In some cases, market concentration can lower prices for consumers and increase sales.23 On the other hand, with fewer competitors in a concentrated market, dominant companies may gain greater power to influence prices in their favor.23 They may also dictate how foods are produced, leaving farmers with little choice over how to grow crops or raise animals.18 Many highly concentrated corporations also have a strong presence in government agencies, where they can influence policies in their favor.24. And you’ve got to also remember that companies send their representatives to Washington to be able to lobby within the government and take their seats within the government to represent their interests. Where do you want to start? He narrowed it down to nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. That’s the old nursery rhyme – “don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” And this is what we have done in commercial agriculture – we put all of our eggs in one basket. 2007;99(2):373-376. Between 1950 and 1997, the average U.S. farm more than doubled in size, and less than half the farms remained.16 In meat, dairy, and egg production, the number of animals on each farm rose dramatically, while the number of small farms declined. Ikerd JE. The historian Arnold Toynbee created the idea that between 1750 and 1830, there was an 'Agricultural Revolution'. In addition to all of this, in the 1990s Rashid worked under Clinton’s Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Espy (the first Black Secretary), as the Director of the Commodity Credit Corporation. So just because that label says that it’s organic that does not mean that that is the best thing available to you. Rashid – Yes, they are commodities. San Antonio, TX: University of Missouri; 1996. , “ The Relative Efficiency of Slavery: A Comparison of Northern and Southern Agriculture in 1860,” Explorations in Economic History, 8 (Spring 1971), pp. There are a lot of political machinations that go on – people trying to control and dominate not only the world of nature, but the people in the world and a lot of it is quite insidious. So the hybridization (see note #2 below) of the crops means there’s certain things you have to have. I respect the work you are doing in a basic and essential part of life that is just overlooked by everybody. To avoid the laborious task of manuring soils to supply nutrients, inorganic fertilizers, such as superphosphates, came into use as early as the 1840s. Public domain. He would also use the hay in his farm to make compost that he would put that back in the ground and grow his food. Industrialization of Agriculture. 6. First the PLU’s are the codes that you find on the food – like cherries are 4045. It was an adult story but it began, “once upon a time” and I think that’s where we should begin. The man from the department of agriculture called me up yesterday. In the United States, agriculture generated $374 billion in revenue in 2018, when adjusted for inflation. So like I said, war is good for the economy. There’s an “assumption” that we can dominate nature and we’re finding out every day that you can’t. Agriculture became a business and favored the formation of estates. Instead, historians debated whether industrialization resulted from Sir John A. Macdonald’s National Policy of 1879 or under the Laurier government at the turn of the century. The importance of understanding this history cannot be over-stressed. I can remember when I was growing up in my native land and they had planes going over and putting these chemicals in that would kill mosquitos, for example, and I just think there was a larger plan to that in killing all these fruit tees so you could buy these foods from the store. By hand, a person can thresh roughly 15 to 40 kg of grain per hour, usually by beating the harvested crop against a hard surface to shake the grain loose from the inedible chaff that surrounds it. When the dust bowl in America happened before the Second World War, during the depression, there were a lot of factors that came together. Percentage of sales earned by the four largest companies in their respective industries.20,25 Earnings from food and agricultural industries have become increasingly concentrated among a small number of powerful companies. So, I decided quite a few years ago that in addition to the vast array of justice issues I cover on the show, that it was important to provide listeners with information about food. And finally, and importantly, he says that vis-a-vis industrial agriculture that what’s important is to create the “alternative” which he has done in his natural urban agricultural work. So, if you’re farming on a very large scale, and can live on a small margin, because of the volume that you’re creating, you can make money. As far as Bhopal, India is concerned it was agriculture chemicals that were being manufactured there. This approach was applied to nearly all facets of food production. It’s insidious.Along with this use of the chemicals in the food, you had the US government subsidize breeding programs with grains. Like work on an assembly line, specialized labor often involves repetitive tasks that can be performed by machines. 14. I’m not sure what I can add to that. Mutual relationship between industrialization and agriculture. Heather – Rashid, you can apparently buy organic beef but apparently it’s defined as organic beef if that cow ate organic corn rather than being grass-fed beef. At about 1600 (15th century), whenever Isaac Newton (1643-1727) was around, he created a new way of thinking. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press; 2008. Royal authority weakened, as local nobles became strongmen fighting their neighbors for control of the local region. 