The same case also applies to seeds. As more and more global and bigger companies are increasing their control on seeds, its availability is uncertain and price is increasing rapidly.
The outcome of expensive fertilizers and seeds and their control by big monopolies is well-depicted in a recent Bollywood movie Peepli (Live). The movie vividly depicts the cases of farmers committing suicides in India as a result of increase in prices of fertilizers and seeds in today’s neo-liberal economic globalization. Since 1997, the incidence of farmer suicides due to pressure from not being able to pay bank loans taken to buy expensive fertilizers and seeds started making it to the Indian media. Until now, more than 200,000 farmers have ended their lives because of this problem. The cost of production is increasing but the price of farm produce is decreasing. Farmers now, on the one hand, have to buy seeds, fertilizers and other inputs from global corporations at expensive rates, which has increased the cost of production. But, on the other hand, they do not have control on market price set by global monopolies, making the poor farmers suffer.
In general, the price of products produced in developing countries for international market is declining in real terms. Often the price crash hits these farmers negatively. The case of Nepali farmers committing suicides due to expensive fertilizers and seeds has thankfully not happened yet.
In modern farming methods (green revolution technology), a large share of the total cost of production is taken by seeds, pesticides and fertilizers. For example, in India where this system is largely followed, about 46 percent of the total investment goes on seeds (11 percent), pesticides (14 percent) and fertilizers (21 percent), despite subsidized inputs. In Nepal’s case, the share of these inputs in the total cost of production is higher because seeds, pesticides and fertilizers are expensive as the government does not provide much subsidies on these items, not to mention the higher costs incurred in transportation and marketing. But the rate of fertilizer use in Nepal is certainly less compared to India. At present, rate of fertilizer use in Nepal is about 28 kgs per hectare. This rate is about 105 kgs in India and 278 kgs in China.
In green revolution technology, fertilizer use rate is considered as the main indicator of agricultural development. The Agricultural Prospective Plan (APP), a 20-year plan that aims at modernizing the agricultural sector and achieving rapid economic growth, has a target of increasing fertilizer use to 131 kgs per hectare by 2014/15. The rise in price will certainly discourage farmers from scaling up the use of fertilizers. Of course, there are also arguments as to whether higher fertilizer use rate is desired as it will lead to environmental pollution. Moreover, probable shortage of ingredients for producing fertilizers may create problems in future and use of higher dose of expensive fertilizers is certainly not conducive for sustainable development of agriculture.
The above situation calls for a different approach to farming where alternatives to such expensive and polluting inputs need to be figured out. The locally-based and diverse food production system under the rubric of conservation economy could be one of the alternatives. Such production system requires no external polluting inputs like chemical fertilizers and pesticides. It is also generally adaptable and resilient to climate change and other hazards. Moreover, this production system improves overall livelihoods of people on a sustainable basis.
As livelihoods depend on both natural and social capitals of various types, conservation economy plays an important role in this regard. It will help increase productivity and at the same time nurture bio-cultural diversity, improve soil fertility, check land degradation, maintain local bio-diversity and good stock of forests, and restore watersheds, wetlands, and pastures.
These natural capitals will reduce the need for chemical fertilizers to be applied externally, which will certainly reduce the cost of production of food. Moreover, it will help in improving household income and generating meaningful employment to country’s youths. Thus, there is a need to do more research on conservation economy and sustainable agriculture so that appropriate farming methods are developed that are suitable to farmers and useful for the overall welfare of the people.
Related story
How to attract young people to farming?
-1778309205.webp)
