Industrial Agriculture vs. Sustainable Agriculture

Industrial agriculture is defined as “a form of modern farming that refers to the industrialized production of livestock, poultry, fish, and crops.” (Wikipedia). Industrial agriculture provides a quick solution to producing large amounts of crops in a short amount of time. The purpose of industrial agriculture is to eliminate the human labour aspect of farming, and to use machines and genetic technology to produce the products. The problem with industrial agriculture is that it is extremely harmful to the environment. The toxins that are being used to fertilize the crops are being washed into our water systems and in addition the use of these machines has begun to lead to degredation of the soil. In addition, the machines being used have begun to shorten water supply and use up enormous amounts of energy. One benefit that industrial agriculture has is that it produces a lot of crops in a short amount of time for a low budget, maximizing profits for farmers by reducing labour costs and increasing productivity. Sustainable agriculture is defined as “the ability of a farm to produce food indefinitely, without causing irreversible damage to ecosystem health.” (Newpaltz) Generally speaking, sustainable agriculture is a more humane way of raising crops and animals. It does not involve any genetic mutations and harmful pesticides, and whatever waste is generated from the farms is dealt with on the farms and does not end up back in our ecosystem. Sustainable agriculture produces more jobs for farmers, and provides treatment that is fair to both animals and workers. Sustainable agriculture sees that animals are treated properly and are not put in overcrowded cages and produced at mass amounts. Another benefit of sustainable agriculture is that it maintains the biodiversity that has begun to be depleted by industrial agriculture. Sustainable agriculture not only provides benefits for the environment and workers, but it provides a place for animals to continue their normal habits, such as grazing.  
In conclusion, it is clear to me that industrial agriculture is a unacceptable and antiquated. Even though industrial agriculture produces large quantities of food in shorter amounts of time, it is contributing to the depletion of the diversity of animal species on the planet as certain breeds are becoming extinct. Industrial agriculture has led to soil degradation, and water depletion and contamination. Sustainable agriculture offers a solution to this problem by providing a safe way to produce the same products. Although sustainable agriculture produces at a slower speed, it is worth taking the extra time, because that way we can make sure we do not deplete our resources and we don’t allow less productive breeds to become extinct. Contrary to popular belief a farmer can make the same amount of money whether he/she works in industrial or sustainable agriculture, there is no added benefit for farmers, and there is only negative aspects for the environment. 
Sourceshttp://www.newdream.org/food/glossary.php
Wikipedia- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_agriculture
Newpaltz- www.newpaltz.edu/green/definitions.html
http://www.economywatch.com/agriculture/types/industrial.html
http://www.sustainabletable.org/intro/whatis/
http://eap.mcgill.ca/sustain.htm
Blogs Commented On:http://natashasbioblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/dirty-little-secrets-of-food-industry.htmlhttp://bioblogstuff.blogspot.com/2010/12/sustainable-agriculture-right-choice.html