Modern Ag is Failing Here, Why Send it Abroad?

Great article on agriculture and developing countries by Paula Crossfield, editor of Civil Eats. Everyone’s always talking about “feeding the poor”, but rarely do the solutions work. They tried with the “Green Evolution” in India, but just like in the states, India is  feeling the effects of depleted water tables, soil erosion and having a hard time managing pests and disease among other things. This is a subject we should all be versed in, and knowing the truth of the matter is essential. Just like in the U.S., we should support small farmers so they can provide their families and communities with safe, healthy food.

All That Glitters is Not Gold: Biotechnology Has Failed Us, So Why Promote It Abroad?

by Paula Crossfield

The head of the World Food Program announced on Friday that an additional 105 million more people have become hungry in 2009, adding to the one billion plus who were already food insecure. The day before, Secretary Clinton gave a speech about hunger in the world, speaking in broad strokes: “[H]unger belies our planet’s bounty. It challenges our common humanity and resolve. We do have the resources to give every person in the world the tools they need to feed themselves and their children.”

In the next sentences, she gives a clue about what “tools” she might be referring to by praising the Green Revolution — without noting the depleted water table, reduced soil fertility, massive farmer debts and increased rates of farmer suicides left in the wake of the failed experiment in India.

Read the full article here.