ABSTRACT
Chapter 7, “Alternatives to industrial agriculture,” discusses the empirical dimensions of food, animals, and the environment, focusing on alternatives to industrial agriculture–specifically alternative animal agriculture, local food, organic food, and engineered foods (both animal-based and plant-based). We present the arguments for and against each system in addition to their animal, environmental, and human impacts. The aim is to more closely analyze both the empirical impacts and the values that underlie each alternative agricultural method. We note that, while we discuss them separately, these categories can also overlap. As with the impacts of industrial agriculture, the impacts of non-industrial agriculture vary depending on the inputs used, the land cleared, the soil tilled, and the output produced. Soil organic matter varies greatly across temperate and tropical climates, and so different practices are appropriate for different climates. This makes it difficult to make general statements about the impacts of alternatives to industrial agriculture without also specifying climate, forms of inputs, and other characteristics.
