Nowadays, risks of health and the well-being of humans are becoming uncountable. This is mainly due to the consumption of the unhealthy processed food. GMO’s are genetically modified organisms that are mostly harmful for the human-being. Nowadays people are redirecting to the old habits of surviving on gardening and farming. They are said to reclaim becoming the basic survival skills and that need of them is growing every day. Gardening or farming create more than a few benefits as they are beneficial on the short and long term as well. Debates on the matter than gardening should be only practiced as a ‘beauty’ element or is it actually the functional habits we need to readapt. A few opponents suppose that farming and gardening are not in need to be readapted, as they bring harms that we cannot afford to have right now. On the other hand, most proponents believe that they are the skills that are needed with all the health issues arising daily. There are more beneficial outcomes from these exercises than there is harm. The advantages of farming and gardening include enhancing mental and physical well-being, freshness of food, and exchanging.
Opponents think that there are harms that result from gardening and farming and the first reason they assume this proposition is due to the lack of diversity. A body needs various types of nutrients and elements such as protein, carbohydrates, and fats. But, there is a limited number of vegetables and fruits that you can intake these nutrients from. This lack of diversity affects the body in a harmful way where the demands of staying well is not met. Imagine only having a few options to eat every single day; your body gets bored. The need for change in the intakes of a body will always affect a person where the terms like ‘cravings’ originated from that matter. There is not much you can harvest and have a three course well cooked meal from. It is just not enough to rely on some fruits and vegetables you planted in the garden. For example, there was an experiment made where a woman was put on a farm for a long period of time with only the available crops to eat from. She handled the first few days in a positive attitude where she adopted the style of a healthy life. But the, she started fainting and not feeling well; as her body needed energy that wasn’t there. She ended the experiment and went home. Although her intake for fruits and vegetables increased; she realized it is not enough to survive on them solely. A simple question proves the proponents beliefs, and that is; how did our ancestors survive? From the beginning of time, these were the only available food intakes to all humans. If one looks at the time frame from the beginning of life; processed food have only been around for a short period of time. All these years’ people relied on gardening and farming as the main source of food; and it worked. It is proven with no experiments needed that it is in fact a sufficient way to survive. Secondly, GMO’s and processed food are not the ultimate nutrient providers. There are many artificial components and chemicals that are put into producing these types of food. On the contrary, they harm you more than vegetables and fruits can ever do. A great example is to take my cousin, who happens to own a farm. He lives a normal life at the city and eats processed food and GMO’s, but he has to stay at the farm for a few months every year. Because it is very far away from any markets, he does it the old fashioned way and lives on the crops. When he comes back he keeps complaining on how harmful the processed food is and that people should all live on farms or start growing crops at home. (Morris, 2011)
According to Poulsen et al (2014), another reason opponents suggest is a drawback to surviving on farming and gardening foods is the polluted or contaminated soils. How many poisoning conditions happened due to people eating food right out of its roots? There are many contaminated plants that may harm a human being due to their components. A minimum of 70% of the soil are tainted, hence the odds of cancer development is intensified. Also, different types of harmful soil can lead to development of leukemia and liver cancer. Aside from human damage, there are also environmental harms. The plants that are being planted are directly related to the air and water we consume. These harmful chemicals are passed to these elements which caused greater issues. These problems do not occur in factories, as the food gets processed and checked for harmful substances. There is no need to risk these heavy illnesses as there are better substitutes. But again, these proposed issues are not totally true. These problems occur when people use fertilizers that are bad for the soil. They use them to enhance the plants growing, which are usually harmful. This personal choice is known when one is using the substances and the bad effects are known. So, for most people they simply avoid the risks and go with the safe side. For example, proponents made a study to prove that people can live on plants grown at home without using these harmful chemicals. They stayed for a long while and waiting for the crops to grow, but it was worth it the feeling of freshness and the taste of the food was amazing.
