Comparative commodity chain Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Comparative commodity chain - Research Paper Example This paper provides a detailed descriptive account of the production of tomatoes as well as the similarities and differences between their production methods. Tomato farming in California is practiced by large farm owners who have perfected the art for many decades. They are grown in the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys. The fields are planted from late January through early June for continuous harvest (Dhama 115). California, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, accounts for 90% of the United States of Americas production and 23% of the worlds production. Tomato farming requires a warm season because the crop is sensitive to frost thus planting during the winter season is impossible. The optimal soil temperature is 68Â °F (20Â °C) or above. Fruit development and quality are severely reduced when the temperatures fall below 68Â °F during the day and 50Â °F at night. The five most common varieties grown in California are Heinz 9557, AB 2, Halley 3155, Heinz 9780, and Hypeel 303. Furrow irrigation is the most common method used with drip irrigation gaining acceptance. Fertilizer application varies for different types of tomatoes farming. The typical rate of application is 125-250 pounds of nitrogen (N) per acre, 40-120 pounds of P2O5 and 0-200 pounds of k2O per acre. Pest and weed management are also put into consideration. The tomatoes are mechanically harvested and loaded into tandem bulk trailers and transported to processing plants. They are then graded at the inspection station located in production areas. The Processing Tomato Advisory Board (PTAB) administers this statewide program. Defects level, fruit color, soluble solid content and pH are evaluated. After all the inspection they are then certified and transported to various stores around the country. The stores in Tucson along with other stores around the country, receive their fresh produce through refrigerated trucks. The intended users of the product are the household, res taurants, hotels, hospitals and also schools. Most households use tomatoes in their daily lunch and evening meals. It has added nutritional value especially when it's cooked. There are various ways of producing tomatoes. They include conventional, organic and hothouse or greenhouse methods. The two common ones are organic production and conventional method of production. Organic farming is a production system which avoids or largely excludes the use of synthetically compounded pesticide and fertilizers (Bradley 414). Organic fertilizer and soil amendment such as compost and manure are derived from waste outputs generated by other systems. The raw materials for these inputs are assumed to enter the farming systems without any environmental burden. While manure is not further processed before application, compost is produced from organic waste using water and energy as additional inputs. The advantages of using this method are that the tomatoes have high antioxidants, environmentally friendly and the fruits contain iron, potassium and vitamin A. Conventional production of tomatoes entails the use of manufactured synthetic compounds (chemicals) to enhance the growth of the plant. Its advantage is that the chemicals are readily available rather than having to construct a compost. The government through the United States Department of Agriculture has provided guidelines for use when applying/dressing the plants with the approved chemicals. If

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 25

History - Essay Example w the nature of reality and truth (metaphysics); to understand how we know the things that we know (epistemology); the best way to live (ethics); the best way to govern (political philosophy); and the workings of the universe and the natural world (natural philosophy, or science). The Greeks were not the first civilization to wonder about these matters or to explore them, but they made answering these questions such a fundamental part of their cultural experience that they attained a very high level of intellectual advancement across all these areas. Their curiosity and experiments contributed to the development of Western civilization. Thornton is especially interested in the ways that the Greek civilization laid the foundation for modern day scientific and political thought. Scientifically, Greek philosophers laid the cornerstone for modern Western science. Long before the Manhattan Project and nuclear physics, the Greek philosopher Democritus argued that the world was made of tiny particles he called atoms. The Greeks were interested in what things were made of: A pencil was a pencil, but what was the pencil made of? Well, wood. And what was the wood made of? Though their answers weren’t always right, asking the questions was the most important step. And often, they were right: Anaximander theorized that the earth was round (basing this theory on the shadow it casts on the moon during an eclipse) centuries before Columbus sailed the ocean blue. The Greeks based their theories on a combination of scientific observation and rational thought, two things that form the basis of Western scientific innovation today. Most importantly, though, the Greeks gave Western science a passion for understanding the way that things work, and a willingness to make guesses and efforts in pursuit of that goal. The Western notion of government also owes much to the Greek model. Plato’s Republic outlines the model for a utopian society in which people are divided into groups