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6/20/23 CAFOs STEM in Society

CAFOs are industrial-sized live-stock operations. They are a controversial topic as they have both advantages and disadvantages. A term that could be used to discuss it is intersectionality. Intersectionality is the idea of multiple factors coming together. CAFOs are known for their pollution to the environment through their run off as well as unethical practices. Animals are cramped together, fed uneatable food, and debeaked. They are kept from the sunlight and live in horrible conditions. However, this intersects with an advantage of CAFOs. CAFOs have cheap food, which allows for people of all classes to have access to meat. Food that comes from family farms is usually considered organic and costs more. However, its usually that the more privileged are buying it. This leads to a pattern of the the richer continuing to eat better while the poor suffer. This intersects because although the animals are suffering, the population of humans has an advantage. 


Furthermore, CAFOs are able to mass produce food. This allows for the use of less land to produce the amount of meat that would sustain the population. However, this intersects with environmental damage. Because, CAFOs take up less land than family farms because of how industrialized they are. But, CAFOs also produce a lot of pollution that affects the air and water in surrounding areas. This is intersectionality as once again two complex issues relating to CAFOs have a direct effect on each other. The environment it benefitting with the use of less land, but the air and water are polluted which could lead to future problems. 


CAFOs are a complex problem as although at first glance they may seem to be completely horrible and thought to be stopped, later on it is revealed that it has benefits. CAFOs are good and bad for the USA and require alternatives first as too much of the population relies on it as of now. Intersectionality helped me understand this topic as I was able to see both perspectives of the issue. Many times it is easy to take one stance on an issue, but intersectionality showed how advantages and disadvantages can relate together and bring forth a new perspective. 

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