In 1807, François Isaac de Rivaz designed the very first car. This revolutionized the way people would get around from then on. In 1928, the first antibiotic, penicillin, was discovered by Alexander Fleming, Professor of Bacteriology at St. Mary's Hospital in London. This advancement in the medical field impacted the health and well-being of the entire world. Just as the automotive, medical, and many other industries advance, so too should Agriculture, in order to be truly sustainable. However, a thorough understanding and knowledge of the subject is necessary to guarantee appropriately developed methods for growth in this field.
It is not enough to simply maintain the status quo. Our world's population is growing exponentially, and that demands that we not only keep food production levels steady, but that we find ways to get more out of fewer and fewer resources. The problem is that many people disagree with the processes farmers to take get there. However, to continue to successfully move forward in the agricultural industry, the use of genetic engineering is necessary. With genetically engineered crops farmers are able to use fewer inputs, and receive a greater yield. This is sustainability. In 1994, American's saw the first genetically engineered food in grocery stores. The Flavr Savr tomato was manipulated to have a later harvest for a longer shelf-life. From 1994 to 1999 California tomato sales went up $13.6 million dollars (USDA 2000). This shows the effect GM can have on the agricultural economy. There is also worry about negative effects it can have on the environment, but using less resources for a greater yield means that we can put more of our resources like water, energy, land, labor, etc., to better use. From a social standpoint, conventional farming could help feed the world, like the 239 billion people that are starving throughout African countries (WFPUSA 2015). There is no reason that the agriculture field should not be making progress alongside the other industries.