The last reason of why people shouldn’t rely on gardening and farming in the time consumed for the plants to grow. Also, opponents highlight the point that to grow these plants there is a limitation due to the seasons. Not all plants can grow at any time, they need a specific temperature and certain conditions for them to grow. This goes back to the point of malnutrition. One cannot survive with these circumstances as they are not suitable for one to live. There was once an experiment where a person decided to live on the plants than can be only planted in the current season. He could not last because there was a limited type of food he was living on. Green houses are the obvious solution to this problem. They were originated to solve the problem of seasons. They provide the proper temperature and conditions where any types of plants can be cultivated. They are very common when people want to grow all sorts of vegetables and fruits. So the proposed issue actually has an efficient solution. (Lobao & Meyer, 2001)
Ohly et al (2016) stated that the first reason of why people should adopt survival on farming is the infinite benefits to the human body system. Vitamin K, magnesium, and potassium help reduce inflation, blood pressure, and help relax blood vessels. Fruits, on the other hand, can help avoid more serious problems like cancer and heart diseases. Eating a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables keeps the body well-shaped and decreases the rates of obesity. Cholesterol levels are highly related to foods that contain oil, but plants are a great way to avoid having high levels of cholesterol. Lastly, both the immune and nervous system are improved by magnesium. Proponents found many studies of people who had these types of diseases and were cured by following a diet that included the mentioned fruits and vegetables. My sister, for example, suffered from obesity for a long period of time. The overweight had bad side effects like heart diseases problems and high blood pressure. She went to a nutrient and he suggested that she started planting her own food at home and eating from it. By time, the whole family adopted this way of living. As the years passed by, all the problems and weight disappeared. This is something that many people should be aware of, as it is clear evidence that farming and gardening should be adopted as survival skills once again.
Protagonists add to the physical benefits other types of advantages like psychological well-being. People turn to comfort food many times like chocolate and oily food, just to make them feel better. What they don’t know it that vegetables and fruits can also help these bad moods. In some vegetables there is omega 3 and vitamin B that lower the levels of anxiety and depression. Also, stress and migraines are solved by a fair amount of magnesium intake. So why pay all that money going to a psychiatrist and wasting time, when the solution is simpler. Most medicines include substance from fruits and vegetables, whether it’s vitamins or healthy minerals. When I read about these facts, I decided to try them on my own. Whenever I’d face one of the issued proposed above; I’d find the suitable fruit/vegetable and give it a try. Surprisingly, it actually did work and quite effectively too. I added gardening and farming to my schedule so that I make sure all the plants I’m eating are fresh and completely chemical-free. (Gentry et al, 2016)
Money is a problem that is growing every day. What does that has to do with farming and gardening? Look back at the old days, before the concept of money was created on how trading used to happen. Lobao & Meyer (2001) suggested that, a few people would farm a few types of crops and leave the other types to the others. Then, when the plants grow; they would simply trade without needing to calculate the costs. One for one was the system back then, with no complications. Hence, this is, in fact a great way of dealing business wise. Adopting the survival skills are beneficial in many ways, and also they solve problems that face many people in the world. There were no disputes about pricing issues back when all the trading was with fruits or vegetables. Proponents studied a village where they still used this type of primitive, yet successful, way of living. The village was set into two halves where the types of crops was divided among them. Then, on the harvest day; the trading began in a local market. No money is involved, only plants or crops. No one has problems is bargaining or setting over price, which are huge issues in the other places of the world. So this adds proof to the fact that the advantages are countless when it comes to going back to the routes and start depending on gardening and farming for the sake of the welfare.
The last reason explained to be an advantage is freshness of taste. Most foods these days are processed and manufactured. This takes away the foods original taste and almost all foods taste the same in one way or the other. But, there’s a pleasure behind eating something that is still fresh and no chemicals are added to it. The smell of freshness and the flavor of pure rich nutrient foods are something that we all need in our lives. A survey was made to ask people of why they would rather have their own garden and eat the vegetables and fruits that grow from it. 90% of the responses were that it was healthier for them and because they liked the feeling of eating something fresh where it tastes better. (Mecham & Joiner, 2012)
To conclude, dangers of healthiness and the welfare of people are increasing every day. This is all is caused by processed food which are mostly unhealthy for the body. A great solution that people are starting to readopt is the old survival techniques of living on gardening and farming. Gardening & farming form a lot of advantaged from the second one turns to them, until they fully change their life to depend on them. Opinions on the matter vary among people and each side have their own opinion. Some opponents assume that farming and gardening should not be a system we live with, because they cause troubles that are unaffordable in the time we live in. Conversely, most proponents have confidence in that they are the aids that are required with all the health conditions rising every day.
