Needs of humans vs needs of plants

I have always been a proponent of Capitalism as I believe no other entity, single or group, can create a more efficient market system. The needs of humans are bountiful and limitless so how do we decide what to produce? How can we be sure that we are producing the correct quantity? Is it too much? Is it too little? We don’t want to be creating surpluses or shortages. Ultimately, there are just way too many factors to list and think about.

Fortunately, through the free market forces that capitalism inevitably creates, 4 seemingly complex amounts are efficiently calculated.

1.     Quantity of goods to be produced

2.     Quantity of goods to supply

3.     Equilibrium price

4.     Equilibrium quantity

Knowing what these 4 numbers are, will help consumers, suppliers and producers determine what goods to produce and how much to charge them for any type of good—there is no other method that is more efficient. Therefore, when I read about how the author’s family decided to move from Arizona to the Southern Appalachia because they were unsatisfied with food industrialization, I was baffled. Why would anyone try to go against capitalism? After all, the only reason food has been industrialized is because there is an extremely great demand for it; demand that came from the needs of consumers.

If Nebraskans want oranges, then a market will be created, and producers or distributors will start establishing channels to ensure that oranges are provided for Nebraskans. Similarly, if Californians need water in their dessert-like climate, then pipelines will be built to meet the growing demands. There is nothing “unnatural” about it. To me, the real fault lies with consumers who demand that such goods be created. Just like everyone in corporate America, producers are just trying to make money on products that have a demand.

All that aside, no chapter left a greater impression on me than chapter 3. In that chapter, I learned about how food industrialization was creating very worrying problems for the future. Just like humans and animals, plants go through natural selection too; by breeding plants selectively, humans are ruining the gene pool. We are creating more resistant plants that will survive the toxic chemicals used to kill other living creatures like insects. What happens when these plants become so resistant to toxic chemicals? What happens to our infants who have less resistant immunity systems? Similarly, just as genetic diversity has helped humans reproduce so successfully, plants require the same too. Yet again, another problem is created through selective breeding.

Much like a double-edged sword, everything comes with a price—but which is the more hefty price? Do we satisfy the needs of humans or the needs of plants?