This work of Walden Bello brings
back again the line that connects the Global North and South. From his book explicitly
entitled “Deglobalization” to his contribution in the “Another World is
Possible”, Bello’s “Food Wars” continuously assert the spread of international
movements countering the industrialization crafted by these “club of rich countries”
at the expense of the lives from the Global South. This time is a focus for the
farmers and peasants completely hurt by the current economic order.
The problem all started from the
uncontrolled increases in the food prices that spread across the continents. This
alarming situation triggered protests and hunger to many people especially
those living in absolute poverty who cannot afford the minimum level of basic needs,
most importantly the food. All these are traced in the neoliberal project that
aims a corporate industrial agriculture.
The degradation of the agricultural
sector that develops the underdevelopment of countries like the Philippines was
then pointed out by the abandonment of the government through cutting its subsidies
on agricultural sector which is exposed to the massive importation of goods
that are relatively cheaper. Without the government’s assistance in the
picture, products from the countryside lead to skyrocketing prices that makes
the farmers aim for return from high costs. Thus, exposing to cheaper imported
products such as rice from Thailand gives an unfair treatment to our domestic
products. With the farmers hurt, the free-market is more than a typhoon that
destroys the sector which was the backbone of the economy way back during
Marcos period.
More than the government snubbing our
exhausted farmers on the field, the production which was supposed to serve
sustenance in the level of their community is distorted. If serving the
community was the initial purpose, then lately it shifts to serve the interest
of the developed countries by supplying demands for biofuel production instead of
agricultural.
This type of production is extracted
from the South. This specifically refers to ethanol and biodiesel; both are
renewable and believed to combat climate change. Ethanol is made from crops high in sugar or
starch while biodiesel is produced from oils and fats. The latter is most
commonly consumed in Europe. With a very high demand of agrofuel from the
North, Brazil, the agrofuel superpower has to respond in parallel to the
promise released in the World Trade Organization. Now, this starts the ironic
situation. With the higher demands from the North and the greater supply from
the South, Brazil, has to expand its sugar plantation for example, to the
extent of hacking away its forests. These forests are supposed to absorb the
carbon emission majorly produced by developed countries. In addition, South
America, the second largest ethanol producer, comes to the extent of inevitably
causing deforestation in the Amazon, losses biodiversity, and even resulting to
slavelike working conditions. This is reality and this is the product of the
false hopes created by the agrofuel production.
So this explains that in a decrease
of supply, price increases. With the focus from agricultural channeled to
biofuel, prices on goods continuous to soar high. However, two other main
contentions explain this situation that directly devastates the lives of millions
of people.
In relation to poor Africa, where countries are
remnants of the colonial Europe, African government has failed to care farming.
Given the low productivity in the country, New Green Revolution might ease its
problem. This is through a genetic engineering based agriculture that is seen
as necessary in the continent. However, with Europe’s ban on GMO, African
feared that their exports will be barred from entering Europe. Again, unfair
trade exists. The fact of the nondevelopment of agriculture in Africa also
extends the low supply of food in Africa unable to keep up the demand of the
continent.
Branded by the corporate world that peasants’ way of
farming is obsolete and uncompetitive, a capitalist industrial agriculture has
been a trend in the international economy. Not knowing this led the
destabilization of our local industries through the opening up to the
international market legitimizes the transformation of our local land, nature,
and social relations when countryside is alienated- all these are effects that made
responsible to the food crises.
Another very important example to understand in the
era of skyrocketing prices is the diversion of Mexico’s corn to biofuels. 60%
increase in the price of Mexico’s tortillas last 2007 was enough to stage
thousands of protests. With the US Government subsidizing corn in Mexico for
ethanol rather than for food consumption is the root of the problem. By then,
an intriguing question arrive; How on Earth had Mexicans, who lived in the land
where corn was first domesticated, become independent on imports of US corn in
the first place? This is very crazy to understand but easy to answer when we
come to think of the global agrifood system pushed by the World Trade
Organization plus the transnational corporation taking advantage in all sides
for profit maximization at the expense of the developing countries’ formation
towards development.
