Difficult Agriculture - Part One

My Family is an agricultural family. My grandma farmed. My father farmed. How did they farm? My grandma grew crops. Harvested them and saved the seeds for the next plantation. They exchanged seeds with the neighbouring farm for multi crop farming and everyone I knew did the same.....But Agriculture today has changed. Agriculture has evolved itself in the last 2 centuries. It has undergone unimaginable radical change.

During World War I, Nitrogen based chemicals were introduced in farming which yielded very good results. Then came insecticides which were never known in the history of agriculture...DDT was introduced. It was a major hit. Everyone was encouraged to use DDT. They told it dint harm anyone. But today, DDT has been banned in most countries.

They introduced everything possible in the name of green revolution. They systematised agriculture like manufacturing. People started yielding only one variety of crop. They were encouraged to do so..Later it created problems as it disturbed the balance.

Then came pesticides

The problem of using pesticides in a farm is that beyond a time the pests get immuned. So u sprayed a bucket of pesticide for your farm in season 1, you had to spray 3 buckets of pesticides for your farm in say season 7. The more you used, the more you had to use. Now farming is being done with pesticides, insecticides, herbicides and the farmer is psyched.

Multinationals taking pesticide advantage
Multinationals have entered the industry of agriculture and have done irrepairable damage. They have developed a system thats so against the idea of agriculture.
Agriculture means lot of suffering today. In the name of seeds, patents, pesticides, the face of agriculture has involved a tremondous change.

Lets take the example of the agricultural seed giant company monsanto. Monsanto is kind of a monopoly when it comes to manufacture of seed.
 They are acquiring all the seed firms bigtime.
( I have been inspired by the documentary "Future of food".) In 1970's Monsanto introduced a herbicide called Roundup. What does it do? Roundup if sprayed in a farm kills anything green. Weeds, grass, crop, everything. But Monsanto also introduced Roundup ready seeds. What does that mean? Seeds were genetically modified and patented. Now roundup sprayed on a farm that had monsanto's seed would kill everything except the plant. Interesting? The seed itself has been patented as an insecticide. What does that mean? If a pest eats the plant,it will die.

Monsanto has been buying all the seed companies throughout the world. It has evolved the entire world of agriculture from green revolution to gene revolution.

Now monsanto not only sells herbicide but also patented seeds. So what is the problem? The problem is that if for a season, you planted monsanto seed in your farm and harvested. Like our grandmas who saved seeds from the harvest for the next season, you cant do the same. Because they are patented seeds. You have to buy seeds everytime. You can never save your own seed. Ask a farmer what it means to him when he cant save his seed. Its pathetic.

Here is a video of how monsanto and other MNC's that have exploited the world of agriculture.
Monsanto woes affecting a farmer

In America and canada, There is no more conventional Canola seed that is available with any farmer. Its only MONSANTO CANOLA.....Its happening with all the crops. Agriculture has been industrialized.

In India there is no more conventional cotton. There is no more natural seed thats available. Everything is Genetically modified and patented seeds available from different seed companies. GMO is the name today. These multi nationals are targetting developing countries where the main stream is agriculture and they have had some success too. There has been lot of activists trying to bring in some awareness among farmers. Vandana Shiva is one. Here is a video of what she has to say about GMO's

Activist Vandana Shiva on GMO

How about terminator seed?
Forget about patenting etc...How about a suicide seed? What? Yes I wrote it right. Terminator seed. You plant a seed and after its first harvest it kills itself. What happens if something happens to the genetically modified seed and something drastic happens. Remember we are talking about food and we consume them. What if it threatens man kind.
Here is a video illustrating more on the terminator seed

I dont know if our next generation would have anything but only GMO. Its quite possible.
Lets talk more on part two.

Suguna Purushothaman