Industrial Agriculture

Just as bad as it sounds, industrial agriculture, also known as intensive agriculture or agribusiness, is a modern agricultural production system that relies heavily on mechanization, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and genetically modified crops to maximize yields and profits.

In industrial agriculture, crops are grown on a large scale using monoculture practices, where a single crop is grown over a vast area. Livestock are also raised in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), where they are intensively fed, treated with antibiotics and growth hormones, and housed in crowded conditions.

Industrial agriculture is characterized by its efficiency and high output, but it has also been criticized for its negative environmental impact, including soil degradation, water pollution, loss of biodiversity, and greenhouse gas emissions. It has also been linked to health concerns related to pesticide exposure, antibiotic resistance, and the consumption of processed and chemically-treated foods.