Neglected Media, Part 2: Synthetic Landscapes of Food Production

Bounties

Hundreds of new chemicals are developed every year, released into the environment, and absorbed into our bodies. Most of these chemicals are not evaluated for their toxicity, effects on human development and interaction with other chemicals before being introduced for commercial use.

**Children's Health and The Environment

**CDC Exposure Report

**Chemicals in the environment and developmental toxicity to children: a public health and policy perspective.

Econ 101

Vitamin X

Evolution of Worship

In the 1500s, there were an estimated 30-60 million bison in North America. The bison’s land grazing patterns restored native grass and improved soil health, allowing many plants and animals to thrive. Native Americans worshiped the bison and their cyclical relationship with the earth. Today, much of the land the bison once inhabited is filled with rows of endless corn. The use of pesticides and monocropping methods on this land has irreversibly damaged most of the once vital and healthy soil. This corn and the processed goods that it creates, including starches, syrups, oils, gases, and even glue, are revered much in the same way the bison once were.

**US Fish & Wildlife Services Timeline of the American Bison

**USDA

Evolution of Worship (Cont.)

Externality (#12)

In 2012, livestock and poultry from the largest concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in America produced 369 million tons of manure. This toxic waste discharge causes water quality impairment, fish kills, contamination of drinking water sources, and transfer of disease-causing bacteria, including E-Coli and foodborne illnesses.

*Food & Water Watch

*EPA

Externality (#36-39)

Approximately 57 million tons of beef are produced each year globally. The industry has become overly systematic in order to decrease expenses and increase overall profit. These rigorous systems have resulted in heavy deforestation, animal abuse, and compromised workers rights.

*Global Forest Atlas

Forked

Extreme climate-related disasters, such as extreme heat, droughts, floods, and storms, have doubled since the early 1990s. Such detrimental and unpredictable patterns on cropland will continue to pose a severe threat to food security with an increasing population.

**Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN

Freshly Squeezed

The overall use of pesticides in America has increased since their introduction in the 1940s. The increased crop yield has garnered a food supply to match the booming population and drive down prices. However, the costs of chemical exposure to farmers, consumers and the ecosystem contamination are yet to be accounted for.

**Pesticides, Environment and Food Safety

**Persistent Toxic Chemicals in the US Food Supply

Glyphosate & Milk

The Environmental Working Group published a 2018 report after finding glyphosate, an herbicide found in Roundup and linked to cancer, in 45 oat-based products. Popular brands, such as Kellogg’s, General Mills, and Nature Valley all utilize this chemical in their cereals, granola bars, and oatmeal.

**study

Monotony x Monopoly

Between 1949 and 1969, American cropland decreased by 54 million acres. Meanwhile, the demand for residential, commercial, and industrial developments has increased significantly.

**USDA Economic Resource Services

**USDA ERS Major Land Uses

Part of a Balanced Life

Marketing during the 1950s introduced the first targeted advertisements to children as a means of influencing brand awareness, preference, and loyalty. Many countries have outlawed the advertisements of soda, sugary cereal and fast food to children. Due to heavy industry pressure, little progress has been made on this front in the US.

**Food Advertising and Marketing Directed at Children and Adolescents in the US  

Survival of the Resistant

Antibiotics are used in concentrated animal feeding operations to force chickens, cows, and pigs to grow larger and live in crowded unsanitary conditions. 70% of all antibiotics in the United States are sold for animal use. As more livestock and meat-eaters are exposed to larger quantities and varieties of antibiotics, antibiotic-resistant bacteria become increasingly problematic and potential for human health crises.

**FDA: Antibiotic use in food animals continues to rise

**CDC

That Was Easy

Farm consolidation in the 1950s was triggered by the advent of machinery and pesticides, allowing for farm specialization and monocropping. Monocropping is the practice of planting the same crop annually on the same land. The practice has long-lasting irreversible environmental effects, including erosion, flooding, and sterilizing land.

**Science at Berkley Lab

The Fourth Branch

In 2018, agribusiness companies, including pesticide and fertilizer manufacturers, spent $133,386,581 on lobbying expenditures. While the Food & Beverage industry’s lobbyists totaled $29,005,885.

**Center for Responsive Politics

Virtual Water

Agriculture uses approximately 70% of water across the globe. Virtual water is the indirect water use used to produce every product we consume. A cup of coffee uses approximately 140 liters of virtual water and a hamburger uses approximately 2,400 liters. By 2050, feeding 9 billion people will require an estimated 50% increase in agricultural production and a 15% increase in water withdrawals.

**Food & Water Watch

**The World Bank