Despite the availability of abundant food in supermarkets, global diets are suffering from a lack of essential nutrients. The current agricultural model prioritizes high yields and mass production over nutritional value, leading to widespread health and environmental issues.
• Nutritional Decline: Industrial agriculture, while productive, often delivers empty calories. Important nutrients in staple crops like wheat and rice have decreased significantly since the 1960s. Nutritionally valuable crops like millets and pulses are being overshadowed and are less cultivated.
• Impact of the Green Revolution: The Green Revolution encouraged input-intensive farming, leading to reliance on proprietary seeds and chemicals. It displaced sustainable practices and made farmers dependent on large corporations for agricultural inputs.
• Rural Displacement: Traditional farming is becoming unviable, especially in countries like India and the UK, as rural communities lose economic stability. Farmers increasingly depend on subsidies, while younger generations migrate to urban areas for better opportunities.
• Subsidy Systems: In the UK, over half of farm income comes from public subsidies, which mainly support large farms and stabilize retail profits rather than help farmers directly. This system allows retailers to pay farmers below production costs, effectively squeezing their income.
• Public Burden: Taxpayers fund agricultural subsidies, which lower food prices, but this also leads to a public health crisis due to the consumption of unhealthy, low-nutrient food products. The public pays for healthcare for chronic diseases arising from poor nutrition.
• Corporate 'Scroungers': The real beneficiaries of public funds are retail and input corporations, whose profits are supported by government policies. The agricultural sector is trapped in a cycle where farmers rely on taxpayer money to survive.
To create a healthier food system, a fundamental shift is necessary. This includes structural changes to dismantle the current corporate-dominated model, promoting community-led agriculture and better management of resources that prioritize nutrition and ecological health. There are promising examples of this shift occurring in both India and the UK, suggesting a path towards a more sustainable and equitable food future.
No comments:
Post a Comment