2014. That’s the best argument you could have for a vegetarian. But what did the Vietnamese do? Explain how new industrial agriculture is, given the long history of agriculture. Poor farming practices including non-compliance to usage of masks and over-usage of the chemicals compound this situation.In 1989, WHO and UNEP estimated that there were around 1 million human pesticide poisonings annually. The state also produces a significant amount of peanuts, cucumbers, soybeans and cotton. There is a caller on the line. Rauw WM, Kanis E, Noordhuizen-Stassen E., Grommers F. Undesirable side effects of selection for high production efficiency in farm animals: a review. Look what kind of yields you will get, but it’s going to cost you this much to get it.” Then each year you come back you’ve to get more and more of the fertilizers. Heather – What is it doing to us? So they spray from airplanes, they spray it with tractors, they spray by hand. And then, in addition that food, there is an exchange for the raw materials in the countries receiving the food, and the raw materials are brought back to the United States to continue the industrialization process. After the Second World War they had all this ammonium nitrate left over that you use for gunpowder. 15. So, since 2011, I have been interviewing Rashid once a month about agriculture and also opening the phone lines for listeners to ask questions about the topic at hand or organic production techniques, etc. Heather – Years ago when there were problems with cotton growth, what was said I think was that the reason there was such a massive problem with this is that cotton was a monocrop. How is it going to reproduce itself? 364 – 365. But the problem with that is this. 11. I said “well my friend it didn’t grow so you don’t have to worry about that.” But they were so concerned because they have eliminated the boll weevil in Georgia. We’ve lost that closeness to nature. It was Newtonian physics, Newtonian mechanics. When and where did industrialized agriculture and ILOs come into being, and 2. Henry Wallace was Roosevelt’s Secretary of Agriculture and he also ran for president back in the 40s. The figure remained high, but was declining steadily, throughout the early phase of industrialization between the 1960s and 1990s, but in view of the rapid population growth this amounted to a rapid growth of the industrial sector in absolute terms, of up to 11 percent per year during the period. I don’t use it very often because our soil is good, by God’s grace – let me knock on wood. 3. Still, by the end of the war, the typical American industry was small. Before industrialization, goods were hand-made by craftsmen. Heather – So you’re talking about the chemicals in our diet – like the prescription drugs, etc. Image credit: Michael Milli and Brent Kim. A very dear friend of mine gave me a book recently. That’s the best way to tell the quality of your soil. With a degree from Harvard University in Political Science and a masters degree in Soil Science from the University of Massachusetts, he is certainly well qualified to put it mildly. 17. Many other industries in the food system, including animal slaughtering and processing, also underwent major consolidation. Lin B-H, Padgitt M, Bull L, Delvo H, Shank D, Taylor H. Pesticide and Fertilizer Use and Trends in U.S. Agriculture. Before 1776: Life in the American Colonies [lectures]. Africa has all the resources for everybody and the Chinese are coming in and trying to get it. It is occurring elsewhere in the world but you have some of the most stark examples of this in India – folks committing suicide. Decisions about who produces our food, what food is produced, how it is produced, and who gets to eat that food have been steadily moving from … households and governments to … corporation boardrooms. , “ The Relative Efficiency of Slavery: A Comparison of Northern and Southern Agriculture in 1860,” Explorations in Economic History, 8 (Spring 1971), pp. Heather Gray – Tonight we’re going to be talking with Rashid Nuri about industrial agriculture and compare that to, of course, natural or organic production. That’s why churches have tithing now. In addition to its damaging environmental effects, the chemical has caused major health problems for many individuals who were exposed. History of Industrialization. It is an organophosphorus compound, specifically a phosphonate. They will say that based upon the information they have received from the manufacturer who has agreed that they have tested these things, we feel that this is safe. So they’ll have round-up ready corn, round-up ready cotton, round-up ready soybeans that Monsanto has created. The share of the agricultural sector in the GNP was almost 50% in 1950, then 25% in 1980, 15.3% in 1990, 11% in 2005, 8% in 2016. But they’ve taken these chemicals and…let me make it more simple… and use cotton as an example. As far as irrigation is concerned, yes, you have to have water but you need more water with this high technology because it’s the technology that underlies it all. There’s a biodiversity – an echo-diversity. These seven guideline statements contributed to growing public awareness of the connections between consuming foods … Nadia – Rashid, you just said that grass was a waste of land. Hendrickson M, Heffernan W. Concentration of Agricultural Markets. Before 1776: Life in the American Colonies [lectures]. War is a very, very profitable enterprise. There’s mycelium in there, all kinds of micro-bacterias that are growing in the ground to make that soil alive – a living breathing thing. You’ve heard me say that if you build it they’ll come. Between 1964 and 1976, total pesticide applications on major U.S. crops increased by 143 percent. Heather – Whereas, since time began farmers have always saved their seed for next year’s crop. Tool-making, Agriculture, It’s an insidious system, but it’s the one we have. In more recent years, North Carolina farmers have also developed profitable aquaculture, berry, and Christmas tree markets. It is not possible to replant these hybridized seeds. 