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When Natural isn't really natural

Many people believe that we are now living in an artificial construct and, as a result, will self-destruct. But for more than a millennium, humans have been modifying our food, environment, and animals to suit their desires. So let's start with the most simple food. We have been growing wheat and beans for more than a thousand years. But the ancestor of these were just weeds. From selective breeding, advanced agricultural science, and later gene manipulation, we have produced a nutritious grain from a weed. Farming has meant that man can now live in cities, and industrial farming means that a vast portion of the population will not be involved in food production. Then we talk about apples, pears, mangoes, and grapes. All have been affected by man, they have been selected, and that variety with bigger yields has been selected, hence numerous varieties of apples, grapes,  pears, etc.


Some people have an idealistic view of farmers planting and growing a particular plant or crop. But if you were to use purely natural methods in any form of farming, you would run at a loss, and it will be expensive and not self-sustaining. As an "organic farmer", you would need to know that more work is involved, lacks subsidies, requires significant knowledge and skill, and is more observant and prepared for the higher costs and marketing challenges. Then the commercial farmers do not have it easy due to higher labour costs. Most have to rely on seasonal workers, which in most cases are migrant workers, because of the low cost. Putting aside the economics, what you are doing as a farmer is forcing a single crop or a whole mixture of crops if you are doing crop rotation on a particular area. After a while, the soil will lose those nutrients, or your crop yield will decrease significantly. Hence, it is essential to replenish the soil with nutrients. Now comes the age of artificial fertilizers, man-made chemical compounds that mimic the soil's natural minerals and elements to maximize plant growth. These were responsible for the agricultural revolution increasing yields tremendously, responsible for the Green Revolution. Hence, with modern Agricultural practices, we can now produce more food, on lesser and lesser land, with less labour and money. And with supply chains being intact and bigger containers and the associated infrastructure, with bigger and bigger ships, the cost of food is becoming ever cheaper. Hence, I could prepare my favourite African dish miles away in Europe at a minimal cost.


Image result for shipping container sizes on bigger ships

Food has been tailored for man over the hundreds of years, but man has also been able to domesticate animals. From chickens, turkeys, guinea foal, pigs, sheep, goats, cows, etc., man has changed the biology of these animals through selective breeding. A case in point is that the average boiler lives for just 6 weeks from egg to slaughter, less than six weeks in some cases of intensive farming. Usually, a chicken lives for 6 years or more and is treated as a treat. These chickens have been specifically selected that if they grow any longer than 6 weeks, they start having health problems and are bred just for their meat, all crammed up in battery cages. Then, we have dogs which are essential wolves. Chihuahuas are tiny and cute, petite and cuddly compared to their ancestor, who looked more like vicious, lethal, and dangerous rabid wolves.

Image result for Chihuahua 

By settling the more timid and friendly sibling, we have artificiality selected and encouraged the expression of the friendly and timid gene over the centuries. And this had permeated down the line till it reached. So can be said for all animals from horses, donkeys, cows, sheep, cats, etc.

Image result for dogs from wolves 

So, what seems to be the most "natural" element is not so natural after all, and man has modified his environment to make it able to sustain us over centuries. And now, we are going a step further to increase yields and conquer disease by genetic modification, changing the code of life. GM Crops are resistant to a particular pesticide. Hence, you could use less of it, produce a greater yield, and have lesser side effects. So the incorporation of essential Vitamins or Minerals in the food and the list goes on.

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