"Industrial-Scale Farming, Sustainable Path"

Question

by Miriam Horn

Working with his dad and brother on land homesteaded by his maternal great-grandparents just after the Civil War, Justin grew up hearing how his grandmothers put wet tea towels in windows to try to keep out the black blizzards of the Dust Bowl. Given responsibility for several fields while still in high school, he’d watched his own soils blowing and washing away, weeds running out of control and paltry yields. But it wasn’t until he went off to Kansas State University that he understood a prime cause of that damage: generations of plowing.

Though few landscapes appear more beautiful, fertile and orderly than the straight, black, fragrant furrows of a newly tilled field, plowing is unnatural and, in many climates and soils, one of the most destructive things a farmer can do. Plowing strips soil bare, exposing it to erosion by rain and wind. It collapses soil structure — closing off the water channels left by deep roots and worms — and harms life in the soil, which though it may appear dead is in fact Earth’s most biodiverse ecosystem, containing a third of all organisms. Those thousands of microbial species are critical to human survival. They sustain photosynthesis, which all food and oxygen come from, by ferrying nutrients to plants and protecting them from pathogens. They decompose wastes, turning corpses of plants and animals back into new life. They’re also directly vital to human health, the source of 90 percent of antibiotics and 60 percent of anticancer drugs.

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"Organic Farming Could Worsen Global Warming"
by Courtney Vinopal

For decades, the conventional wisdom surrounding organic farming has been that it produces crops that are healthier and better for the environment as a whole. In the U.S., where organic food sales totaled nearly $50 billion last year and made up 5.7 percent of total food sales, companies such as Annie’s and Organic Valley market their products as leaving a low carbon footprint. They remind consumers that their ingredients “matter…to the planet we all share,” or that their farming practices “remove excess carbon dioxide from the air.” The International Federation of Agriculture Movements promises in its literature that organic farming can “help reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the agricultural sector of the European Union and beyond.”

But a new study out this week challenges this narrative, predicting that a wholesale shift to organic farming could increase net greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 21 percent.

“We’re not saying that organic is wrong,” said Adrian Williams, an associate professor of environmental systems at Cranfield University in the U.K., but that consumers and environmental organizations would be wise to consider what these farming practices would look like on a much larger scale before making assumptions about the environmental impacts. Williams worked on the study published in Nature Communications on Tuesday.

While it’s unlikely that any country will pursue a complete, 100 percent transition to organic farming anytime soon, the study falls in line with others that raise questions about the degree to which these practices can mitigate the effects of climate change — and how market forces limit their ability to do so.

© NewsHour Productions LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Question
Use the excerpts to answer the question. Select Passage 1 and Passage 2.

In 3–5 sentences, compare and contrast the text structure of the two excerpts. Why do you think each author chose to present information in this way?

(4 points)


Short Answer Rubric (4 points)
Points Awarded Criteria
4
The answer is very clear.

The answer is fully supported by details.

There may be a few errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics. Errors do not interfere with meaning.

3
The answer is mostly clear.

The answer is supported by mostly relevant details.

There are a few errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics. Errors do not interfere with meaning.

2
The answer is somewhat clear.

Details are weak or not related.

There are some errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics. Errors interfere with meaning.

1
The answer is not clear.

There are few or no supporting details.

There are many errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics. Errors interfere with meaning.

0 The question is not answered.
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Answer 1

In Passage 1, Miriam Horn uses a narrative structure that combines personal storytelling with informative content, illustrating Justin's experiences and struggles with traditional farming methods. This approach highlights the emotional connection to the land and the urgency of understanding sustainable farming practices. In contrast, Courtney Vinopal in Passage 2 employs a more analytical and research-based structure, introducing a study that challenges the traditional view of organic farming. This structure allows for a critical examination of assumptions regarding environmental impacts, focusing on data and expert opinions. Each author chose their respective structures to effectively engage their audience—Horn to evoke empathy and a sense of urgency, while Vinopal presents a cautionary perspective grounded in research to encourage thoughtful consideration of farming practices.