In developing areas throughout the world, the growth of modern industry has improved the lives of millions of people. More people than ever are now enjoying higher standards of living, better education and careers, and greater economic equality and prosperity. This has occurred in many areas throughout China, including my own home of Shenzhen.
 
However, while modern industry has brought about many improvements, there have also been numerous negative effects. Industry has caused major environmental problems that have harmed and endangered the lives of millions of people.
 
As the world’s fastest developing nation, China also suffers from the negative consequences of its growth. With the world’s largest population of 1.3 billion people, the Chinese consumes vast amounts of food each day. In fact, rice, the food staple of Chinese families, is consumed at the rate of 329,000 tons per day. But less than 10% of our country’s land can be farmed for food, which is one reason why we have food shortages.
 
To prevent shortages, the government sometimes imports large quantities of rice. But rises in rice, vegetable and oil prices can greatly increase the cost of feeding the nation such as during the period of 2007-2008 when the price of food imports rose 37%. As a result, the Chinese government and the nation’s farmers worked on new ways to solve the problem of food shortages.
 
Since China’s farmland wasn’t able to grow enough food to satisfy its population, scientists began to focus on increasing the utilization of land. Yuan Longping, an agricultural scientist took on this challenge and successfully developed hybrid rice. This innovation greatly increased agricultural production and improved land utilization, which helped address the problem of food shortages.
 
But other serious problems have arisen. To protect and increase the quality of their crops, farmers are now using more pesticides than ever. Unfortunately, a 2013 research study has shown a negative correlation between the amount of pesticides used in Chinese farming practices and the health of its people. Furthermore, the increased use of pesticides pollutes the rivers near farmland, creating a toxic environment for fish and other local biology. Eating fish contaminated by pesticides can further damage the human body. Many farmers are applying pesticides and fertilizers without adhering to best practices that would optimize the harvest and overall health of the population.
 
Other problems result from over-production and excessive fertilization of the soil include acceleration of greenhouse soil salinization, soil compaction, and vegetable root dysphasia. Some farmland is so overused that it loses its organic components and thus become unfertile without applying chemicals. This further fuels the vicious cycle of encouraging farmers to use even more pesticides and fertilizers, which trades near term production for the long term health and productivity of the soil.
 
The dramatic increase in the number of factories has also damaged farmland. Without strong environmental laws and enforcement of these regulations, the manufacturing industry has done substantial damage to underground water. As a result, forests have begun to disappear. When land loses trees and plants, vital nutrients also disappear and the cultivation of crops becomes impossible. The people who live in areas where nutrients in the soil have disappeared often suffer from a lack of iodine, leading to diseases of the thyroid gland.
 
Since many fresh foods have become contaminated, many people have turned to processed foods, believing they are safer. Food producers have used more food additives in order to attract consumers and increase their profits. Certainly, these additives can improve the taste of food and extend their shelf-life. But the unlawful use of additives has caused many people serious health problems.
 
To prevent this, the Chinese Food Additives and Food Ingredients Management Association has published hundreds of rules to protect the safety of consumers. The Chinese government has also proclaimed hundreds of laws to manage and restrict the use of these ingredients.
 
However, there are still many blind spots, and the illegal use of additives can go undetected until it is too late. For example, in 2011, illegal food additives were found in bread made in Chongqing. Experts found that this poisoned bread could not only cause damage to the kidney and liver, but also cause fetal birth aberrations in pregnant women.    
   
Though Chinese agriculture still faces challenges, the government and people have shown they can successfully worked together and make great progress. Research shows the Chinese government has greatly increased both food safety and availability – so much so, that China makes great contributions to the world’s agricultural economy. Now, the government and our society must focus on protecting the health and safety of everyone. We must not panic when problems occur, and work hard, together, to solve them.