Research on the Problem of Urban Nutrition

Urbanization, the context of the current world, implies cities encroaching on former agricultural lands. It means that farmers are now attempting to move into cities whereby the question of the people who will be able to feed the towns comes into context. This paper will explore the challenge of feeding cities from the context of the information given.

The authors of the texts are stating that organic food begins as a transformative and holistic endeavor that would make sure that the world had food on which people would feed.

Important to note is that organic farms do not use lasers and pesticides that deploy fossil fuels. However, they depend on mechanization to a certain degree, and this may imply mechanical weeding. The implication of this is that it reduces the savings significantly. When one contemplates how pesticides and fertilizers are changing the world, it is usually essential to find out ways through which improvements can be made. It is always important to make the necessary improvements but using technology or any other method available.

However, using mechanization to the point whereby the dependence is on fossil fuels does not assist in the reduction of the overall carbon footprint and pollution. The world is being polluted significantly, which should make one consider why this is the case. However, merely stating that the world is not going to be made any better by using organic farming because it does not reduce energy significantly is a way of forgetting the adverse impacts that fertilizers and pesticides have on the environment.

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Using 8% of the energy of the entire system in producing chemical fertilizers and pesticides implies that the united states are losing energy that can be used in other contexts. The energy input per acre can be reduced to about 30 or 50% for organic crops. It means that one can be able to contemplate these improvements and how best they can be used to reduce the overall footprint of energy use.

The authors state that the research is inconclusive on whether organic foods are more nutritious or if this is not the case. It states that the concentrations of vitamin c are higher in organic food than is the case in other foods. They argue that the results vary depending on the crop and the types of nutrients. One should remember that crops are supposed to be grown naturally. Using organic methods implies that the nutrients cannot be distorted in any way, which should have a significant impact on how people view these crops.

On the contrary, simply stating that organic crops have fewer nutrients because of the differences in the type of crop and type of nutrient is an inconclusive way of looking at how best these crops retain the original nutrients. Even when the latest technologies can be used in changing how to crop farming is done, substituting organic crops for genetically modified crops does not help in avoiding diseases and complications associated with newer types of crops. The meaning of this is that everything still shifts toward the domain of organic crops.

Another argument is about local food production as opposed to the globalization trends experienced in the current world. As such, the authors argue that local foods affect the local economy more quickly and largely than a supermarket purchase. They state that outlets such as farmers’ markets create volunteer opportunities and new jobs indirectly and directly. Similarly, they point out that for every person employed at a farmer’s market, more than two jobs are created throughout the state. While this is true, the world is slowly moving toward a different model from what is being depicted currently. People are no longer willing to buy from local markets because these are dwindling, especially in the United States. It means that there is a need to look into a different perspective that can be used in the local market to make sure of a change in how customers approach purchases. The authors themselves have pointed out that many people want to buy different products at a time that is convenient to them and in the place where they feel this should be the case. As such, the supermarket model is being supported because it offers products to customers whenever they want them. Although these products are more expensive than those in the local market, it should be noted that supermarkets create far more jobs than is possible from the consideration of local markets. The supermarkets assist people in getting products at a time that is convenient to them, which means that they are better at addressing issues that affect customers than is the case with local markets.

In a conclusion, the arguments that are given in the text are inconclusive. For instance, stating that organic foods do not reduce the overall energy used because mechanical weeding does not assist the world is moving toward sustainability. On the contrary, they encourage the use of pesticides that increase pollution as well as the overall footprint of energy deployed in making sure that they have been manufactured. Similarly, stating that supermarkets are an outdated model because did not add to the jobs within a local community does not consider the aspect of globalization.