Food is as integral to our survival as a species, as it is to any other organism. The food production industry is therefore one of the most important and crucial sectors of human society. The food industry is essential to our existence. Advances in agriculture, particularly the development of agricultural machinery in America and Europe, were instrumental in the significant growth of the human population in the 19th and 20th centuries (Gilbert, 2005). Without this, it would have been impossible to provide for the needs of several million of our population. Currently, with the world's population ever-increasing, the pressure on the food production sector to produce greater quantities of food and supply markers is enormous. Technological and scientific progress are decisive factors enabling the agri-food industry to cope. Among these advances are the development of fertilizers to improve soil fertility, pesticides and herbicides to reduce damage to agricultural crops, the genetic modification of seeds to allow better resistance to pests, as well as the improvement of antibiotics and livestock growth promoters. The production system had also evolved. In addition to becoming largely mechanized, system inputs and system methods are also changing. The term “factory farming” has become a popular metaphor for intensive methods of agriculture, particularly livestock farming in America (Lavin, 2009). In the documentary film “Food, Inc,” factory farming was identified as one of the major flaws in the American food system (2009). Industrial agriculture generally refers to farms where a large number of animals are raised in a small area, usually indoors... middle of paper ... producing more. Technological and scientific advances will be essential to meet this demand. But these advances must be properly considered so as to provide a solution to our current crisis without producing more serious ones in its place. Works Cited Gilbert, G. (Ed). (2005). World population (2nd ed.). California: ABC-CLIO Inc. Lavin, C. (2009). Industrial farms in a consumer society. American Studies Vol. 50 (1/2): 71-92.Factory Farm. 2014. In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved March 13, 2014 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/factory%20farmDaniel, CR, Cross, AJ, Koebnick, C., & Sinha, R. (2011). Trends in meat consumption in the United States. Public Health Nutr. 14 (4): 575-583.Pohlad, W., Skoll, J., Schorr, R. and Weyermann, D. (producers) and Kenner, R. (director). 2009. Food, Inc. [DVD]. Los Angeles, California: Magnolia Home Entertainment.