industrial agriculture DOESN’t “FEED THE WORLD”
Debunking Common Myths and Misconceptions
A Companion Guide to Rich Appetites Episode 1 (The Foundation)
You can also view the companion guide as a Google Doc or PDF.
MYTH: US agriculture is very productive and efficient
Industrial agriculture (source: Permaculture News)
It is true that US agriculture is highly productive—at least, according to conventional metrics that focus exclusively on crop yields. But these increased yields have not and cannot solve hunger and food insecurity, which are much deeper economic and structural problems. Additionally, the focus on crop productivity has led to an extremely inefficient allocation of ecological and financial resources.
MYTH: The Green Revolution reduced world hunger
US agronomist Norman Borlaug (left) advising a farmer on wheat development programs as part of Green Revolution in India, 1971 (source: Forbes India)
The Green Revolution did dramatically increase the yields of key cereal crops in countries where it operated. But, like in the US, increased yields did not eliminate hunger, either globally or in Green Revolution countries. This is because food access depends not only on the sheer quantity of food produced, but also on its economic availability.
Myth: AGRA is helping African farmers
Bill Gates (right) on a visit to Nigeria, 2006 (source: BBC)
AGRA has likely benefited some farmers in Africa (especially those who are wealthier, larger-scale, and male commercial farmers), but has overlooked and/or actively harmed many more--not to mention food and farming systems as a whole.
Let’s talk about it…
Questions for further discussion
What have been the impacts of industrial agriculture on communities and ecosystems, both in the US and around the world? Why do you think this model continues to be promoted? Who benefits from it?
The “Green Revolution” sounds like a positive thing, aligned with sustainability. When we use this term, it sometimes validates and legitimizes that positive portrayal. What phrase do you think we could use to more appropriately describe its actual impacts?
What is food sovereignty and how does it differ from the model implemented by the Green Revolution? How does it differ from efforts focused on merely increasing crop yields and food availability?
What is philanthrocapitalism and how does it impact the direction of global agricultural development? What might be some alternative models of philanthropy?
Historically and now, many agricultural development programs funded by large philanthropic foundations like the Rockefeller Foundation and the Gates Foundation position white people in the Global North (or Minority World) as experts, while presenting farmers in the Global South (or Majority World) as passive aid targets or recipients. What is wrong with this depiction, and why do you think it is so widespread?