2nd ed. Henry Ford even credited the animal “disassembly” lines at Union Stockyards with inspiring the idea for his automobile manufacturing plants.3 Photo credit: John Vachon, 1941. There’s no label on it that says this collard green is made up of all these different things that we put together. You’ve got all kinds of plants. You have the different plants growing next to each other – companion planting – and the plants will repel insects and repel disease. I think it’s extremely important for people to know who grows their food, the quality of their food and where their food comes from. What do we do? It is used to kill weeds, especially annual broadleaf weeds and grasses that compete with crops….While glyphosate and formulations such as Roundup have been approved by regulatory bodies worldwide, concerns about their effects on humans and the environment persist. The history of American agriculture (1776–1990) covers the period from the first English settlers to the modern day. You need more of it in order to get it done. If you come to our site you’re able to get food, you can see it right there in the ground growing and you’re able to bring it home. Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, 2013. Some people did well and they lived…they lived.  Began in Great Britain in 1780s  Improvements in agriculture  raised food production  lower food prices  more disposable income and raised demand for manufactured goods  Rapid population growth  Failure of traditional cottage industries to keep up with the huge demand of cotton clothes throughout Britain The Early Phase of Revolution Heather – Wasn’t Agent Orange first used in Vietnam? Meat, milk, and egg production became largely separated from crop production and involved facilities that housed a single breed of animal, during a particular period of its lifespan, for a single purpose (e.g., breeding, feeding, or slaughter). A couple of people in the higher rungs of that office all came out of the agriculture chemical industry. Industrialization of Agriculture; Consequences and Challenges of Sustainability [1] John Ikerd [2] The modern sustainable agriculture movement in the U.S. was born in the mid-1980s from the merging of three different streams of public concern. 38 Schmookler suggests that “inventiveness,” measured by the number of patents issued, is related to changes in the demand for the output of the industry. Rashid – Actually, it was a little before that. If a watch is broken and you are able to take the watch apart and then you can see where all the parts fit, if there is one part that’s broken you can put it back in and make the clock work again. Concentration of Agricultural Markets. 1 By 5000 BCE, agriculture was practiced in every major continent except Australia. So when there is that “sameness” as in having one crop in the field, it creates problems in any number of ways. In Congress, if I give you $50,000 campaign contribution or through a political action committee and you get re-elected and you know what my point of view is on a subject, you’re going to listen to me because you want to get that money again so you can get re-elected. So with that knowledge you go out and put fertilizer on the plants – not thinking about the soil – not thinking about the life in the soil – and isolating the plants from the soil and saying “We know more than God does.” So again, the thinking was that if we add nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to these plants, then we will be able to grow things. Arabs are buying all this land so they can export commercial agriculture and continue to dominate the populations. That’s the first thing you should do and then start growing vegetables. Those chemicals kill everything that’s in the soil. Part of the requirement is to use lots of water to get the chemicals down in the soil, to hold them down, and to help them uptake to the plants. It’s supporting a system of agriculture production that is killing the earth. Rashid – No, we don’t have any elephants down there. It is very, very real and very deep. Rashid – And the irony is that I’m using elephant dung now to grow food. While Americans have long eaten with good health in mind, 1980 marks a turning point as food, nutrients, and health became fused in the American consciousness when the US Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services published the first Dietary Guidelines for Americans. You go out in woods and see the humus around and you’re going to find all kinds of like rolly-pollies, centipedes, millipedes, earthworms – there’s life out there – spiders, and all kinds of stuff that makes that soil alive. You’ve got the savannahs, the tall grasses, the short grasses. The 9 is for organics. This is why I talked about the science of the Newtonian mechanics that is of the thought and concept that we can dominate nature rather than be in harmony with it. Industrialization is the process by which an economy moves from primarily agrarian production to mass-produced and technologically advanced goods and services. It’s all a part of Mother Earth. 2007. And they did this for a long time, but it doesn’t work because there are certain elements that have been left out. Let me try to explain. Atlanta’s OG of black farming, K. Rashid Nuri, at Truly Living Well’s Old Fourth Ward farm. Having isolated those elements for the leaves and the roots he stated a theory, which is called the theory (law) of the minimum. But the real action comes from what are you going to do about it. Consolidation and Concentration in the U.S. Between 1900 and 2000, the share of the U.S. workforce involved in agriculture declined from 41 percent to 2 percent.7, In some cases, mechanization brought tremendous gains in efficiency. 5. The industrialization of agriculture is said to have achieved two goals: to “free” Americans from farming so they could join the labor force in offices and factories, and to make food and farming cheaper so Americans could afford to buy the products offered by new industries.4 Photo public domain. Rashid – It’s supporting a system of agriculture production that is killing the earth. It is called edible landscaping. This is the man who won the Nobel Peace Prize for the Green Revolution (see note #1 below) – thinking it was helping people.But what Green Revolution has actually done is it has created greater poverty around the world rather than riches. 3.2 Industrialization, Labour, and Historians Robert Sweeny, Dept. 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