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Some Characteristics of Scientific Farming

  • monoculture: intense cultivation of only one or two types of crops. In the short term, this method can increase production, but in the long term, it can make plants less resistant to diseases and pests, and increase the need for costly inputs.
  • pollution: caused by the leeching of insecticides, fertilizers, and herbicides into soil and ground water. Also, residues of pesticides and herbicides on plants can cause serious health hazards to farm workers and consumers.
  • depletion of genetic stock: hybrid seeds are sterile. While the use of genetically altered seeds may lead to short term gains in productivity, in the long term they lead to a lessening of genetic diversity, dependence of farmers on biotechnology, and the need for farmers to take on additional debt to pay for expensive inputs.
  • dependence and debt: while scientific farming methods have provided impressive gains in production, they do lead to dependence on manufacturers of seed, fertilizers, and other costly inputs. The cost makes these methods problematic for smaller farmers, who must borrow heavily to be able to afford the "high-tech" inputs.