File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1997/marxism-international.9712, message 291


Date: 	Thu, 18 Dec 1997 12:28:07 -0800
From: bhandari-AT-phoenix.princeton.edu (Rakesh Bhandari)
Subject: Re: M-I: The RCP: Sounding the Alarm


Louis P, I don't think "alarms" are helpful. Not much more interesting is
the documentation of ultra-right participation. Fueredi makes a very
controversial argument in favor of green revolution-kinds of agriculture,
as both necessary to increase food output and to prevent further extensive,
eco-destructive growth. I understand that C Juma has written in support of
agricultural biotechnological revolution in Africa, though his name was not
mentioned in the summary of the documentary downloaded by James H.  Now I
am glad the argument has been made;  in the wake of IMF austerity, we have
had NGOs attempting to put a human face on structural adjustment in the
form of Schumacher "small is beautiful" programs for primitive,
"affordable" agricultural technology, instead of, say, tractors.  In LBO,
Doug H ridiculed the microcredit as substitute for government contraction.
In his book Globalisation of Poverty--recommended by James H--Chossoduvsky
writes scathingly of NGO "small is beautiful" reform.

I was not convinced by Fueredi's arguments however. I don't really remember
the summary downloaded by James H, but it seemed that little attention was
given to the problems engendered by green revolution agriculture--its
expense leading to the monopolization of land and uneven regional
development, its heavy use of water, destructive effects of it on the soil,
the threat it poses to genetic diversity of seed. Note that even Meera
Nanda, more concerned with the Englightenment and science generally,  has
little to say about these specific concerns of Vandana Shiva, though I
believe she has the professional competence to do so.   I would agree that
it is unfortunate that people like Cary Fowler and Pat Moody were not
engaged in this documentary (Shattering: Food Politics and the Loss of
Genetic Diversity), as opposed to some of the corporate hacks you have
listed. One would have also wished that there had been more discussion of
the system of entitlements as theorized by Amartya Sen in the discussion of
the food crisis, intead of an exclusive focus on technological solutions to
the underproduction of food.  A real discussion of the issues involved
requires careful case studies, as well as a profound knowledge of ecology,
organic and plant chemistry and biology, etc. You may well have such
knowledge; I don't, so I haven't commented on the documentary.  All I can
say is that I was not convinced by LM, though I did welcome the criticism
of Malthusianism, still the greatest calumny on the human race.
All the best,
Rakesh




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