The Farmers of Yesterday And Today
Farming has been around for a long time. When the first prehistoric man learned to cultivate some plants to supplement his family’s food source, farming became a way of life. Yet for many centuries the farmers were “on their own.” If they had a good harvest, then there would be enough crops to sell for other basic essentials. The farmer would take his or her produce to the local town and sell it from a booth or cart. If the harvest was bad, then there was often not enough to last the farmer through the long winter months.
The farmers today have a huge advantage over their prehistoric ancestors. The farming industry is a major force in the world. Food and agriculture research has led to hardier crops that are more resistant to diseases and require fewer pesticides. This is a huge step up from just barely having enough food to feed your family and trying to worry about having enough to sell at the market. Now everyone can have year round access to fresh fruits and vegetables without worrying about paying outrageous prices that previously only the wealthy could afford.
Rural development allowed farmers more access to larger tracts of land. They could farm on a much larger scale in order to produce high enough quantities of produce to help feed the rest of the world. Farmers now have more excess crops that are sold to huge processing plants. The processing plants then prepare the food for distribution to markets around the world. What may have started out as a small garden patch on the farm blossomed into a multi-billion dollar industry. There are still risks for farmers such as pests or crop damage but at least farmers no longer have to worry about starving if they have a bad harvest. There is an inherent food security now for everyone involved. If a country has been hit by natural disasters, then they can receive aid from other countries during their hardship.
In the United States the USDA is the major force for the farmers. It is the governing body that ensures that quality crops are being grown and that everything is regulated. The USDA is also responsible for helping farmers when they have a crop failure by ensuring government aid. Farming has come quite a long way from our prehistoric ancestors. The farmers today have some sense of security. Things can still go bad but not on the scale where starvation is imminent. Food and agriculture will always be a major factor in the lives of everyone but at least now it is a bit easier for farmers.