M6.4: Industrial Farming

·       Your thoughts about the vanishing of bees (what else have you heard/seen about this issue?)

This was a very informative video about the vanishing of the bees. I was aware of the issue with the bees but I learned a lot more details about the issue after watching. What was very clear to me after watching is that industrial agriculture and monoculture farming are largely to blame for complete colonies of bees disappearing. It was sad to see how the honeybees would react when they were exposed to systemic pesticides and how it would instantly disorient and confuse them and clearly interfere with their nervous system and immune system. It is frustrating that the companies who make the pesticide ignore this and only tested the effect of their chemical on the bees for 1-2 days. Beekeepers recognize that the low doses they are exposed to add up and cause colony collapse disorder (CCD) about 6 months later. I was shocked at how commercial beekeepers kill the queen bee after only a few months and replace her with an artificially inseminated bee. They also feed the bees sugar syrup, which equates to junk food. Once again, humans are largely and solely to blame for the vanishing of the bees.

I was happy to see throughout the film how beekeepers have come together to attempt to tackle this issue and care so much about the bees. I was also glad that there are many holistic beekeepers that offer a sanctuary for bees.

·       Dirt!: The Movie 

This was a very informative film and I learned a lot about the importance of dirt. Industrial agriculture and monoculture farming are also largely to blame for the loss of fertile soil we are experiencing. In fact, these large monocultures don’t produce more, they produce less. As explained in the film, monocultures kill dirt by destroying the root structure. Monocultures also provide an all you can eat buffet for pests. This is how epidemic of pests begins and then when you add more pesticides the harm increases. The video also mentioned how insects and plants are not that different from us. If pesticides kill them, they can kill us too. The increased exposure to pesticides is very harmful and due to lack of research we are all greatly at risk.

·       Were you able to discover if there is a factory farm near you? Were you already aware of farms near you? What do you think about this? 

There are no factory farms in San Francisco County. I was aware that there are factory farms in more rural areas and counties and the map showed that the density level of factory farms in nearby Sonoma County is extreme. This is concerning because my grandparents have a home in Sonoma County in Russian River that we visit every summer which poses several health risks.  

·       Composting: Do you currently compost? Have you composted in the past? Do you know anyone who composts? Would you consider composting, after learning about its benefits from the movie? 

I do not currently compost and have not composted in the past. I know that my aunt composts and I will definitely begin composting more after watching these films and learning the benefits of composting from the article provided.