Agribusiness, GMOs, and their Role in Development: Crash Course Geography #41
Summary
TLDRThis Crash Course Geography episode delves into the complexities of agricultural development, focusing on India's historic 2020 farmer protests and the agrarian crisis. It explores how economic policies and the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) like Bt cotton have impacted farmers, leading to debt and a wave of suicides. The episode also examines the broader implications of GMOs on biodiversity, seed ownership, and the global agricultural landscape, emphasizing the uneven effects of development policies on different socioeconomic groups.
Takeaways
- đš The script begins with a warning about discussing sensitive topics, including suicide, and advises viewers to watch at their own discretion.
- đ The 21st century has been marked by numerous political uprisings and protests worldwide, with 2019 seeing protests on every continent.
- đ On November 26, 2020, India experienced the largest civil protest in history with over 250 million participants in a strike known as Bharat Bandh.
- đŸ The massive protests in India were prompted by issues related to farming and the pressures faced by farmers in low-income countries to change their agricultural practices.
- đ± The script explores the concept of development and its complexities, including the reevaluation of what a developed country should look like and strive for.
- đ Economic policies play a significant role in shaping a country's future, and the script discusses how changes in India's agricultural laws have affected farmers and food security.
- đĄ The script highlights the importance of geography in understanding agriculture, as it is influenced by factors such as climate, soils, and topography.
- đ Between 1995 and 2010, a quarter of a million Indian farmers committed suicide due to insurmountable debt, marking the largest recorded wave of suicides in history.
- đ The agrarian crisis in India is tied to the global economic system, with international trade playing a crucial role in the country's agricultural policies.
- đ± The introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) like Bt cotton in India has had significant impacts on farming practices and contributed to the farmer crisis.
- đł The script discusses the biorevolution in agriculture, the role of agribusiness, and the implications of GMOs on global agricultural productivity and biodiversity.
Q & A
What is the sensitive topic discussed at the beginning of the episode?
-The sensitive topic discussed at the beginning of the episode is suicide.
What was the largest civil protest in history according to the script?
-The largest civil protest in history, as mentioned in the script, took place on November 26, 2020, in India, where over 250 million people participated in a strike or Bharat Bandh.
What is the main cause of the massive protests in India as per the script?
-The main cause of the massive protests in India, as per the script, is farming and the changes in agricultural laws that farmers believe will ruin them and the country's food security.
What is the term for the genetically modified cotton used in India?
-The term for the genetically modified cotton used in India is Bt cotton.
How did the shift to cash crops like cotton affect Indian farmers?
-The shift to cash crops like cotton led to a glut in the global market, a decrease in cotton prices for farmers, and increased competition from other countries, which deepened existing inequalities and forced many small farmers into massive debt.
What role did international financial institutions play in India's economic policies and agriculture?
-International financial institutions played a significant role by providing loans to India during a financial crisis in the 1990s. The conditions for these loans led to a restructuring process that changed many economic policies, including those related to agriculture, which in turn affected Indian farming practices.
What is the significance of the genetically modified organism (GMO) in the context of the script?
-In the context of the script, GMOs, specifically Bt cotton, represent a technological advancement in agriculture that has had both positive and negative impacts on Indian farmers, including higher yields but also increased costs and debt.
What is the relationship between the agribusiness and the crisis faced by Indian cotton farmers?
-Agribusiness corporations played a role in promoting genetically modified seeds like Bt cotton and had greater control over the cost and availability of inputs. Their aggressive marketing and the lack of effective communication about the requirements of these seeds contributed to the crisis faced by Indian cotton farmers.
How did the introduction of genetically modified seeds affect traditional seed banking and farming practices?
-The introduction of genetically modified seeds, such as Bt cotton, led to a shift where traditional seed banking and farming practices became illegal in many parts of the world. This change was driven by agribusiness and intellectual property rights, which restricted how farmers could access, use, and exchange seeds.
What are the potential global implications of the biorevolution in agriculture mentioned in the script?
-The biorevolution in agriculture, particularly the use of GMOs, has the potential to increase global agricultural productivity, meet demand, and reduce environmental destruction from chemical fertilizers and soil depletion. However, it also poses threats to independent peasant agriculture and biodiversity due to reduced genetic diversity.
What is the impact of development policies on the uneven distribution of benefits within a country as illustrated by the script?
-The impact of development policies, as illustrated by the script, is that they often hit unevenly within a country. While some farmers with access to capital may fare better and take advantage of foreign markets, poor farmers may end up in massive debt, lose their land, and become wage laborers or migrate to cities.
