but global soil health is shit due to use of synthetic fertilisers. agriculture is one of leading drivers of climate change but also one of the most affected.

In The Netherlands we lost 85% of our biodiversity compared tot the 50’s. Mainly due to large scale agriculture and pesticides. Not sure if its better..

Actually, the real reason for the increase in food production is the use of a huge amount of all kinds of farm machinery that are all powered by FOSSIL FUELS.

at increasing cost to the natural world, on which we all depend

Thanks to our sponsor, Monsanto.

The chemicals have changed yields very little. It's mechanical harvesting that has allowed such growth.

The spin from that statistic is wild

It is because of tractors and other machinery. What use to take 30 workers, now takes a 30 foot swath.

”We have a right to expect that the best trained, the best educated men on the Pacific slope, the Rocky Mountains, and great plains States will take the lead in the preservation and right use of forests, in securing the right use of waters, and in seeing that our land policy is not twisted from its original purpose, but is perpetuated by amendment, by change when such change is necessary in the life of that purpose, the purpose being to turn the public domain into farms each to be the property of the man who actually tills it and makes his home in it.” “No nation has ever achieved permanent greatness unless this greatness was based on the wellbeing of the great farmer class, the men who live on the soil.” -Teddy Roosevelt

It's because the inputs are chemicals instead of sweat.

Define “better”

200 years ago it was 90% of the population that worked the land. 5% distributed what was produced, 1% owned most of it and the rest administered things.

Better nourishment with a vid of sprayer... pesticides are poison... weird short

It's poisoning a lot more people too.

And then we waste 38% of that production according to USDA and other best estimates.

Is large amounts of unhealthy foods better? I think there is still much room for improvement

I don't buy this video

Then why we still hungry.

Interesting. Im reading a book called "A Square Meal, the Culinary Històry of the Great depression. It mentioned that in the early 1900s there was a mass exodus of people leaving farms. Mostly younger generation farmers. In 1908 Pres. Roosevelt alarmed by this created the "Country Life Commission" to investigate. The commission found country life was still going strong but a lot of people were leaving because city life offered more financial and intellectual opportunities. The country in general was starting a shift toward city life and that trend still continues today. The mass reduction of farm workers wasn't BECAUSE of machinery, automation, etc, it was actually a cultural shift. People just wanted more. Schools were offering views of city life that was appealing. People had the opportunity to do more, learn more and experience more.

Quality of food reduced thus reducing ours

What is the Quality of Our Food from Commercial Farming, I think Some Victory Gardens would be in Order, at Home, in Community's, Know where Our Food 🥑🥝 comes from

One more thing: the proposed improvement of safety in food supply to be tossed in this comparison is not justifiable. A) there is not data to proof food was objectively and significamtly more unsafe in 1900. There is a trend when measuring from our current point of view ...just concluding that back in time things must have been worse. But fact is this: For detailed statistics and a more direct comparison between the years 1900 and 2024, historical records and modern databases would need to be consulted. The data from the early 20th century may not be as comprehensive or reliable as modern data due to the differences in data collection and reporting standards over time. However, it is clear that there have been significant improvements in food safety regulations and practices since the 1900s, contributing to a safer food supply in the USA today. B) After WWII severeal 'improvements' like seeds and plants used to produce bread containing more gluten (helps against plant desease and insects to a certain level) were looked at being such an improvement. Today we know that long term this significantly aided to cause overweight. JUST LIKE ...allowing endless lore sugars in all sort of products. Food safety is replaced by 'safe' food... causing food addiction, chronic deseases and lack of health and fittness of people... There are stats proposing in 2050 highly overweight people in proportion to people in the us with a normal weight will be 2:1. So here a question: Did we come a long way making food more safe or making more people than ever in history chronically unhealthy and ill than ever before...?

I don't know about where you live but, there is a whole lot of produce stamped from other than USA here.

