Box 3 - Overtones to Advanced Agriculture

Cropping systems, in all of their manifestations, are profoundly disturbing to natural ecosysterns–to habitats as they were before they were occupied by people. Some of the consequences of "progress" to human ecology are seldom taken into account. Involved overall is the ethical question of human concern for humankind. When the Third World proclaims its right to unlimited population increase (as it did at the Bucharest conference) and in the next breath accuses "developed" countries of irresponsibility should the masses not be adequately fed, confrontation is unavoidable. We are faced with the age old ethical dilemma of whether short term evil (inadequate sustenance) leading to long term good (population in balance) is justified, or whether short term good (assistance programs) leading to long term evil (mass misery) is preferable.

As the United States Congress debated the bill entitled The Self Reliant Development and International Food Assistance Reform Act of 1979, here's how New Directions (a nonprofit organization devoted to leadership in pressing world affairs), one of the instigators of the bill, sized up the situation. New Directions felt that the dependency of many poor nations obstructs their economic progress. "This is particularly true in the area of food. Our massive food aid program is growing every year, while agriculture in the Third World stagnates. American food dumped on Third World markets depresses the prices of local agricultural products to the point where many stop farming. At the same time, the increased demand for our farm products helps to drive up food prices for Americans" (New Directions, vol. 1, no. 2, April 1979).

G.K. Myrdal, in reviewing development projects undertaken in various parts of the world, had this to say about not taking human carrying capacity into consideration: "But seldom is provision made to hold populations at the new levels that land can support. In consequence, the land deteriorates, deserts spread or become barren, and a greater number of people end up worse off than they were before development of the area took place. One can question whether international development agencies should continue to play this losing game."