In the documentary entitled “The Future of Food,” the viewers are shocked by the revelation of how food is made in America. In the opening scenes, one woman said that America used to be a nation of farmers, but today, there are only 2% of the population that produces food for everyone. It is, therefore, not surprising to find out that only a few people in America are acutely aware of what goes into their food and how it was produced.
There are two main issues that the documentary tried to focus on. First is the lack of diversity in food crops, and second is the emergence of genetically modified food that can transform the way food is produced and how future food production can be controlled in favor of giant companies. The lack of diversity is creating famines all over the world. Since there are only a few varieties of potatoes and corn then the sudden increase in the number of pests suited for that species usually means disaster for farmers.
The solution created by companies like Monsanto was to genetically modify crops like corn to withstand the impact of pests like borers. But this breakthrough solution led to something that no one predicted. Companies like Monsanto began to patent their products. It became an ethical battleground because no none is supposed to own a life. But these companies were able to find a loophole in the legal system that gave them the power to have total control of a genetically modified food product. It is right for many to be alarmed considering the impact of having to pay companies the right to plant a seed into the ground.
This is another absurd idea from multinational-companies. How can they expect a person to pay for something that nature has made available for all? It is one thing to pay a farmer who took the time to take care of say a field of corn to harvest the seeds and sell it to other farmers so they can use it as opposed to paying a company for the right to use these seeds.
I cannot accept the idea of companies having control of food production. It is like being under the authority of a dictator. Every person should have the right to access what nature has provided. It is unethical and wrong for a company to take control of something crucial to the survival of mankind. As one person has asked, who owns the sun, who owns the air? No one should have control over seeds because it is the building block of food production.
It may be the right time to encourage Americans to go back to the farm. Retirees can make investments to support organic farming. They can also retire away from cities and in rural areas where they can finance traditional methods of farming. This is one of the solutions that can be considered to counteract the impact of companies trying to control everything in life. Hopefully, this practice can increase diversity and provide sources of food that are nutritious, not genetically modified, and not full of pesticides.