Topic: Challenges to Farmers & The Green Revolution

•Aim: For what reasons do farmers globally face challenges?

Challenges for Commercial Farmers

Overproduction in Commercial Farming1. Surplus of food is produced due to

efficient agricultural practices, new seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, mechanical equipment, and management

2. Despite increase in food supply, demand has remained constant

3. U.S. government has 3 policies to address excessive productiona. Farmers encouraged to avoid producing

crops in excess supplyb. Government pays farmers when certain

commodity prices are lowc. Government buys surplus production and

sells or donates it to foreign governments

Challenges for Commercial Farmers

Sensitive land management1.Protection of soil through ridge

tillage (planting crops on ridge tops)2.Less investment in tractors and other

machinery leads to lower costs3.Minimal soil disturbance

Limited use of chemicals1. Limited herbicides to control weeds

Better integration of crops and livestock1.Find a balance in distribution of

livestock for an area2.Animals consume crops grown on the farm

and are not confined to small pens

Sustainable Farming:• Farming that preserves and enhances environmental quality -typically generate less money but crops are lower in cost

• Organic farming is one type

• 3 factors: Sensitive land management, limited use of chemicals, and better integration of crops and livestock

Organic farm, Whatcom County, Washington. Crops are planted on ridges close together, with limited use of chemicals and heavy machinery.

Organic Agriculture– The production of crops without the use of synthetic or industrially produced pesticides and fertilizers or the raising of livestock without hormones, antibiotics, and synthetic feeds.

- sales of organic foods on the rise

- grown everywhere - demand in wealthier countries

Challenges for subsistence Farmers:

Subsistence Farming and Population Growth1. Population growth compels subsistence

farmers to consider new farming approaches that produce enough food to take care of additional people

2. Increase food supply through intensification of production (leave fallow less years and adopt new farming methods)

3. 5 basic stagesa. Forest fallow

b. Bush fallow

c. Short fallow

d. Annual cropping

e. Multicropping

Challenges for Subsistence Farmers:

Subsistence Farming and International Trade1. To expand production, higher-yield seeds,

fertilizer, pesticides, and machinery are needed

2. To generate funds needed to buy these supplies, LDCs must produce something they can sell in MDCs (e.g. fruits and vegetables that would otherwise be out of season)

3. Dilemma: more land devoted to growing export crops, the less land available to growing crops for domestic consumption

4. Some LDCs (especially in Latin America and Asia) choose export crops that can be converted to drugs (e.g. marijuana, opium, coca leaf)

Loss of Productive Farmland:

Farmland in danger of being suburbanized as cities expand into neighboring farmlands.

Year Round Rice Production

• lands that used to be used for family subsistence are now used for commercialized farming with revenues going to the men.

• women do the work of rice production and see little of the benefit because of the power relations in Gambia

Third Agricultural Revolution

• Origins in North America (technology)• Industrialization of agriculture

– Mechanization •Replacement of human labor with machines

– Chemical farming•Use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides

– Food manufacturing•Addition of economic value through processing, canning, refining, packaging

• Biotechnology– Genetic manipulation– Plant breeding

Agribusiness (corporate agriculture):• Large-scale, extensive farms of several

thousand acres or several thousand animals controlled by a single regional business – ‘factory farming’

• Large, mutli-national seed, agriculture, and chemical companies own much of this land

• Agribuisness has significant political power – receive tax breaks, low-cost loans, and direct government subsides

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20Yg-c6iBF8

Where the Factory Meets the Farm:• Poultry/hogs raised indoors with automatic

feeding machines• Cattle raised in giant, outdoor feedlots (CAFOS – concentrated animal feeding operation)Specialized Agriculture

•Push towards: free range poultry, grass fed beef, alternative livestock, non GMO foods, and antibiotic and hormone free foods

Wine and Cheese:•Champagne can only be labeled if grapes are grown in Champagne region of France•Parmesan can only grown in Parma, Italy•Roquefort cheese only grown in south of France•Anything can be called Cheddar cheese, but technically it comes from Cheddar, England (Somerset)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Wh3uq1yTc

What do the terms “Natural Flavors” and “Artificial Flavors”

mean when they appear on processed, packaged products?

