Sustainability at Stake: Protecting Our Health and the Planet Through Better Farming

Sustainability is not just a word for eco-freaks. It is a word that targets why the world's greed will lead to its downfall. We often assume that cancers, viruses, and diseases are spread through a combination of factors out of human control. The truth is that careless practices create worldwide health concerns. From processed foods to unethical farming and agricultural practices, the world has ignored consequences for profits. 

Overcrowded Farm Operations: A Health Catastrophe 

You do not have to be vegan to notice the overproduction of unsustainable, unhealthy, and not very ethical meat found on factory farms. Over 70% of meat is produced from factory farming, but there are a few overlooked risks from this form of meat production.

Overcrowded farming operations affect both animal health AND human health.

• Pigs are often packed into tiny gestation crates where they are unable to turn, cows are in packed feedlots being fed grain, and chickens are kept in stacked cages.

• This creates a high-stress environment for the animals and compromised immune systems. To make up for this, animals are prescribed antibiotics to survive bacterial infections. 

• As a result, new virus strains, resistant to antibiotics, are forming. This creates a threat to human resistance towards antibiotics.

• For example, for raw chicken and turkey, multidrug-resistant Salmonella in the US doubled from 20% to over 45% in a span of 9 years. 

Antibiotic resistance and new strains of viruses can ruin human health over time in many ways. Luckily you can choose healthy options that are better for sustainability. 

Healthy, Sustainable, and Delicious Meats

When considering sustainable and ethical meats, it is important to look for pasture-raised chickens and grass-fed beef. Here is an affordable farm from Ontario you can order online for delivery. Located in Milton and Etobicoke.

Blossom Pure

• Zabiha Hand-slaughtered Halal Meat: Minimal Harm and Discomfort

• 100% grass-fed beef 

• Organic Pasture-raised chickens

• Wild-caught Fish

• Affordable prices and free delivery with minimum purchase

Pesticides and Human Health Concerns

The use of pesticides in agriculture is a necessity for many worldwide, but unfortunately at the cost of human health.

• Around 150,000 people die each year worldwide from pesticide poisoning. 

• Pesticides have been linked to many worldwide health issues, including different types of cancers, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, ALS, birth defects, and more. 

• Pesticides threaten 70% of the bee population, an animal that ⅓ of the whole world’s food production depends on.

There is a growing need to shift to alternative pest control methods that can be adopted for a more well-rounded approach towards sustainable agriculture. 

What is the solution? IPM Rises and Pesticides Subside

A cost-friendly and very effective method that can be integrated in third-world countries is Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM takes more work and training up front but can reduce workload in the long term and can be scalable to small and big farms. It requires more mental training than just spraying pesticides, which is what most farmers know and are used to, but can have heavy long-term, effective benefits. 

Sustainability isn’t just an option; it’s a necessity for our health and the future of the planet. The damage from industrial farming and pesticides threatens both people and ecosystems. Choosing ethical farms and sustainable methods like IPM is choosing life itself, for us and generations to come.