The former concrete example is also
not different to the food crises especially on the deficit of rice in the
Philippines. How can we be currently a net rice importer, when we achieved a
respectable degree of rice sufficiency in the late 1970s? Right now, we are regularly
sourcing 1 to 2 million tons of annual rice requirement in the international
market. So what really weakens our national economy? The answer- Structural
Adjustment Programs.
If only SAP is a person, I see him
as Osama Bin Laden intentionally killing the lives of many innocent people. SAP
has been more than a terrorist that legitimizes its threats in the developing
country through the mandate of the World Trade Organization and some other
international financial organizations such as IMF and WB.
Shifting the attention to debt
servicing from agriculture during Cory Aquino’s administration was nothing but
suicide. With a weak local industry due to political crisis in the 70s and 80s,
Aquino liberalized the market, cut off tariffs and quotas from imported goods,
and left the agriculture to the hands of private entities thus creating a government
who hands-off to the sector. This is the winning situation for the rich peasants
and landlords which former president Cory is a part of. Also, cutting the
quota, massive importation of rice follows which exacerbates the country’s fall
behind Thailand and Vietnam. This even discourages the farmers and leaves the
countryside to the cities which massive migration from the rural areas to the
cities makes the government head aches. Now, with the emergence of new export
industry specializing in high value added crops like cut flowers, asparagus, broccoli,
and snow peas,- employment in the agriculture dropped.
Another major example of this global trending
economic system is China. The capitalist development path for China is really a
failure. Though, it did not feel the same level to Philippine’s experience since
Chinese government had been so wise in gradually opening up its market while
still holding many state-owned enterprises (SOE) at the same time.
Among the principle widely discussed
and the realities explicitly uncovered, I strongly agree the current order that
we are in. The food crisis that Walden Bello pointed out last 2009 was perhaps
just 3 years ago, but the drastic increase in the prices of goods is definitely
shocking for a three years period to almost double. This will mostly fit the
example of oil prices.
As a resolution, I couldn’t agree
more on the idea of deglobalization. Though this does not strictly mean a
strict protectionist policy, but about still participating in the international
economy that at the same time builds local economic capacity rather than
destroying it; with a destroyed local industry, more protests and social unrest
seeking for the right path to development is triggered. That is why, there is a
need to respond these international movement forwarded by different farmers all
over the globe.
It is so much disheartening to see more people
self-immolating in a struggle for genuine reform in the system. These people
die in vain without returning their land grabbed by powerful private entities,
they died without witnessing the growth of their domestic market that upgrades
the quality of life that their family must have experience. More than that,
there’s nothing more to ask in living a society on the sphere of a democratic
decision making and operating a market with the values of equity and justice.
It is so much fun for an economy to be “reembedded” in the society, instead of
having our society driven by the principles of the economy that will naturally
hurt the people if left unregulated.
I personally hoped that all these propositions were
gladly opened up in the World Economic Forum just this January in Davos. Planning
among global business elite is expected to get realized in the next few months.
This made me excited on how they will answer the problems resulted from the current
order that they imposed on the past few years. Knowing that these elite people
conceded the shortcomings of a market-free system, delegates in the said forum
are forming a new model. System recovery is the biggest challenge for these
delegates.
Witnessing their shortcomings already shed them light
to realize that indeed there is a need for a change- a change that must be
definitely different to their system of neoclassical counterrevolution that
emphasizes market fundamentalism. I hope they will fulfill the theme “The Great
Transformation”, that is, a transformation for the benefit of everyone. So long
as they fulfill not just only advantageous to their private interest but also
to the interest of the global world that will feel the convincing change, then
a peaceful forum for them will take place in the next few years. No more naked
protesters combatting the extreme coldness in Davos will happen. No more Igloos
set as camps for Occupy Davos protesters will take place.
Bombarded by all these crises, future decisions must
all be learned from these nightmare experiences. Most primarily, the strength
of agriculture should not be left behind. The attention of the government for
this sector is even worth since it is through our farmers that sustain the
lives of the people who are supplied by food which is a basic need for
everybody. If we pursue the kind of globalization that continues to shape the
society in which we live today, social unrest will continuously rise and I
believe that it will all the more consolidate to a more powerful movement that
will sooner topple the world order created by the elites in the developed and developing
countries. In this I am optimistic.
Major ideas credited to Walden Bello's "Food Wars". No one shall be held responsible for any errors of analysis.
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