Outlines
đŸ The Impact of Development on Indian Farmers
This paragraph introduces the topic of the video, which is the relationship between development, agriculture, and the environment, with a focus on the recent history of protests and the largest civil protest in India. It highlights the November 2020 strike involving over 250 million people, prompted by changes in farming laws that farmers fear will ruin them and the country's food security. The paragraph also touches on the broader issues of development pressures on farmers in low-income countries and the role of economics in shaping policies and guiding the future of nations, with a particular interest from geographers in understanding the spatial and environmental impacts of these changes.
đ± The Agricultural Crisis and GMOs in India
This paragraph delves into the complexities of the agrarian crisis in India, which has led to a wave of farmer suicides due to insurmountable debt. It discusses the economic policies of the 1990s that led to a restructuring of the Indian economy, including the shift from food crops to cash crops like cotton for export. The paragraph explains how this shift, along with the liberalization of the Indian agriculture market, resulted in uneven development and deepened existing inequalities. It also addresses the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) like Bt cotton, which, despite promising higher yields, led to increased costs and debt for farmers due to the seeds' high price and water requirements. The paragraph concludes by examining the broader implications of GMOs on agriculture worldwide and the potential threats they pose to independent peasant agriculture and biodiversity.
đ Agricultural Transformations and Their Global Impact
The final paragraph of the script discusses the mixed consequences of opening up the Indian economy to foreign markets. It contrasts the experiences of wealthy farmers who could capitalize on these opportunities with the plight of poor farmers who fell into debt and lost their land, leading to migration to overcrowded cities or becoming wage laborers. The paragraph also acknowledges the biorevolution in agriculture and its profound effects on our relationship with the environment and food production. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the uneven impact of development policies and the significance of the traditional and ongoing relationship of Indigenous peoples with the land. The video concludes with a call to learn about local Indigenous histories and an invitation to support Crash Course through Patreon.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄProtest
đĄAgricultural Crisis
đĄDevelopment
đĄEconomic Policies
đĄCotton
đĄGenetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
đĄAgribusiness
đĄDebt Cycle
đĄBiodiversity
đĄIntellectual Property Rights
đĄGlobal Economic System
Highlights
The episode discusses sensitive topics like suicide and acknowledges the potential impact on viewers.
The 21st century has been marked by an unprecedented number of political uprisings and protests worldwide.
On November 26, 2020, India witnessed the largest civil protest in history with over 250 million participants.
The protest was prompted by changes in farming practices and policies, affecting farmers in low-income countries.
Agricultural practices are influenced by physical geography, land use, technology, and social systems.
Agriculture is fundamentally about the relationship between humans and the environment.
Indian farmers are protesting against new agricultural laws that they believe will ruin them and the country's food security.
Between 1995 and 2010, a quarter of a million Indian farmers committed suicide due to insurmountable debt.
India's agrarian crisis is tied to the global economic system and international trade.
Economic policies in the 1990s led to a restructuring process in India, impacting agriculture.
The shift to cash crops like cotton and liberalization opened Indian agriculture to global competition.
Genetically modified seeds like Bt cotton were aggressively marketed but came with high costs and requirements.
The introduction of GMOs has changed seed ownership, production, and distribution, often controlled by multinational seed companies.
The World Trade Organization requires member countries to recognize intellectual property rights for plant varieties.
GMOs are part of a biorevolution in agriculture with potential benefits and drawbacks for global productivity and biodiversity.
The impact of development policies in India has been uneven, affecting farmers differently based on their access to capital.
The episode concludes by acknowledging the traditional and ongoing relationship of Indigenous peoples with the land.
Transcripts
I want to note up front that in this episode we will be discussing sensitive topics including suicide.
We at Crash Course recognize that this topic may be upsetting for some viewers so please
watch at your own discretion.
As weâre filming this, weâre just about 21 years into the 21st century, but we can
already look at our recent history as a period defined by protest.
In the past few years, the world has seen more political uprisings than ever before
-- in fact in 2019 there were protests on every continent.
But it wasnât until November 2020 that weâd experience the largest civil protest in history.
On November 26, 2020, trade unions in India reported that over 250 million people took
part in a strike or Bharat bandh.
Tens of thousands of people would march on and blockade New Delhi, which would swell
to hundreds of thousands by early December.
So what could prompt such massive protest? Farming.
Currently farmers in many low income countries are under more and more developmental pressure
to change the way they work the land.
Though what a developed country actually looks like and what the complicated word development
means is being reevaluated as we think more broadly about the ideals a country should
strive for.
But economics still play a huge role in the policies countries create or are forced to
use to guide their future.
And any time we talk about changes that affect space, place, and environment, geographers
are interested to learn where and why!
Iâm AlizĂ© CarrĂšre, and this is Crash Course Geography.
INTRO
Farming and agriculture are some of the most geographic activities we can find.
