The models of modern economic development are crumbling, worldwide. There are obvious reasons for the collapse of such systems. Centralized development methods, industrialization as means of development, globalization of trades, neglect of natural resources and urbanization are the main factors responsible for the failures.
Market Model or Industrial Model
We have centralized most of the life supporting systems, today. Economic activity, administration, food systems, garments, anything you name. Food, for example, travels thousands of miles in many countries before served on one’s table for dining. It undergoes transport, processing, packing, preservation, etc. In India, tomato travels from southern state of Karnataka to northern territory of Delhi, over 1500 km before it is marketed. Similarly, potato and onion. Potato is subjected to days of cold storage besides transport. Localized food systems and marketing are sidelined and, they are replaced by super market cultures. Business interests drive these things rather than needs of the people. Many perishables are destroyed in the process and market instability is the common phenomenon in these models.
It is destroying local cultures too. For example, food culture of a particular location evolves over hundreds of years based on climate, soil, agro ecosystems and crop species. This is forward linkage evolved by communities. Local marketing is also evolved based on these location specific conditions. But market economy operates exactly opposite to this. It first creates products, food systems and then technologies to suit them. That gets promoted in the life systems, instead of prevailing conditions supporting the life systems. Industrial interests and economies of scale drive this. Like potato chips industry promoting potato crop and variety suitable for the industry in an area irrespective of farming systems prevalent. This doesn’t take care of cropping systems and practices and, it doesn’t promote local varieties evolved in the area. To make these successful, favorable and semi-artificial conditions are created with chemical fertilizers, pesticides, seeds and climate also, sometimes. Greenhouse cultivation is one such example of creating conditions to replace the prevailing climate. When such external inputs and technologies are promoted, they indirectly destroy local genetic resources, plant and microbial species, soil, water, local economies and food systems. These exogenous models, thus, degenerate environment and natural resources, both directly and indirectly as industries of fertilizer, seed or pesticide come up to promote these practices. Directly, destroy land and vegetation by creating infrastructure and, indirectly emit greenhouse gases through non-renewable energy sources used by these support industries.
This model is neither sustainable nor stable. Because, it is not need-driven but dependent on created needs and, industrial and market interests, which cannot be easily managed, predicted or regulated. As a result, it leads to instability and exploitation of livelihoods of people. This market or industrial agriculture is the extension of capitalism to agriculture.
We are following the same model in economic and service sectors also. Economic recession is the result of such practices and policies. Booming economies give credits to even unworthy customers and promote demands for property, goods and services. Credit card scams of the US are one such example. Financial institutions have come up and become bankrupt due to promotional lending instead of need based lending. Booming real estate is also the result of such money flow without any real wealth generation. Not surprisingly, being unstable and illusionary, it is failing.
Diversity, localization, decentralization and regeneration of natural resources have no place in such models of development. Instead, these models destroy them all. Globalization of trade has an ‘add on effect’ on centralization and uniformity in these sectors. Uniformity destroys biodiversity and natural resources. Today’s trade promotes such tendencies leading to alarming situations.
Sustainable Model
Sustainable model of development is exactly opposite to these practices. It is about diversity not homogeneity, local systems not global network, decentralized not controlled by few hands, regenerative not degenerative of natural resources. Moreover, it is forward linkage not backward linkage and internalized not dependent on external factors. Thus, it is endogenous not exogenous. Sustainable model is about catering to the needs of people and not about creating the needs as in case of market economic model.
Let us analyze such a model through sustainable agriculture practices. A cropping system is evolved over a long period of time based on soil and agro-climatic conditions of a region. Cultivars or varieties are also evolved from the natural base of the region. It is supported by regions vegetation, livestock species and traditional varieties. Mixed cropping and soil fertility management through biomass are integral part of such agriculture. Please read components of sustainable agriculture in this blog for better understanding of sustainable agriculture. Here, the practices are internalized with little or no external inputs like chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Draught animals are used for operations instead of machines. Local support systems such as village level blacksmiths, carpenters, etc for agricultural implements are integral part of this system. These rural systems support local employment and micro enterprises. The food system is also based on the local cropping pattern. Markets, mostly local, are developed in accordance with cropping systems. Block level shandies are the best examples of such marketing systems. This is forward linkage based on agriculture production system of the region.
Facing Climate Change Challenges
The three biggest factors of climate change, as we know, are industrial pollution through greenhouse gases, transportation and chemical agricultural practices. Since sustainable practices don’t require industrial support, direct and indirect effects of climate change are eliminated. With internalized input systems in place, industrial support for mechanization and inputs is hardly needed, thus mitigating the climate change factors. Sustainable crop and farming practices regenerate environment reducing climate change elements and, local economy drastically reduces transport, both surface and air.
Urbanization is indirectly contributing to climate change by destroying natural resources and environment. Sustainable agriculture promotes rural employment, which is crucial to prevent migration from rural area particularly in developing countries like India as more than 65% of the population lives in villages. Promoting more employment in agricultural systems through sustainable farming and local micro enterprises as support system to agriculture and, strengthened rural economy play an important role in preventing migration and urbanization.
