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Opinion
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2021
Aquaponic farming aims to yield better crops BY CYNTHIA SOLIS Staff Writer Growing hydroponically and aquaponically should be the new norm when it comes to farming. Hydroponics is a technique for growing plants without soil. It involves using a mineral nutrients solution to grow plants like peas, tomatoes, green onion and cucumbers. Growing aquaponically is quite similar to growing hydroponically. The only difference is that it combines aquaculture, which raises aquatic animals such as fish, snails or prawns in tanks with hydroponics. In this case, the marine animal secretion makes for nutrient-rich water fed to the hydroponically-growing plants. According to National Geographic, “agricultural communities developed approximately 10,000 years ago when humans began to domesticate plants and animals.” Through much trial and tribulation, they were able to create permanent settlements and farming. Since then, the farming industry has found ways to try and keep up with supply and demand, and they have made a decent effort keeping up with demands. It is no question that farmers do everything in their power to create successful growing seasons, so the harvest is plenty. Still, farmers cannot possibly keep up with demand while battling extreme weather conditions brought on by global warming. Agriculture is highly vulnerable to climate change. As temperatures continue to rise, it will eventually decrease the yield amounts of desirable crops. Not only that, but according
to the International Food Policy Research Institute, “there will be changes in precipitation patterns which will increase the likelihood of short-run crop failures and long-run production declines.” This means that if the population doesn’t perish due to intense natural disasters and other effects of global warming, humanity will die from lack of food because farming will become too complicated and impossible to control. Thus, teaching farmers and future generations of farmers to grow hydroponically or aquaponically may be humanity’s last hope to survive global warming. There are many benefits to growing hydroponically and aquaponically. Some include the ability to control light, heat, nutrients, hydration, pests and all other aspects of the growing process. Thus, with the right conditions, the entire growing cycle can be expedited and yield larger, fastergrowing plants than traditional farming. Growing hydroponically and aquaponically can be done indoors. Some benefits of this is that the plants can grow year-round, have
Thus, with the right conditions, the entire growing cycle can be expedited and yield larger, fastergrowing plants than traditional farming.
EDITOR IN CHIEF Daniella Molina Zasha Hayes MANAGING EDITOR Erica Cortes FRONT EDITOR Annette Quijada OPINION/SPORTS EDITORS Teresa Acosta Cynthia Solis FEATURE EDITOR Gabriela Gutierrez NEWS EDITORS Alma Lizarraga Jonathan Bermudez
complete temperature and climate control, and there are fewer pests. This is done by implementing grow lights in the greenhouse. A grow light is an electric light that is designed to help plants grow. They either try to provide a similar light spectrum to the sun or a spectrum that is better tailored to the needs of the cultivated plants. Essentially, outdoor conditions involving light and temperature are given by the grow lights. Growing crops traditionally takes up a lot of space, and field farms use a lot of water.
In fact, “field farms account for 80% of the United States’ water use,” according to Pure Greens. Plants grown in soil need space to spread their roots to find the water and nutrients they need to survive; plant roots grown hydroponically/ aquaponically don’t need room to spread because water and nutrients are delivered to them. This new way of growing will also use about “10 times less water [than field farms] because it’s delivered in a controlled way. Plus, some systems recirculate water, reducing consumption even more,”
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according to Pure Greens. There are tons of other benefits to growing hydroponically and aquaponically. Since our climate crisis not going away anytime soon, due to politicians worldwide not taking the matter seriously, humanity must act quickly and learn new ways to adapt to the fast-increasing climate crisis. Hydroponics and aquaponics are the future of farming, and it could potentially be humanity’s last fight against extinction.
Medical insurers decide to charge COVID-19 patients BY JUAN CALVILLO Staff Writer Medical insurance companies returned to charging COVID-19 patients co-pays and dues as early as January and people need to be better prepared to pay. For most of 2020 many medical insurance companies waived copays or just didn’t charge people who were sick with COVID-19. Before going any further, this opinion is not whether insurance companies’ decision to start charging again is a bad one. It is about the simple financial preparation that so many people fail to make early in their lives and how people need to be prepared now. The question becomes how exactly does the average person prepare for something as challenging as COVID-19 costs, and the answer may be quite simple. Frank Aguirre, chair of the Business Department at East Los Angeles College, said one of the big options is to have a health savings account set up. This doesn’t mean being uninsured. What it means is that having even low level insurance is not as dangerous or trying as it could be. Health insurance is a necessity now and always. COVID-19 has killed over 700,000 people, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest dataset. Having some way of checking and dealing with the costs of a
“One of the big options is to have a health savings account set up.” FRANK AGUIRRE
Chair of the Business Department
deadly and transmittable virus is imperative. Unfortunately, only about 92% of people in the United States have health insurance. This is a high number, but not all people with health insurance have the right coverage. Many are covered by something called discount policies. These policies are really only good so that people can say they have insurance. Discount health insurance policies tend to have high premiums or co-pays or lack coverage for major health events. “Unfortunately, most of us are www.ELACCampusNews.com
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not familiar with the terminology of health-care coverage and costs associated with different types of coverage. People tend to default for the lowest cost or coverage which usually has limited coverage for any major illness, disease, or bodily harm,” Aguirre said. Consumer Reports said as far back as 2012, on consumerreports. org, that some plans are what it calls “junk health insurance.” The report said this type of coverage is minimal in some cases and in others dangerously so, with some regulators not considering certain plans as actual insurance plans. “Some of the companies operate one step ahead of the law,” Consumer Reports said. Financial literacy and preparedness are not just for people with money. Aguirre said when considering health insurance, understanding that
Being prepared is important plans are not made in a one-size-fitsduring a pandemic. all manner. Having health plans that are This understanding helps people make better choices, which in turn affordable and include the best can help make sure upcoming bills coverage for each individual is even more important. don’t cause people to That doesn’t break out the old piggy mean that there bank for funds. “When isn’t a bit of unrest Aguirre said living considering philosophically in California is a benefit when it comes to health insurance, when insurance companies decide health plans because understanding that the bottom line there is a conscious is more important effort to do better by that plans are than the people the health of Californot made in a they serve. nia’s residents. While not trying “We should conone-size-fits-all to veer too much tinue to encourage manner.” into a debate on our elected officials right and wrong, to support health-care FRANK AGUIRRE it is a bit problemefforts that are equiChair of the Business atic for companies table for both rich and Department who are charged poor so that we all with people’s wellhave a safety net for being to decide when they plan on major needs,” Aguirre said.
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charging and when they don’t. Tim Snead, chair of the Philosophy Department, summed up the situation as one of duty from insurance companies and a patient’s health rights. “Clearly, health-care industries should have fiduciary duties to patients, but in our health system they also have fiduciary duties toward financial concerns and interests, which may at times conflict with those of its customers. It appears that here is just such a possible conflict. Which raises further questions about where one stands upon in terms of rights,” Snead said.
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