Voedseleconomie gebukt onder democratisch tekort: http://tinyurl.com/zs6sln9 via http://tinyurl.com/hkes5e3
The industrialization of farming has left a slew of injustices in its wake, from agricultural pollution from pesticides and nitrates, to lower incomes and less autonomy for farmers and rural communities. We have also seen reduced access to fresh, healthy and nourishing food for families across the country.
But more and more, people see how our food is grown, distributed and prepared as a reflection of our values. In communities across the country, we are re-democratizing our food system.
Field to fork injustice
For the past six decades, industrial agriculture has treated the farm as a factory, with “inputs” (pesticides, fertilizers) and “outputs” (crops). The primary objective is increasing yields while controlling costs, usually by exploiting economies of scale — in the case of agriculture, this means large-scale, industrial monocropping.
This corporate approach to farming undermines a healthy food and farm economy, distances farmers from their craft and leaves consumers disconnected from their food supply. Most importantly, it fosters injustice up and down the food chain — and can’t be sustained.
Farmers lose income & control
Today, farmers and ranchers receive about 20 cents of every dollar spent on food — down from 44 cents back in 1950.