Industrial Farming and How to Avoid it
Industrial Farming or “factory farm” is a term used to describe large, industrialized facilities raising animals or cultivating plants for food according to NRDC. They are more dependent on chemicals and nonorganic ways to farm than organic farms which can have long-term environmental impacts.
Why is it happening?
here has been an increase in demand for products over the years. As a result of this practice more plants have been produced in smaller areas. To do this the Industrial Farm’s are more reliant on chemical fertilizers. These do make it possible to grow more crops however they are taking a toll on the environment and the food. Above all, the increase in chemicals leads to more contamination and harms the plants that people consume. For instance, in our study on wines, we found the chemicals linger on the grapes. This lead to 88% of the wine tested, testing positive for having pesticides.
How can you stop it?
It’s not easy to stop industrial farming. The best way is to be a conscious consumer and vote for better practices with your dollar. The Clean Label Project is a nonprofit whose mission is to show what is in products beyond just the label. We have different awards for products that reach our high standards. You can check out the pesticide-free award which we award to products that have no trace of pesticides in them among an industry with a major pesticide problem.
Being a conscious consumer can also mean buying from the farmers market and family farms instead of just big brands.
