Traditional Farming vs factory farming

These days, a significant changes in farming practices such as factory farming and usage of technology to boost crop production has made people think, are these beneficial or dangerous? Some consider this as an advancement while others, including me think it is dangerous and feel traditional methods should be followed. To start with, Industrial farming such as vertical farming & Hydroponic farms aim at increasing productivity while ignoring sustainability. Usage of chemical fertilizer and pesticides is clear example which has caused vast problems to natural habitat and some particular types such as DDT have been banned because of long term effects on human health. A vast number of studies have found that animals raised in factory farms are often faced with abuse and bad living conditions particularly overcrowding. On the beneficial side, it requires less space, labor and the rate of production is substantially higher with a lower cost. Conventional farming however, is a more sustainable approach and the production costs are higher with a limited return, but have long term advantages. For instance, use of organic fertilizers that have no negative impact on humans as well as the organisms in the surroundings. Another notable factor is the minimal use of fossil fuelled machinery which eventually reduces the emissions into the atmosphere. To sum up, modern and traditional methods both have their pros and cons but, for a stable and a safe future, the advantages outweigh the drawbacks of traditional farming.