The Challenge Of Protecting Food And Agriculture Production - Research Paper Example

Food and Agriculture Production Outline Thesis Statement: The food and agriculture production sector of the critical infrastructure is a plan of action that was formulated by the American government to ensure that it is able to protect its food production against terrorist attacks as well as against natural disasters I. Introduction: This plan investigated and created new ways in which work was done in the agricultural industry with the objective of ensuring that it was more productive and ensuring that all was the risk to the national security was ever increasing II. United States takes away the autonomy of the agricultural sector In the highly competitive economy that exists today, it would be disastrous to take away the autonomy The agricultural sector today is highly dependent on the creation of new and better products to put in the market III. The security plan for the food and agriculture production sector proposes that employers in this sector take a direct hand in the training of their workers Most employers desire to employ those workers who already have experience in the securing of their workplaces . The current preference is to bring in new workers, who are experienced IV. The plan to secure the food and agriculture production sector has the sole aim of increasing the efficiency of production as well as ensuring that this sector remains secure The application of this plan in the agricultural sector has ensured that the workers within it end up being treated like machinery These new policies have had an impact on trade unions in acutely negative ways because one of their key parts is the legal restrictions V. The plan to secure the food and agriculture production sector can be considered to be a proponent for the planning of work The fast growth of these agricultural organizations makes the planning difficult Terrorists would be able to slip through the large bureaucracies in the agricultural sector VI. Most of the principles have a critical place in the protection of the agricultural sector. This plan can be said to be the backbone of the food and agricultural sector While this plan is effective in encouraging productivity it does not account for quality VII. In conclusion, the ability of the plan to secure the food and agriculture production sector from terrorist threats has ensured that this sector has not been a victim of these threats. This plan has made sure that there is a well-coordinated system for dealing with any terrorism threat directed at the agricultural sector of the United States. The influence of this plan cannot be underestimated because of the fact that it has the ability to work at all levels of government Food and Agriculture Production The food and agriculture production sector of the critical infrastructure is a plan of action that was formulated by the American government to ensure that it is able to protect its food production against terrorist attacks as well as against natural disasters. This plan investigated and created new ways in which work was done in the agricultural industry with the objective of ensuring that it was more productive and ensuring that all was the risk to the national security was ever increasing. It is, therefore, not a surprise that this plan of action was proposed to ensure that the food security of the nation was implemented. While this plan was at first viewed with some skepticism in some quarters, its importance quickly came to be realized after the September 11 attacks, and many of ideas that it proposed are still being applied today. In fact, it can be said that the influence of this plan can be seen today through the management of the agricultural sector. While there are some who would argue that this plan of securing that nation’s food production is still as relevant today as when it was first proposed, others believe that its relevance is not compatible with modern standards. Although both sides have some real pertinent points to justify their claims, one would argue that despite its being effective, the protection of the food and agriculture production sector of the critical infrastructure has not lost its relevance in the United States. The first case that one would make against the application of this plan in the United States is that it takes away the autonomy of the agricultural sector. While some would argue that the application of this plan would increase production, they do not consider the fact that, in the modern market, the availability of products in the market is not the only thing that determines whether consumers may be attracted to them. In the highly competitive economy that exists today, it would be disastrous to take away the autonomy of the individuals in the agricultural sector because this would decrease innovation. Innovation is one of the most fundamental aspects in the modern world because it gives different organizations an advantage over its competitors. The agricultural sector today is highly dependent on the creation of new and better products to put in the market so that they can keep their competition at bay. Those in this sector try to outdo each other every day by coming up with produce which once they enter the market, make similar produce of lesser value irrelevant. If the plan to protect the food and agriculture production sector of the critical infrastructure were applied in such situations, then competitiveness in the market would be stifled (Purdy 18).i Instead, the same variety of produce would flood the market, and this would negate any need to create good quality products. Moreover, employees in the sector would not be motivated to come up with ideas that would be beneficial to their employers, and they would only do work for the sake of attaining an income and would not be motivated to do better. Those who support the plan to secure the food and agriculture production sector of the critical infrastructure would argue that it is the best because it allows for the simplification of jobs. It enables even those who are unskilled to perform tasks that they were not trained for. While this argument is true, one would counter it by stating that the simplification of jobs is not always the best way to undertake it. This is because, in the current era of enormous technological advancement, it is necessary for individuals to specialize in the use of the different technologies that are available. If unskilled workers are employed to work in environments where there is need handle delicate machinery, for example, the likelihood of accidents and damage to the machinery taking place would be exceptionally high. The time where people were trained to do routine work like machines is over, and it has been replaced by one where extremely advanced skills, that have been developed over many years of experience are required in order to work in various industries. While the application of this plan is intended to ensure the security of the agricultural sector, it is a fact that it may end up making it easier for malicious individuals to have access to the agricultural facilities of the nation (Auerswald et al 79).ii It has therefore become relevant for those who are implementing this plan to make sure that all the individuals who are working in the agricultural sector are carefully screened to that they do not end up posing a threat to the nation’s food security. The security plan for the food and agriculture production sector proposes that employers in this sector take a direct hand in the training of their workers in order to increase their efficiency as well as ensuring that they are aware of the security risks to the food production. While it would be the ideal thing for employers to do, one would argue that it has no place in the reality of the current world. Most employers desire to employ those workers who already have experience in the securing of their workplaces against potential attacks. This is done because it is extremely expensive for employers to