The impacts of agro-

industrialization
 Agro-industrialisation
Agro-industrialisation or industrial agriculture is the form
of modern farming that refers to the industrialised
production of livestock, poultry, fi sh and crops.

It is large-scale, capital-intensive farming originally

developed in Europe and North America and then spread to
other parts of the developed world

Green Revolution the introduction of high-yielding seeds

and modern agricultural techniques in developing
countries.
 The characteristics of agro-
industrialisation
very large farms
concentration on one (monoculture) or a small
number of farm products
a high level of mechanisation
low labour input per unit of production
heavy usage of fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides
sophisticated ICT management systems
highly qualified managers
often owned by large agribusiness companies
often vertically integrated with food processing and
retailing.
Regions where agro-industrialisation
is clearly evident on a large scale
The Canadian Prairies
The corn and wheat belts in the USA
The Paris Basin
East Anglia in the UK
The Russian steppes
The Pampas in Argentina
Mato Grosso in Brazil
The Murray-Darling Basin in Australia.
Wheat harvesting, Montana,
USA.
Palm (oil) plantation
 Global agriculture
Agro-industrialisation is a consequence of the globalisation of
agriculture
Agro-industrialisation is led by large companies.
The top ten seed firms control 30% of the global market.
The top ten agrochemical corporations control 84% of the global
market.
A dozen supermarket chains dominate food sales in the USA and
Europe.
Over 80% of the worlds biotech patents are held by five companies
Monsanto, DuPont, Syngenta, Dow Chemicals and Avents.
In the USA, only 8% of farms account for 72% of agricultural sales.

Large agricultural companies are continually seeking to

produce new products, increase market share and reduce costs
in order to increase their competitiveness
What are the consequences of this ?
Vertical integration
 The environmental impact of
capital-intensive farming
In many parts of the world agro-
industrialisation is having a devastating
impact on the environment, causing:
deforestation
land degradation and desertification
salinisation and contamination of water supplies
air pollution
increasing concerns about the long-term health of
farmworkers
landscape change
declines in biodiversity.
Soybeans explosion
Environmental impact of the increasing demand for meat .
 Food miles
Food miles can be defined as the distance food
travels from the farm where it is produced to the
plate of the final consumer.
It is an indication of the environmental impact of
food consumption.
In the UK, 95% of the fruit eaten and half the vegetables
are imported.
Increasingly these food imports have been transported by
plane.
Air transport emits more carbon dioxide per unit of
transport than any other form of transport.
Transport by air generates 177 times more greenhouse
gases than water transport.
90,000 miles UK Christmas dinner
 NEGATIVES OF INCREASING FOOD
MILES
Loss of local fruit varieties and food stuffs
e.g. there is over 7,500 types of apple, but most have been
lost with varieties like granny smiths and golden delicious
dominating the market place
Increased pollution from transporting food e.g. carbon
emissions especially from air travel
Possible homogenisation off foodstuffs
Possible animal cruelty if live animals are transported
e.g. cattle from Australia to Middle East
A concentration on food export might lead to food
shortages in LEDCs
Small LEDC farms make get taken over by large
agrobusinesses
 POSITIVES OF INCREASING FOOD
MILES
Increased variety of food
Availability of food all year
Increased market for farmers
e.g. LEDC farmers and companies can sell their
products to overseas market
Reduced need for heating greenhouses in
cold climates and irrigating in arid climates
Decreased food prices through economies
of scale
 GM Crops
GM crops are genetically modified crops.
This means that they have had their DNA altered through
genetic engineering.
Crops may have their DNA altered so that they grow
faster, or grow bigger, or are more drought resistant,
etc.
GM crops are very controversial and have many critics
as well as supporters
 ADVANTAGES OF GM CROPS
Crops can be designed to be disease resistant reducing the
amount of pesticides needed
Crops can also be designed to grow in less fertile soil reducing
the amount of fertilisers needed
Crops can be made drought resistant
Crops can be grown more intensively increasing supply and
therefore reducing shortages.
If crops can be grown intensively then deforestation can be reduced.
Crops can be designed to last longer.
If more crops are grown there will be greater photosynthesis
reducing carbon dioxide levels
Crops can have their taste, colour, size, etc altered to make
them taste better, easier to store, etc.
DISADVANTAGES OF GM CROPS
Some GM crops maybe poisonous to animals that naturally feed
on them, disrupting food chains.
GM crops may cross-pollinate with natural varieties causing the
loss of natural native species.
Because GM crops are more resistant they may become more
dominant and cause natural varieties to decline in numbers
GM crops may be patented making them unaffordable to many
countries that need the benefit of them
The development of GM crops may allow a limited number of TNC
take a dominant position and exploit smaller producers
Long term health problems (or benefits?) are unclear
GM technology may be used to create food weapons