I want someone to invent a new vegetable,one that if you eat it your health gets restored back to 100%

I take the point that this short (assuming that there is not a full video) is Not worthy of Big Think for the reason of providing incomplete information around the placement of farming in the bigger (eco)system as some have already mentioned. Yes; food security and productivity have increased which safeguards direct food needs NOW, however the trade off of the production means regarding water use, pollution of chemicals and loss of biodiversity is likely to undermine food security over the long run. Moreover is there a self enforcing loop on the dependency of automation and ‘conventional’ means (conventional specially marked, as the dependence on chemicals is regarded normal nowadays, which is to me a toxic standpoint; i’d always like to compare the situation of conventional farming with a human being that is regarded ‘healthy’ that depends on a particular amount of medical drugs to keep their body in balance) due to the economic system that initiates a race of economy of scale and cheaper production where ‘general’ farmers in a global system are mere price takers. Second point is that the implicit promise of cheap food of politics for consumers is strengthening this loop. One could take the standpoint that food security could become a problem when switching to more extensive means of production (opposite of intensive), but that could create food scarcity. However, continuing this system of technical innovation or use of Genetically Modified Organisms, is very likely to only push the problem of potential food scarcity further in time, in a world with an even bigger population based on demographic projections (EVEN with a higher food consumption and land-use due to increasing welfare), and therefore creating a bigger share in potential famine over the long run, as a result of large scale crop failures. Such failures may then be arising from i.e. water shortages, or even water abundances (as a result of changing weather patterns due to climate change) or increases in pests due to resilience of pests to pesticides. Moreover even the loss of self proficiency in food due to the lack of knowledge on farming, spatial regulations in city zones (and the majority of global pop. living in urban) for example or the low financial incentive to start growing ourselves, are making this problem of food accessibility ever more potent for an ever larger share of population and therefore bigger risk of the so nowadays notoire risk of dying in one’s physical life. With a high likelihood of failing crops in the long run, as substantiated above, it is politically and socially wise to dedicate an increasing share of our money, effort and time in regaining and learning methods of farming that include nature and strive for natural balances without external dependence on synthetic means. - the reason for natural farming systems is an ancient proven method that holds human society within ecological carrying capacity, while connecting us spiritually to our home planet and our origin, with psychological benefits as a free side effect. However, strong political lobbies that connect with strong monetary greed are keeping these providing systems in place. The question of food security asks for extreme nuance and requires a critical view on how such systems relate to other socio-financial and ecological systems that are in place. However, such nuance does require deep levels of thinking and are easily debunked by simple, linear thinking politicians that are used by those who benefit monetarily from their power positions. Thats my share.

How have health and nutrition have deteriorated due to over harvesting and use of chemicals in this "more secure food supply"?

Thank you..this is somewhat reassuring..

A whole lot of that is also because Mexico exports a load of their crops to the USA...

'better ways to fight off plant diseases'?- somebody please tell him we have already lost big share of biodiversity 😔

I live in a small village in Europe where there are a lot of small farmers with a couple of cows or sheep, by law the animals are kept a certain period of time on the pasture or up in the mountains roaming freely. Recently in another region here someone at fault was charged by court for poisoning 4 sheep on the neighbour's ground, he used pesticides on his field ..P.S. I don't like this post AT ALL ..

how many people when you consider supporting roles like transport, fuel, fertilizer production, who manufactures and maintains the equipment, the various industries to make the various raw materials and parts...

In 2023 the US food exports were worth $143 billion. Same as the Netherlands.

The 100+ years of massive improvements in agricultural output comes at a price - much higher levels of background pollution, aquifer depletion, microbial-dead soils, & an unsustainable population explosion. The global population in 1900 was 1.6 billion and in the USA was 76 million (both around a FIFTH of today). Learn all you can about the consequences of OVERSHOOT & you will appreciate that the good times have been and gone.

No, we don't enjoy a more secure food supply. 38% of people no longer have direct access to the food produced (the supply chain is just in time and if it were disrupted 98% of people wouldn't have access to food), the aquifers have been depleted, the volume of production is more dependent on fertilisers, pesticides, fungicides, insecticides, herbicides...

Its unfortunate that the poisons we have introduced to increase efficiency have lowered life expectancy from 85 to 76. Additionally, male fertility has been declining at about 1 to 2 % per year over the last 50 years as well. I suspect the food we eat is the primary reason

Our food supply is also more poisonous in the US too

Thank you Monsanto

What an excellent glimpse into a topic that has severely changed over a relatively short amount of time! Thanks BT❤❣❤

and as a result, we have some of the worst food in the world, because it's devoid of taste and lacks a deeper nutritional value. And I'm talking about the basic building blocks of natural non-processed (or minimally processed) food.

I love farming

Let's not forget the 15% that we import and the 13% that suffer daily from food insecurity.

Convenient

Dont have a horse in this fight but the guy said the food supply is more *secure* not necessarily better.

We have lost a lot of biodiversity, skills and social connections in the process though. The food production industry is impressive, but it’s far from perfect. The brutal exploitation of the land, environment and animals is overlooked for a quick buck and it’ll not go on without heavy consequences.