train their workers in matters pertaining to antiterrorism (“Analysis of National Defense…” 77).iii Furthermore, in the current era where people are always looking for better opportunities, most employers do not want to take the risk as they do not know whether the workers they train will remain with them. The current preference is to bring in new workers, who are experienced, from outside their own organizations because this not only saves the employer the cost of training, but it also saves time since the new employee can start working immediately he or she is employed. There are many reasons why new workers should be brought from outside the organization. The need to have employees who are conscious of potential terrorist attacks against the agricultural sector would be invaluable in ensuring that the food production of the nation is secured. Most of the potential threats from terrorists would be quickly averted and the entire nation, which heavily depends on this sector, would be able to maintain its stability. As has been stated above, the plan to secure the food and agriculture production sector has the sole aim of increasing the efficiency of production as well as ensuring that this sector remains secure. It does not consider the dehumanizing effect that its application would bring to the employees of this sector since it would end up creating mistrust among the various individuals who work within it. One would argue that the application of this plan in the agricultural sector has ensured that the workers within it end up being treated like machinery than as human beings. Moreover, this plan has been seen as a means through which the activities of trade unions, whose duty it is to protect the rights of employees, might end up being disrupted. This would make the current labor circumstances in the agricultural sector shoddier than it already is. The process of globalization, with the liberal economic policies, which have come with it, and have been adopted by many countries, has come to weaken the strong foundation upon which many trade unions have been built. These new policies have had an impact on trade unions in acutely negative ways because one of their key parts is the legal restrictions, which have been placed on the rights of workers, for the sake of a higher efficiency of the economy. A major consequence of these restrictions has been the fact that trade unions in these countries have come to lose those rights that they had struggled for many years to gain, and this has also ensured that the political foundations of such trade unions have been increasingly weakened. This has created a situation where the trade unions might not be in a position to protect those workers in the agricultural sector who have been accused of terrorist acts, even though they may be completely innocent (Gay and Blaha 78).iv Such actions would make the agricultural sector vulnerable because individuals may become wary of working within it and this might cause a reduction in the food production. The plan to secure the food and agriculture production sector can be considered to be a proponent for the planning of work, even the simplest, with the aim of escalating agricultural output while protecting it against terrorist activities. One would argue that it would be exceedingly difficult for this plan to be applied because currently, organizations within this sector have a tendency of achieving immense growth within a span of just a few years. The fast growth of these agricultural organizations makes the planning of work terribly difficult, and if this plan were to be strictly applied, then the decision making process in many of them would become more difficult. This would not only contribute to the inefficiency of these organizations, but it would also lead to an increase to the terrorist threat to the various agricultural organizations because of their inability to carefully screen every one of their employees. Terrorist would be able to slip through the large bureaucracies in the agricultural sector and this might eventually lead to their carrying out of their malicious activities against the United States. The swift growth of the agricultural sector should be countered with ever increasing vigilance because this is the only way through which the sector can be secured (Haufler 235).v In addition, the fact that the sector would be under increased surveillance as well as highly productive will ensure that potential terrorists are dissuaded from attacking the sector because any of their attempts to do so would be futile. It can be said that the food and agriculture production sector is one of the most important sectors within the American economy that the nation cannot do without. Most of the principles that are contained within it are based on the concepts that are relevant in this century and has a critical place in the protection of the agricultural sector. In addition, it is a plan that has been proven with time to be applied in situations where constant innovation is required because not to apply it would be disastrous to the sector especially in case of an attack. This plan can be said to be the backbone of the food and agricultural sector of the United States at the moment because of the fact that it is the basis upon which the sector has been founded over the past decade. While it can be said that the application of this plan in situations where new employees have to be trained by the employer, then it would be highly time wasting. This is because in the modern world, most employers prefer to hire those people who have already been trained in matter pertaining to recognizing and thwarting terrorist attempts. Therefore, the new employer is saved time and money that would have been used in training. While this plan is effective in encouraging productivity, it does not account for quality, something tremendously influential in the current economy and it is for these reasons that one would argue that the plan to secure the food and agriculture production sector could not be efficiently applicable in the United States (Crettez and Deloche 107).vi In conclusion, one would say that ability of the plan to secure the food and agriculture production sector from terrorist threats has ensured that this sector has not been a victim of these threats. This plan has made sure that there is a well-coordinated system for dealing with any terrorism threat directed at the agricultural sector of the United States. For the first time, the different agencies that are concerned with the security of the nation have a means through which they can secure its food production since they have been provided the means to study and identify its vulnerabilities. The influence of this plan cannot be underestimated because of the fact that it has the ability to work at all levels of government and one would say that its jurisdiction is almost universal at the national level. Thus, one would conclude that the attempt to secure the food and agriculture production sector plays and will most likely continue to play an immense role in the war on terror, at a domestic level. End Notes Works Cited "Analysis of National Defense Strategy; DHS Reminds of Importance of Protecting Identities and Critical Infrastructure."Foreign Policy Bulletin 18.4 (2008): 76-98. Auerswald, Philip, et al. "The Challenge of Protecting Critical Infrastructure." Issues in Science and Technology 22.1 (2005): 77-83. Crettez, Bertrand, and Regis Deloche. "Terrorism, Key Assets, and Critical Infrastructures: To Protect Or to Rebuild? that is the Question." Public Choice 144.1-2 (2010): 105-18. Gay, Porter Denileon, and Frank J. Blaha. "The Who, what, Why, and how of Counter Terrorism Issues." American Water Works Association.Journal 93.5 (2001): 78. Haufler, Virginia. "Seeds of Disaster, Roots of Response: How Private Action can Reduce Public Vulnerability." Perspectives on Political Science 36.4 (2007): 234-5. Purdy, Margaret. "Countering Terrorism: The Missing Pillar." International Journal 60.1 (2005): 3-24. Read More