M6.4 Blog: Industrial Farming

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The Vanishing of the Bees explored the international crisis experienced by beehive colonies: Colony Collapse Disorder. The focus of the film is figuring out why bees are abandoning their hives and are dying off at alarmingly high rates. Led by David Hackenburg, the film explores some of the reasons that may be causing bees to become ill and die out. Ultimately, it is argued that the mass death of bees everywhere is primarily due to pesticide exposure while pollinating plants. The historical impact of pesticides on the agricultural industry and present day use has severely impacted the health of the bees, who are so important in producing the crops we depend on to live. Not only do pesticides harm our pollinators on a sub-level, but they harm us as well. Though the film calls for an end to pesticide use and promotes the use of natural alternatives, there is is still much work to be done in order to create change in the farming industry which regardless, is still motivated by money/profits in the end.

"The fate of dirt and humans has been intimately linked". Dirt! was a very beautiful movie in my opinion. I loved how dirt was descried as the skin of the earth and how alive and important it is in our lives. Dirt is our friend, it provides us the food we eat, it gives us the trees and plants that give us clean air. Despite the good it does for us, humans have tainted and harmed the soil and lost touch with nature. The documentary talks about the importance of protecting and appreciating dirt and the beautiful things it gives us.

My family and I do compost, we started making a habit out of it about 3 years ago when I was an undergraduate. I started becoming "compost" conscious thanks to USF's strong adherence to composting and recycling policies. Since then, I brought my compost consciousness back home and have incorporated it into the family kitchen. Dirt! The Movie again reemphasized the importance of treating soil with respect and keeping our soil healthy especially  natural approach to increasing fertility and crop yield: Composting. Composting helps to return nutrients and increase fertility in the soil without the harms of chemicals to promote plant growth and crop production. I hope that we continue to promote composting as a way for people to give back to the earth as opposed to taking and abusing it. In terms of factory farming, I was unable to find one specifically in Alameda county which I am assuming is great news!


https://www.factoryfarmmap.org/#animal:all;county:6001;location:CA;year:2012

Comments

  1. Sintia ShahbazOctober 7, 2018 at 10:02 AM

    It is awesome to hear that you are composting! My mom does it as well and I like how you put that it is a way of giving back to earth!! Also, its interesting that you started doing it because of school, it shows that you can really put certain things you learn in your everyday life.

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