That's true agricultors now think that their work is the cause of providing more food for people .😌

Better? The agriculture in the US is terrifying!

It's useful information.

Most likely you are overestimating the percentage drop in AG workforce from 40% to 2% because you are not properly accounting for illegal seasonal workers. These people do not vote and avoid registration of any kind, so it is easy to overlook their hard labor. Who said that in the US hard work will take you far?

U S population in 1900 = 76.3 million amd in 1940 = 134.000 prople. US population in 2024 = 336.000 people. The pure percentage calculation is not correctly representing the actual proportions here. The trend is clear though. Calculating actal proportion .... means that **40% of 76,400,000** is approximately **4.55 times larger** than **2% of 336,000,000**. The proportion of the first value is significantly higher compared to the second still but this calculation is a better statistical representation.

Community garden in town unused

Yes, we need to go back to more of a traditional organic agricultural economy. This large scale farming is not good for the soil or for us.

Yeah!---Especially with phosphates!

Clarify "food security". When what industrial farms are producing is laced with glyphosates and other endocrine disruptors and carcinogens, is it really even safe to eat commercially produced "food"? Furthermore, when a handful of factory farms hold a monopoly on food prices, there is always the risk of hyperinflation for nothing more than profiteering. Maybe what you're calling "food security" is actually commodities market share security. Real food security is when a family produces their own, knows what they are eating and gets out of their food production work what they are willing to put into it. Give a little, get a little. With food prices through the roof, that maxim doesn't even apply anymore. I compared the price of a kilo of cherry tomatoes sold in Canada compared to the same sold in India. Here we would be asked to pay $16/kg. There, $1.

Run off from fertilizers and pesticides is killing the water supply and the bays around the world.

Why, because machine's are doing 38% of the work. The previous 38% were mostly mixed with forced labour, bad human rights environment.

Yeah but compare the nutrient value and chemical contamination of a 1950s tomato to a 2024…

Thanks for feeding Africa

Yet, massive unemployment? Figures

Not really true as the quality is way-way low if we compare even to the food we produced just around 1930-1940s

Does that say 38% is outsourced

How about the migrant workers???

I guess 666 likes is a beautiful number, let's keep it like that. Yes, the efficiency is much higher but what about the quality? What about the taste?

at the cost of the animals. our dominion cant last. we just lost a million chickens here. so no eggs.

Bitter truth

We have also developed seeds that work less with the soil food web not better with it. We thus need to pump even more nitrogen artificially out of the air spending even more tons and megatons of energy to do for the billions of people. Multi-polar traps will never produce good healthy outcomes for people

Bullshit

I need a break be back asap

Unfortunately everyone who depends on agri industry has lost their food security. If there is an interruption in the oil supply there will be no food, so there is no food security at all. Who paid for this propaganda?

And were all sick!

does anybody think he looks like marty from the curse of oak island?

Happy happy everyone! Much more food around now, and sooooo much cheaper. Whoop whooop

GMO... Pesticide...

What better seeds American fruits vegetables, fruits etc taste terrible compared to the rest of the world More profit doesn't mean better

Lost jobs. Big markets buying from big farms, breaking the little guy.

GMO

Be Kind Be vegan ❤

Its crap food tho.

This is grossly false: agriculture productivity relies upon abundant energy and fertilizers, and marginally on agronomic innovation. Energy supply is at high risk due to peak oil. Same for fertilizers due to finite phosphate reserves. And climate warming make already agricultural yields drop down: Spanish tomatoes dropped last year by 70% and Irish potato by 90%. So can we say that we enjoy a much more SECURE food supply? Certainly not long term!

This is not an advancment though. Most of the lower class if they could they would go back to this if the knowledge and capacity to do so had been passed onward but the issue is that that does not help the interests of the upper class who need disposable human lives to use to fuel their great wealth extracting machine of invented wants and scalable violence and unconventional warfare (most warfare is not kinetic)

Well we all know who controls the US farming industry 😁

Yeah no the farming practices today are not helping the environment at all. We need to go back to preindustrial farming methods. Nothing was wrong with them. We were not 'food insecure' 100 years ago. This is a patently bad post from a supposedly intelligent source. Do better due diligence.

How many migrants work the fields, though?

Rubbish. Wonder who's sponsoring this pack of lies? A tractor company?

With all respect for you for this chanel for all gold minds this channel have ,we have much more shit food now we had ever , because nothing is organic anymore only hybrid

When people in comments think we spray plants with pure pesticids :