How different agriculture systems are distributed globally depends on so much physical geography
like climate, soils, and topography.
And along with land use, available technology, and social systems, agriculture creates unique
cultural landscapes.
But more fundamentally agriculture is about the relationship between humans and the environment,
and each of us are connected to it by the food choices we make daily.
In late 2021, farmers in India are still protesting.
Theyâre in a standoff with the government which revamped the countryâs agricultural
laws in ways that farmers say will ruin them as well as the food security of the countryâs poor.
Itâs hard to convey the magnitude of whatâs happening.
But itâs also important to recognize this isnât the first large-scale crisis for Indian
farmers whose experiences encountering development have cost them their lives in the last few decades.
From 1995 to 2010 a quarter of a million farmers in India committed suicide, which is the largest
wave of recorded suicides in world history.
And numerous studies and reports have said the number one cause of the wave is the insurmountable
debt the farmers couldnât escape from.
This human tragedy was part of Indiaâs chronic agrarian crisis, which is a set of increasingly
difficult interlocking problems that many farmers cannot escape.
For the last few decades the agrarian crisis has been tied to the complex web of the wider
global economic system which international trade plays a crucial role in.
In the 1990s, in order to head off financial crisis, India took loans from international
financial institutions.
This sent Indiaâs economy through a restructuring process which changed many economic policies
as part of the conditions for getting the loans.
And as economic practices altered, so did Indian agriculture.
This is an example of the complexities of development, which weâve discussed the last
few episodes.
These new economic policies were meant to be attractive to foreign investment and bring
rapid economic development -- which in all fairness, they did.
The Gross Domestic Product per capita increased by more than a factor of 5 from 1990 to 2019.
And in 2020 India ranked 3rd in the number of billionaires.
But this isnât the whole story.
Because of these new economic priorities, many farmers were urged by the government
to shift from growing food crops for their own use to cash crops, which are grown to
be sold for a profit.
Specifically, they switched to growing cotton that they could export, which led to a glut
in the global arena for cotton exports and a decrease in cotton prices for farmers.
Part of becoming more attractive to foreign investment also meant the Indian government
removed a lot of barriers like subsidies and tariffs that protect a country from foreign competition.
But now Indian cotton farmers faced stiff competition from other countries who ironically
were able to offer even lower prices because of subsidies from their own governments.
The shift to cotton and foreign investment -- which econ people would call liberalizing
or âthe opening of Indian agriculture to the global marketâ -- caused development,
but uneven development.
Existing inequalities were deepened and small farmers were forced into massive debt.
It also meant multinational agribusiness giants were able to swoop in and dominate the Indian
cotton industry.
Agribusiness is a word that will pop up a lot as we talk about agriculture.
It can mean large corporations like Del Monte or Chiquita that produce, store and move crops.
But it can also refer to agriculture patterns more generally and be a system of economic
and political relationships that organizes and concentrates food production from developing
seeds, to selling the crop once itâs grown, to how itâs consumed in its final form.
They have a hand in every part of the process, so agribusiness and multinational corporations
can wield tons of power.
For the Indian cotton industry, new agribusiness corporations were able to promote genetically
modified seeds -- like Bt cotton -- and had greater control over the cost, quality and
availability of expensive inputs like pesticides, changing how farmers in India operated.
Bt cotton is a genetically modified organism or GMO, which is an organism whose DNA has
been modified in a laboratory.
Unlike breeding or other techniques humans have used to modify foods for 1000s of years,
GMOs might have genes removed with CRISPR or added from an unrelated organism to create
a certain trait using techniques like gene splicing.
So we can have GMOs that do things the unmodified organism never could -- like a potato that
releases its own pesticide or a soybean thatâs been engineered to resist fungus.
Bt cotton has been modified to produce Bacillus thuringiensis toxin, an insecticide which
is supposed to kill a common cotton pest in India called the American bollworm.
So farmers rapidly adopted the genetically modified cotton in the hope of higher yields,
lower chances of crop failure, and greater financial security.
But genetically modified seeds are expensive and they need a lot more water than regular
seeds to grow and produce cotton.
And then small-time farmers took out loans at high interest rates to buy the seeds, and
the seasonal monsoon rains didnât deliver.
Farmers were unable to recover the cost or pay the exorbitant interest rates.
And more loans to buy more seeds meant greater debt resulting in a vicious, overwhelming
debt cycle which ended tragically for many.
There are lots of problems in Indiaâs agricultural sector, but the arrival of agribusinesses
who aggressively marketed Bt cotton, but did not effectively communicate its requirements
for irrigation, has created problems unprecedented in scale and complexity.
And farmers who traditionally selected seed types based on personal experience and observation
couldnât revert to growing non-Bt cotton seeds.
By some accounts theyâd even been banned from government seed banks.
