Question

Describe and discuss innovation in agriculture; notably, the social benefits and costs.

Answer 1

Innovation in agriculture includes use of machineries, new high yielding varieties, fertilizers and pesticides. With the advent of science and technology agriculture too has developed by adopting new developments in the field of agriculture. The utilization of new technologies is invariably needed to meet the growing demands of population in order to save people from starvation. Social benefits include ability to provide adequate food, reduced malnutrition, improved health standards etc. Costs include indiscriminate use of fertilizer and pesticides, soil erosion, reduced soil fertility, destruction of forest lands, clashes between human and animals because of reduced land area etc. So the innovation has both impacts on societal benefit and costs.