Traditional breeding involves exchanging all genetic material between two related plants. Genetic engineering usually only involves

moving one or two genes and can cross the species barrier.

Desired gene

Traditional plant breedingDNA is a strand of genes,

much like a strand of pearls. Traditional plant breeding combines many genes at once.

Traditional donor Commercial variety New variety

Desired Gene

X =(crosses)

(many genes are transferred)

Plant biotechnologyUsing plant biotechnology, a single gene may be added to the strand.

Desired gene Commercial variety New variety

(transfers)

=

Desired gene

(only desired gene is transferred)

Protests at WTO Meetings

Biotechnology:

• Manipulation and management of biological organisms

•Recombinant DNA techniques•Tissue culture (cloning)•Cell fusion•Embryo transfer

• Positive: high yielding, disease resistant “super” plants

• Negative: periphery excluded by distance and cost + concerns about safety

Increase in Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S.

Source: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/BiotechCrops/

Four crops accounted for nearly all of the global biotech crop area in 2002

5%

12%

21%

62%

Canola

Cotton

Corn

Soybeans

Source: International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications

Four countries accounted for 99 percent* of the global biotech

crop area in 2002

4%

6%

23%

66%

China

Canada

Argentina

United States

*Australia, Bulgaria, Colombia, Germany, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Romania, South Africa, Spain and Uruguay accounted for the remaining 1 percent of biotech crop acres.

Source: International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications

Some Benefits

of Genetica

lly Modified Foods

Some Concerns about Genetically Modified

Foods:• Possible adverse effects on human health• Introduction of new allergens • Antibiotic-resistant genes in foods• Production of new toxins• Concentration of toxic metals• Enhancement of toxic fungi• Environmental impacts• Dangers not yet identified

http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_environment/

Labeling issues:• Main argument against labeling of GM food is that it creates unnecessary fears and that there’s no evidence of harm

• However, how do you even know there’s no evidence of harm when it’s not labeled

Crossing life forms?

• Suggestion to splice gene from flounder into strawberry to protect it from frost damage

• Would you eat this?

The Green RevolutionThe Green Revolution

• Invention of high-yield grains, especially rice, with goal of reducing hunger. Includes: increased production of rice, new varieties in wheat and corn, reduced famines due to crop failure (now most famines are due to political problems)

• Impact (in terms of hunger) is greatest where rice is produced

The world's worst recorded food disaster happened in 1943 in British -ruled India . Known as the Bengal Famine, an estimated four million people died of hunger that year alone in eastern India (that included today's Bangladesh ). The initial theory put forward to 'explain' that catastrophe was that there as an acute shortfall in food production in the area. However, Indian economist Amartya Sen (recipient of the Nobel Priz e for Economics, 1998) has established that while food shortage was a contributor to the problem, a more potent factor was the result of hysteria related to World War II which made food supply a low priority for the British rulers. The hysteria was further exploited by Indian traders who hoarded food in order to sell at higher prices.

"Miracle" highly-yield seeds have been produced through laboratory experiments at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). IRRI researchers conduct cross-pollination experiments in the institute's greenhouse.

Positives of Green Revolution (GMO’s)

• Increased crop yields• Increased food supply• Increased resistance to disease and pests• New agricultural products – genetically modified cassava and sorghum for African countries

• Fattening livestock• Improved fruit appearance

Worldwide use of genetically altered crop plants

Opposition to Green Revolution

• Genetically engineered crops are yielding some ethical problems. In the semi-periphery, farmers typically keep seeds from crops so that they can plant the seeds the next year. Companies that produce genetically engineered seeds do not approve of this process; generally, they want farmers to purchase new seeds each year.

• Many semi-periphery farmers can not afford the new seeds, fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides.

Limitations of Green Revolution:• Limited impact in Africa

– Environmental: rice, wheat, corn not ideal in all parts of Africa; desertification and water shortages

– Political: Widespread corruption, insecurity, a lack of infrastructure, and a general lack of will on the part of the governments

• Environmental problems– Vulnerability to pests– Soil erosion - less organic material in soil – less fertility

– Water shortages– Increased exposure to toxic materials

– Dependency on chemicals for production – increased groundwater pollution