From Green to Greener: A Critique in Food Production

1. From Green to Greener: A Critique in Food Production “Please Sir…May I have some more?” http://www.fao.org/NEWS/FACTFILE/FF9808-E.HTM

2. The Green Revolution • An intensive food producing system emerged in developing nations in early 1970’s • Yielded huge increases per acre. Able to produce food for lucrative export markets • At expense of natural environment, eg: water contamination, desertification • At expense of social injustice - increasing inequitable food supply, poverty • Export earnings are swallowed up in international debt repayments or multinationals

3. The Policies of Monoculture • Premised on the policies of economic growth • Totally dominated by neoliberal, free market policies • Perpetuates the cycling of gross inequality, poverty, malnutrition. • Unfair competition in the form of subsidies • Surpluses depressed commodity markets • Entire economies based on single cash crops • Entire economies based on debt repayment

4. Insustainable Development • GNP doesn’t take into account the cost of poverty, environmental degradation • Population growth around 2%, therefore need to produce or import double • Policies of greed - futures market based on the staple food items (of which there are only 20) • When global markets become unstable billions of people suffer

5. Towards Sustainability:A Greener Alternative • ‘Because of this (food) crisis, we are interested in sustainable agriculture, not for luxury, not for economic reasons, but first and foremost for our own survival’ (Nyoni, 1985) • Some institutions, like IFAD, have long advocated the critical need of extending research to the low- potential areas and the traditional crops grown by the marginal farmers, women and indigenous populations, building on their local knowledge and cultural practices • http://www.ifad.org/home.html • http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/FAOINFO/SUSTDEV/Welcome_.htm