that rely on it, ranging from butchers, retailers, transport
companies to feed producers and equipment manufacturer, Beyond its economic value,
livestock farming supports the livelihoods and provides food security to almost 1.3 billion people.
Today, it is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the agricultural economy
Argument
Livestock plays an essential role in creating and maintaining a fertile, functional farm.
Chickens' valuable contributions include spreading out cow patties, eating hordes of insects,
and providing eggs. Cows are valuable providers, they fertilize soil and convert biomass into
meat and milk. Cattle farms are considered to improve farmers' total income and to boost their
living conditions. As a means of manure for soil enrichment and as a source of biofuel, the
animal waste which is produced can be used. For a significant number of people, it is a source
of employment
One of the factors for the transformation of livestock production from a family small scale animal
husbandry to a large scale of corporate business is the prediction on a rapid world's human
population growth The total world's population has been estimated to reach 9.1 billion in 2050,
where 70 percent of rural inhabitants are going to shift mostly living in urban areas and with their
better incomes than previously earned and are also predicted to increase by 2 percent annually.
Indications in changing urban lifestyle have then been shown affecting on shifted food
consumption patterns more to semi-processed and/or pre-prepared-ready to eat foods of which
their main component deriving from livestock product origins we need to produce more livestock
to sustain humanity
And because intensive farming requires less space and produces more than the invested inputs
it allows for livestock products to be produced on a large economic scale resulting in lower
prices for consumers as well, Intensive farming uses modern technology which means it doesn’t
require manual labor like past and requires fewer individuals to carry the workload required with
jobs that most require machinery. This means farmers will have to hire fewer individuals hence
being able to afford specialized workers for individual tasks.
Conclusion
Livestock has an important contribution to the food supply of rural and urban areas and
contributes to the family nutrition, supplying animal protein. As household income increases, the
consumption of protein increases, principally from animal origin, allowing the substitution of
vegetables by animal protein. Besides milk, eggs, and meat used as a source of food, other
livestock products are used for domestic consumption and local scales such as skins, hides,
and horns which helps the overall economy
For the agricultural planner, difficulties are related not only to the complexity of livestock
production systems but also to an inability to understand how these systems function - this is
primarily a problem of quantification and comprehension. One consequence is that development
opportunities are often ignored, particularly the potential for using livestock as a catalyst to drive
agricultural development. An understanding of the production factors and processes that affect
animal production is a prerequisite for livestock development.
Labour is the other important resource for which livestock production has a specific requirement.
Typically, livestock production is more labor-intensive and less seasonal than crop production
and can utilize family labor that usually has a low opportunity cost. The distribution of labor,
responsibilities, and benefits tends to be favorable for women, especially with the smaller animal
species, which they themselves may own. Since women are largely responsible for the
day-to-day management of the household, any development program must take their time
availability into account. Animals themselves are the major resource, but their mobility makes
them a difficult resource to quantify, especially under the extensive management systems that
predominate in much of the developing world. While this may create problems for the
government statistician and the tax collector, it is unique in that it allows for the exploitation of
feed resources for which there are no alternative productive uses, such as extensive arid,
semi-arid and cold savannahs, crop residues and agricultural fallow.
References
The National Humane Education Society. "Farmed Animals: Birds Do not Fly on Factory Farms."
2009. Web Accessed March 10, 2015
Organic Consumers Association. "Disturbing Facts on Factory Farming & Food Safety." Web
Accessed March 10, 2015
Lymbery, Philip. "Facts and Figures." Compassion in World Farming, 2012. Web Accessed
March 10, 2015
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "What Is a Factory Farm?" Web
Accessed March 10, 2015
Lusk, Jayson (September 23, 2016). "Why Industrial Farms Are Good for the Environment". The
New York Times. Before “factory farming” became a pejorative, agricultural scholars of the
mid-20th century were calling for farmers to do just that”
Student, Pace Law. "Research Guides: Student Project: Factory Farming: Environmental
Impacts". library guides.law.pace.edu. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