The causes and effects of the farmer suicide crisis in India are complex, but thereâs
little doubt genetically modified seeds are central to the crisis cotton farmers faced.
Suicide rates were highest in the cotton belt where farmers were trying to grow the most cotton.
For better or worse, genetically modified seeds are part of a biorevolution taking place
in agriculture worldwide.
GMO supporters argue that GMOs can increase global agricultural productivity to meet demand
and keep up with population growth.
And using biotechnology could be more sustainable because more productive agriculture will reduce
the risk forests are turned into farmland.
Not to mention reducing how much of the environment is destroyed from chemical fertilizers, soil
depletion, and other related problems.
In the 2020s, GMOs are probably the most technological way nature and society come together in the
global agricultural system.
And agricultural transformations have ripple effects across societies and cultures as food
production becomes even more tightly integrated into the global economic system.
All this impacts us as individuals too.
What we buy in the supermarket or shopping center connects us to other places and people
in ways that are hard to imagine.
And these new agricultural geographies also highlight the changing nature of our human
environment interactions.
This shift is even more profound in many parts of the world that use more traditional agriculture practices.
Like in the Central Andean highlands where the potato was domesticated about 7,000 to
9,000 years ago.
After the potato was domesticated, farmers continued to breed seeds, creating and adapting
varieties to suit particular ecological niches, growing conditions, nutritional needs, and
culinary tastes.
This work over the centuries was collective, and the 2000 to 4000 varieties of potatoes
that are found today are due to the ingenuity of farmers.
But part of whatâs different about the history of the potato compared to Bt cotton in India
and other modern crop stories, is that no one owned the potato plant.
But with Bt cotton, the agribusiness Monsanto originally developed and owned the patent.
And farmers were free to save their native seeds to replant the following year and exchange,
gift or sell them within and between their communities.
But because of agribusiness, this traditional system is now illegal in many parts of the world.
Plants have been patentable for nearly a century, but it was with the introduction of genetically
modified seeds that we saw a large shift in who can own, produce, manage, and distribute seeds.
What was once controlled by small business or government run research stations is now
controlled by multinational seed companies, which breed and claim new plant varieties
and monopolize who can buy and sell seeds.
The World Trade Organization also requires that all member countries recognize intellectual
property rights for plant varieties.
Currently there are 164 members of the WTO but its policies remain complex with many
exceptions and conditions.
Many countries are skeptical about GMO foods, but the WTO holds that not allowing GMO products
into a country creates an unnecessary obstacle to international trade.
Some argue that corporations continue to be granted more privileges while restrictions,
sanctions, and harsher forms of punishment are imposed on farmers.
So despite being able to produce more, heartier crops, genetically modified crops could be
a serious threat to independent peasant agriculture and ultimately to biodiversity as they reduce
genetic diversity of plants and animals in the environment.
GMO opponents say itâs important to remember that not a single existing crop is the result
of modern science, and the original seed from which corporations have patented new plant
varieties is stolen, extracted and modified from native seeds.
They argue that international seed laws are just tools that advance corporate rights to
privatize seeds and crop varieties and restrict how farmers and farming communities access,
use and exchange seeds.
As geographers trying to understand how the process of development unfolds and the patterns
it creates, we can recognize that whether youâre for or against GMOs, the impact of
development policies often hits unevenly within a country.
Even though India is projected to be the worldâs second fastest growing economy in 2022, opening
the economy up has had mixed and unpredictable consequences.
Farmers with access to large amounts of capital fared better and were able to take advantage
of lucrative foreign markets.
But poor farmers have entered massive debt, lost their land, and either became wage laborers
or migrated to already overcrowded cities.
So the protests of the last few decades could be a sign weâre in the middle of significant change.
The biorevolution taking place in agriculture is changing our most basic relationship with
the environment -- how we obtain food.
And itâs changing the map of agriculture and reshaping the physical, economic and cultural
landscape around us, which weâll talk more about next time when we discuss how agricultural
innovations diffuse around the world.
Many maps and borders represent modern geopolitical divisions that have often been decided without
the consultation, permission, or recognition of the land's original inhabitants.
Many geographical place names also don't reflect the Indigenous or Aboriginal peoples languages.
So we at Crash Course want to acknowledge these peoplesâ traditional and ongoing relationship
with that land and all the physical and human geographical elements of it.
We encourage you to learn about the history of the place you call home through resources
like native-land.ca and by engaging with your local Indigenous and Aboriginal nations through
the websites and resources they provide.
Thanks for watching this episode of Crash Course Geography which is filmed at the Team
Sandoval Pierce Studio and was made with the help of all these nice people.
If you want to help keep all Crash Course free for everyone, forever, you can join our
community on Patreon.
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