Industrialized versus Pre-/Non-Industrialized Food Production

Industrialized versus Pre-/Non-Industrialized Food Production
Food production in the modern world is mostly industrialized, which means that large corporations operating mechanical and technological systems are involved in food production. On the contrary, pre-/non-industrial farming is characterized by individuals producing their own food. Comparing the two methods requires examining those aspects that distinguish them. by definition, industrialized food production entails large-scale and intensive production of animals and crops, often involving the use of chemicals and antibiotics. Pre-/non-industrialized food production entails small-scale production of crops and animals mostly for domestic use. Therefore, one area of comparison between the two is the scale and purpose. Large-scale production is a feature of industrialized systems and companies where the purpose is efficiency and commercialization. According to Eaton (2017), Monsanto and its operations in North America involving the commercialization of genetically modified (GM) wheat have raised significant health and environmental concerns. The key lesson from this reading is that industrialized production involves the application of chemicals and substances that boost agricultural productivity at the expense of environmental and health concerns.
Pre-/non-industrialized food production lacks the basic motives of industrialization. As opposed to efficiency, productivity, and commercialization, non-industrialized production has been likened to the hunter-gatherer method of food production (Snow, 2015). In this case, sustainability is often the priority since the individuals involved in this method take only enough for consumption and leave the rest for the future. If it was an industrialized system, the food is harvested to its depletion until the next cycle of production begins. Farmers or other people who grow their own food for consumption at home are the perfect examples of non-industrialization since the scale is smaller and commercialization is not the primary motive. However, individuals with home gardens may produce surplus and decide to trade the excess, but this does not give the production method the characteristics necessary to label it industrial.
Another area of comparison between the two methods is the consequences for health and the environment. As mentioned earlier, the hunter-gatherer method means that food is grown, produced, or fished using environmentally responsible methods. For instance, hunting wild boar will only require chasing down the animal and slaughtering it. On the contrary, industrial production would require the construction of infrastructure to rear the animals on a large scale, chemicals...