Industrial agriculture focuses on maximizing profits at the expense of health and the environment. It contributes to problems like global warming, water and air pollution through extensive use of pesticides, fertilizers, and mono-cropping practices. These practices have negative impacts such as releasing greenhouse gases and toxic chemicals into the environment, polluting water sources, destroying biodiversity, and creating "dead zones" in oceans. Organic farming is a more sustainable alternative that prohibits synthetic chemicals and ensures soil quality and animal welfare.

1. Hazards of Industrial AgricultureHazards of Industrial Agriculture
Key: AWL to Study, Low-frequency Vocabulary
What are the hazards of industrial agriculture?

2. Organic Farming: A GrowingOrganic Farming: A Growing TrendTrend
• Consumer demand for organic farming is rising at 20%
per year.
• The highest growth is in Argentina, US, and China.
• People are growing conscious of adverse effects of
industrial agriculture,
where there is a focus on
maximizing profits
at the expense of health
and the environment.
How do you think industrial agriculture contributes to
global warming and water pollution?

3. Health Risks: IndustrialHealth Risks: Industrial MethodsMethods
• Pesticide residues on produce
 remain after washing and peeling.
 have links to cancer.
• Antibiotics we ingest
 from plant and animal sources
 lead to the development of untreatable
superbugs
Do you worry about pesticide residues on or antibiotics in
your food? Explain.

4. Additional Health RisksAdditional Health Risks
• Plant and animal growth hormones
 disrupt endocrine system.
 lead to early puberty.
• Biological engineering
 Unregulated items are
virtually invisible in stores.
 Manipulation of
genetic code could
impact health.
How do you think genetically modified food might impact
your health?

5. Environmental HazardsEnvironmental Hazards
• Environmental hazards comprise air pollution, global
warming, and other problems.
• Synthetic fertilizers
 largest source of nitrous oxide
emissions
 300 times more toxic than carbon
dioxide gases
 will affect air pollution and intensify
global warming if continued
Are you concerned about air pollution in your country?
Why or why not?

6. AuthoritiesAuthorities on Water Pollutionon Water Pollution
• Animal waste, fertilizers, and pesticides leach into soil.
 They run off through irrigation and contaminate ground
water (large portion of water supply).
 They contain nitrates, which cause permanent damage to
ground water.
Are you concerned about water pollution in your country?
Why or why not?

7. Dead Zones in OceansDead Zones in Oceans
• Preponderance of nitrogen in fertilizers
 helps crops grow; harms oceans
 generates algal overgrowth
• Algal overgrowth
 depletes oxygen
in water
 no plant or animal
can survive

8. UnsustainableUnsustainable SoilSoil
• Industrial mono-cropping: one crop is planted
repeatedly on a single field.
 The process relies on the use of synthetic fertilizers.
 Mono-cropping kills microorganisms needed to produce soil
nutrients.
 Infertile soil leads to erosion,
unsustainable farmlands,
and reduced biodiversity.
If mono-cropping is destroying farmlands and
biodiversity, what is the alternative?

9. ViciousVicious CycleCycle
• Soil infertility leads to a vicious cycle
of fertilizer use.
 Increasing fertilizer use leads to
environmental hazards.
• Increased use of pesticides
 Only the fittest pests survive.
 Stronger pesticides are then needed.
What are the environmental hazards associated with the
use of pesticides?

10. Organic FarmingOrganic Farming
• Organic farming prohibits
the use of synthetic fertilizers
and pesticides, hormones,
antibiotics, and genetically
modified organisms.
• It ensures soil sustainability
and overall quality.
What are the advantages of eating organic food?

11. Crop RotationCrop Rotation
• Holistic farming techniques
 infuse soil with essential nutrients.
 ensure different crops are planted every year.
 vary the nutrient demand in soil.
 create sustainable soil.
How does organic farming affect soil?

12. AnimalAnimal WelfareWelfare
• Small-scale organic farms are
 less likely to confine livestock
to small spaces.
 against the use of antibiotics.
• Free-range farms
 allow animals to roam freely.
 reduce stress and susceptibility
to disease.
How do you feel about confining animals to small spaces
in order to produce food?