Agriculture provides food but sacrifices environment

TOPIC: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Modern agriculture does damage the environment, but providing food for the growing population around the world is more important than protecting the environment.

Nowadays, the world population grows with each passing day. Improving the grain yield has become modern agriculture’s priority. Nevertheless, overexploited arable lands bring about serious destruction. Certain individuals claim that modern agriculture’s damage to the environment is inevitable. However, I hold the opposite view that we shouldn’t neglect the significance of the environment.

No doubt, agriculture relies on the environment. Destroying the environment would merely bring about short-term interests. The famous example is the rainforest farming on Amazon Plain. On account of locating in the tropic areas, Amazon has plenty of forests’ resources. The strategy adopted by local citizens is cutting down trees and cultivating maize to satisfy the desire of increasing population. At first, it works. Shortly after, this kind of farming disturbs the local environment and climate. The worst drought in decades gives a big lesson to the Amazon dwellers.

Furthermore, advanced agricultural technology can effectively improve the grain yield, but not hurt the environment. As we all know, gene-modified (GM) crops have some unique advantages. For instance, those crops can resist injurious insects’ attacking, which is conducive to the environment because of no pesticide. GM crops also can improve the grain’s size and weight due to changing corresponding enzymes in the plant cell. People are capable to increase the harvest, and protect the environment at the same time.

Admittedly, owing to factors such as religion, politics, war and natural disasters, enormous amounts of world’s refugees need to obtain food regardless of the environments. However, international rescue or regional coordination can settle this situation.

According to all the reasons I pointed out above, no damage to the environment should be the precondition of modern agriculture. Sustainable development can produce more merits.