Message-ID: <01BD831B.F05FAE80@dialup72-3-33.swipnet.se> Date: Tue, 19 May 1998 10:09:53 +0200 From: Jacky Foo <mailto:foo@SWIPNET.SE> Subject: future options in agricultural development To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
Dr. Jules Pretty, who is now director of the Centre for Environment and Society (CES) at the University of Essex (UK) wrote in his paper (http://home7.swipnet.se/~w-75166/icibs/jules) when he was director (1989-1997) of the Sustainable Agriculture Programme at the International Institute for Environment and Development that : "It is now widely accepted that over the next quarter to half century food production will have to increase substantially. But the views on how to proceed vary hugely. Some are optimistic, even complacent; others are darkly pessimistic. Some indicate that not much needs to change; others argue for fundamental reforms to agricultural and food systems. Some indicate that a significant growth in food production will only occur if new lands are taken under the plough; others suggest that there are feasible social and technical solutions for increasing yields on existing farmland. There are five distinct schools of thought over these future options in agricultural development..............."1> "optimists", who say supply will always meet increasing demand..... >......food prices are falling.........there is no current crunch over
>demand.......the fruits of biotechnology research will soon ripen,
>so boosting plant and animal productivity
2>"environmental pessimists".........suggest that ecological limits >to growth are being approached........passed........reached .......that
>populations are too great; yield growth has slowed, and will slow
>more, stop or even fall; no new technological breakthroughs are
>likely; and that environments have been too thoroughly degraded
>for recovery. Solving these problems means putting population
>control as the first priority
3>"industrialised world to the rescue" group believes that Third >World countries will never be able to feed themselves
4>`new modernists', argues that biological yield increases are possible >on existing lands, and that this food growth can only come from
>high-external input farming ............This repeat of the green
revolution >model is called 'science-based' agriculture, the objective being to
>increase farmers' use of fertilizers and pesticides.
5> `sustainable intensification' (group argues) on the grounds that >substantial growth is possible in currently unimproved or degraded
>areas whilst at the same time protecting or even regenerating natural
>resources
To those who are interested to join this discussion, I like to invite you to send an email to mailto:listserv@segate.sunet.se and write the subscription command: SUB ET-LOKE yourfirstname yourlastname, organization e.g. SUB ET-LOKE Jules Pretty, CES
welcome Jacky Foo ICIBS Sercetariat http://home2.swipnet.se/~w-25860/icibs/prog-reg.htm