CAFOs and Intersectionality

 CAFOs are concentrated animal feeding operations and have been known to have both disadvantages and advantages. In stem in society, we discussed just this! My group argued for the advantage and more so, the realistic outlook on CAFOs. To go to a deeper level of CAFOs, we discussed it in relation to intersectionality. 

Intersectionality: an experience, whether that be individual-based or group-based, that is focused on someone's social location (race, sexuality, nationality, ethnicity, etc.) 

My group's main points:

• CAFOs is the most realistic strategy of farming. 
• Traditional farming is not sustainable considering the population increases that are projected for 2050. 
• World population is predicted to be almost 10 billion. 
• Cultivated meat is grown in a lab from animal cells.
• May be certain drawbacks if not enough research has been done. 
• While CAFOs do create some potential harm in humans, the harm presented to the population if the sustained, cheap meat and dairy provided by CAFOs are decommissioned will be much worse. The nutritional value those resources present is astronomically more important.  
• When proposed to a local community, they increase employment and overall opportunities for the district.
• Increased tax expenditures, which will then increase in funds for schools and infrastructure.
• Enhance the community with a low-cost source of meat, milk, and eggs, taking into consideration with an efficient amount of feeding and housing for animals, an increased facility size, and animal specialization.
• God gave us dominion over all of creation. We have the right to use His creation for the betterment of human society and growth. 

Based on the principle of intersectionality, we as a group, tried to come from many backgrounds and opinions. Throughout this process, we discussed many problems within the growing population, however, more good than bad would come from CAFOs than scrapping them all together. While issues, like air/water pollution, class indifference for water filtration, government funding, animal cruelty, and more, are side effects of CAFOs, trying to find alternative solutions would be harder in the long run, financially and economically. When our group and another group, the opposing CAFOs side, combined, we did come to many realizations, one being the best alternative solution. The alternative CAFO was a lagoon system. This could deposit the manure contaminated water in small pools around a CAFO this way the lagoon water is incredibly fertile. If used at the proper rate, it would increase crop fertility and reduce the negative ecological impact on the environment.