Planetary ResourcesFeeding the Planet

Key Question

Are the agricultural methods of industrialized countries compatible

with the nutritional needs and technologies of the South?

Introduction

• Major challenge of agriculture: feeding 6.4 billion people– Agricultural production risen considerably– 800 million people suffer from hunger– Unequal availability of necessary resources like

water: main resource used by agriculture– Goal: sustainable agricultural practices + food

security for all

Where the World is running out of Water

• Why do Third-World activists and farmers oppose the extension of GM crops in their countries?

Greenpeace: a NGO founded in 1971. It focuses on the most critical worldwide environmental issues such as climate change, nuclear threats or toxic chemicals. A global organization, it has offices in 41 countries and a consultative status with the United Nation’s Economic and Social Council. It has joined Indian farmers’ protests against GMOs. In India, GMO experiments are conducted on rice and cotton seeds by global biotechnology giants such as Monsanto and Bayer.

Video: Global March against Monsanto

Which countries appear to be the most invested in Organic agricultural practices?

II. Commercial Agriculture: the Anglo-Saxon model

How have Anglo-Saxon industrialized countries managed to create a strong farming industry with a constantly dwindling number of agricultural workers?

Reliance on Mechanical engineering and the biochemical industry in order to ensure food security for their population

→but not without consequences

More productive agriculture with fewer farmers

• Crop growing / animal breeding techniques• Mechanization of agriculture

Led to increased productivity + food securityIn New World: Quick to adopt modern methods of productionExtensive arable land

1. Compare the 2 landscapes.2. Which agricultural methods visible on the photos account for

the achievements of these countries?3. How would you qualify this type of agriculture?

Wheat fields in Saskatchewan, Canada Traditional rural landscape in Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand

Fertilizer Trends around the World: Developed vs. Developing Countries

B. Excesses of Intensive agriculture

• British animal husbandry epizootics– Bovine Spongiform Enchephalopathy (BSE)/ Mad

Cow disease Creutzfeld-Jacob disease (human form = fatal disease) 1987 (165 deaths)

– 2001 Foot and mouth disease 6.5 million animals slaughtered

– From 1995-2002 British farmers’ income divided by 3

What intensive agricultural practices are criticized in this cartoon?

Reaction to Food Safety Issues

What does this cartoon indicate about the U.S. government’s reaction to public sanitation issues like mad cow disease?

Clash of the Two Systems

• Growing challenge of East-European or developing countries with lower agricultural income

• US + West European countries:– subsidize their farmers– Accused of Protectionism– Environmental damage– Sanitary crises

III. The Green Revolution in IndiaKey Question:

Have India’s difficulties been solved by the Green Revolution?

A. Introduction

Developing Countries have to insure food security for rapidly-growing populations

India first Asian country to introduce more productive yet affordable farming methods

B. The Green Revolution: a necessity for India

• 1943: world’s worst food disaster Bengal Famine

• 4 million people died of starvation in eastern India (included Bangladesh)

• PM Nehru 1948: “Everything else can wait but not agriculture.”

• Led to Green Revolution – Increased yield 1967-1978

How would you describe agricultural production in India?

Practices of Green Revolution

– HYV (High Yield Varieties)– Widespread use of chemicals: fertilizers,

pesticides, weed-killers, fungicides– Mechanization– Irrigation

• Indian population tripled from 1950 to 2004• Food grain production increased by 5• No Food grain imports since 2000• Buffer stock of grain: 32 mT in 2004• Milk production rose by 5

C. Towards a 2nd Green Revolution

Negative effects of 1st Green Revolution– Soil infertility (salinization)– Toxins in soils (pesticides, fertilizers)– Heavy use of energy and irrigation– Social inequalities: the poor still face hunger

problems

How can you explain the low yields in India in 2008-2009?What other negative consequences of the Green Revolution are apparent?

What additional problems are highlighted here (if any)?

Debate: OGMs or more traditional sustainable practices?

• Video: The Green Revolution: Against all Odds Winner National History Day 2012

• Video: Dr. Vandana Shiva: Problem with OGM seeds (0’00-10’07) + The Corporation (0’00 – 0’37)