We consider this a very important meeting here in Seattle at Town Hall on Sunday. For reasons few agro-ecologists like myself can understand, the Gates Foundation has been conducting a big-money campaign to bring Monsantos genetically engineered cash crops to Africa. Its all at an industrial scale of course. And their rational goes, it will save Africa from itself of course. We remember when white missionaries thought the same thing. Our approach to problems in Africa is entirely different. We take a much more humanitarian, grass roots approach modeled after E. F. Schumachers application of appropriate technology together with ecological theory -- we advocate for a locally land-based system that best utilizes indigenous people and the lands resources democratically and sustainably. The Gates Foundation supports a top-down, more uniform industrial system implemented essentially by engineers. We think a people based ecological-agriculture can work in Africa if outside capitalization (which leads to corruption) is ended and investment is made to empower common people as farmers rather than be manipulated by corporate investors. Our model of community-determined, grass-roots agrarianism is also very much adapted form what became the Soil Conservation Service started in the New Deal years under then US President, Franklin Roosevelt. The more socially sensitive, land stewardship formula we proscribe employs a corp of educated field service representatives to work hand-in-hand with farmers in villages (etc. -- similar to the Peace Corp in the 1960-70s), to share new knowledge and workable technology at a suitable scale that preserves local knowledge already available; that is, indigenous culture. It doesnt remodel the landscape and displace existing institutions, it builds on them. Many industrial nations are running short on food and resources. They can easily distort what is actual exploitation and pretend it is aid. Fast money people looking for unearned increments of markets do the same thing. There should be some lively discussion at this meeting -- if your are in Seattle, please join us (goodfoodworld) at Town Hall at 5 pm on Sunday.
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 16:58:09 +0000
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