mes in many forms. In our very first class, we have all witnessed people dumping old paint and solvents into the drain system because it simply was not cost effective to dispose of it in any other way! Think about that for a minute.................That is one small business on one small block, in one city, in one state, and in one country. Now if you examine that in global terms, you may begin to realize what a huge problem it is. Every single person counts. Years ago, they filled and buried giant drums of chemical waste into our landfills. These drums are now leaking chemicals into our soils. This pollution not only cripples the topsoil, it also contaminates our water. They have linked this type of pollution to many health problems including disease and death. All these factors aid in the deterioration of our land and its soils. Being aware of these problems is the key. It is important for us to note their long term causes and effects on the environment and to our health. (Tate, 1995)THE SOCIAL ISSUES The factors we discussed should help us to understand what the social issues are regarding our damaged soils. As consumers of agriculture, we must all do our part. Today, 90% of our food comes from land-based agriculture systems. Farmers continue to struggle to survive due to low profit margins. They estimate that in the last forty years one-third of our nations farms went out business. This is due to large co-op corporations that have monopolized and industrialized farming. The family farmer cannot compete and must join or contract out to these corporations or face extinction. We must develop a partnership with our farmers and the land to cause healthy change. We must demand organically grown foods and be willing to pay more. (Nebel / Wright, 1998) I believe they should they should empower farmers and give incentives to those who grow organic foods. This system not only produces food without...