Market Model or Industrial Model
We have centralized most of the life supporting systems, today. Economic activity, administration, food systems, garments, anything you name. Food, for example, travels thousands of miles in many countries before served on one’s table for dining. It undergoes transport, processing, packing, preservation, etc. In India, tomato travels from southern state of Karnataka to northern territory of Delhi, over 1500 km before it is marketed. Similarly, potato and onion. Potato is subjected to days of cold storage besides transport. Localized food systems and marketing are sidelined and, they are replaced by super market cultures. Business interests drive these things rather than needs of the people. Many perishables are destroyed in the process and market instability is the common phenomenon in these models.
It is destroying local cultures too. For example, food culture of a particular location evolves over hundreds of years based on climate, soil, agro ecosystems and crop species. This is forward linkage evolved by communities. Local marketing is also evolved based on these location specific conditions. But market economy operates exactly opposite to this. It first creates products, food systems and then technologies to suit them. That gets promoted in the life systems, instead of prevailing conditions supporting the life systems. Industrial interests and economies of scale drive this. Like potato chips industry promoting potato crop and variety suitable for the industry in an area irrespective of farming systems prevalent. This doesn’t take care of cropping systems and practices and, it doesn’t promote local varieties evolved in the area. To make these successful, favorable and semi-artificial conditions are created with chemical fertilizers, pesticides, seeds and climate also, sometimes. Greenhouse cultivation is one such example of creating conditions to replace the prevailing climate. When such external inputs and technologies are promoted, they indirectly destroy local genetic resources, plant and microbial species, soil, water, local economies and food systems. These exogenous models, thus, degenerate environment and natural resources, both directly and indirectly as industries of fertilizer, seed or pesticide come up to promote these practices. Directly, destroy land and vegetation by creating infrastructure and, indirectly emit greenhouse gases through non-renewable energy sources used by these support industries.
This model is neither sustainable nor stable. Because, it is not need-driven but dependent on created needs and, industrial and market interests, which cannot be easily managed, predicted or regulated. As a result, it leads to instability and exploitation of livelihoods of people. This market or industrial agriculture is the extension of capitalism to agriculture.
We are following the same model in economic and service sectors also. Economic recession is the result of such practices and policies. Booming economies give credits to even unworthy customers and promote demands for property, goods and services. Credit card scams of the US are one such example. Financial institutions have come up and become bankrupt due to promotional lending instead of need based lending. Booming real estate is also the result of such money flow without any real wealth generation. Not surprisingly, being unstable and illusionary, it is failing.
Diversity, localization, decentralization and regeneration of natural resources have no place in such models of development. Instead, these models destroy them all. Globalization of trade has an ‘add on effect’ on centralization and uniformity in these sectors. Uniformity destroys biodiversity and natural resources. Today’s trade promotes such tendencies leading to alarming situations.
Sustainable Model
Sustainable model of development is exactly opposite to these practices. It is about diversity not homogeneity, local systems not global network, decentralized not controlled by few hands, regenerative not degenerative of natural resources. Moreover, it is forward linkage not backward linkage and internalized not dependent on external factors. Thus, it is endogenous not exogenous. Sustainable model is about catering to the needs of people and not about creating the needs as in case of market economic model.
Let us analyze such a model through sustainable agriculture practices. A cropping system is evolved over a long period of time based on soil and agro-climatic conditions of a region. Cultivars or varieties are also evolved from the natural base of the region. It is supported by regions vegetation, livestock species and traditional varieties. Mixed cropping and soil fertility management through biomass are integral part of such agriculture. Please read components of sustainable agriculture in this blog for better understanding of sustainable agriculture. Here, the practices are internalized with little or no external inputs like chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Draught animals are used for operations instead of machines. Local support systems such as village level blacksmiths, carpenters, etc for agricultural implements are integral part of this system. These rural systems support local employment and micro enterprises. The food system is also based on the local cropping pattern. Markets, mostly local, are developed in accordance with cropping systems. Block level shandies are the best examples of such marketing systems. This is forward linkage based on agriculture production system of the region.
Facing Climate Change Challenges
The three biggest factors of climate change, as we know, are industrial pollution through greenhouse gases, transportation and chemical agricultural practices. Since sustainable practices don’t require industrial support, direct and indirect effects of climate change are eliminated. With internalized input systems in place, industrial support for mechanization and inputs is hardly needed, thus mitigating the climate change factors. Sustainable crop and farming practices regenerate environment reducing climate change elements and, local economy drastically reduces transport, both surface and air.
Urbanization is indirectly contributing to climate change by destroying natural resources and environment. Sustainable agriculture promotes rural employment, which is crucial to prevent migration from rural area particularly in developing countries like India as more than 65% of the population lives in villages. Promoting more employment in agricultural systems through sustainable farming and local micro enterprises as support system to agriculture and, strengthened rural economy play an important role in preventing migration and urbanization.
In nutshell, sustainable models, generating natural resources as wealth and promoting local economic models, can reduce factors responsible for climate change such as industries, transport and environment degenerating agricultural practices to a great extent to save the planet and humankind from certain disaster. In other words, globalization of localization is the approach to be seriously considered for development process to mitigate climate change and make the world safer.
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