What We Eat and How We Grow It

It is easy to think of the twentieth century as a century of war and genocide. Those issues dominate the global political narrative of the century. At the same time, the most significant changes seem to be social, cultural, and especially environmental. The relationship between humans and the environment underwent a radical shift in the twentieth century compared to previous centuries. In Something New Under the Sun, John McNeill analyzes the historical causes of the dramatic change in humans’ relationship with the environment, our increasing exploitation of its resources, and the potentially disastrous consequences we are now facing. Most of us are familiar with these issues: global warming and climate change, desertification, lack of drinking water, and increases in lifestyle diseases. We’ve reached this critical point not just because of the cars we drive and the planes we fly in (although those don’t help), but also because of the foods we eat and how they’re grown.
One of the most significant technological advances of the twentieth century was Fritz Haber figuring out how to synthesize ammonia from the atmosphere in 1911. With a virtually unlimited amount of ammonia, humans could produce far more nitrates for synthetic fertilizers. Access to these fertilizers, along with other changes in the types of seeds used, fundamentally altered how we produce food in the twentieth century and allowed for significantly more food to be produced. The story seems like one that should have a happy ending, but it doesn’t. Because of consumer demand and companies pursuing profits more often than long-term environmental security, one of the most significant global changes of the twentieth century has been the emergence of a global agricultural system that encourages monoculture far more than agricultural diversity. This profit-driven, fertilizer-intensive, monocultural agricultural system is threatening the environment, economically benefits wealthy consumers (like most Americans and Europeans), and hurts individual farmers.
The other day, I had a chance to witness first hand how this shift has affected the farmers of India and Ladakh and some of the strategies to address these environmental problems. The Ladakh Women’s Alliance held a two day festival to celebrate local Ladakhi culture and women’s place within it. One of the key speakers was Vandana Shiva, who spoke about the recent developments in agriculture throughout India and their consequences for India. She began with a simple anecdote about how as a child she could remember traveling in India and eating pakoras in local villages as snack foods. When you travel around India now, you find bags of Lays potato chips and Pepsi. Thomas Friedman may hail this development as evidence of the success of globalization, but what it also means is the collapse of local culture and agriculture.
Shiva then explained what happened when the Pepsi corporation (which owns Lays) moved into India in 1988. It first set up agreements with local farmers in Punjab to grow special hybrid potatoes that would work best for the production of Lays chips. Farmers in Punjab saw potential profits, and Pespi only encouraged them. Farmers invested in new seeds and fertilizers in order to grow the “right” kind of potatoes, since local potatoes wouldn’t meet Pepsi’s demands. Farmers in Uttar Pradesh soon also began to grow potatoes for Pepsi. Pepsi only encouraged this growth in the supply of special hybrid potatoes, since it lowered the price of the potatoes. And Pepsi was the only consumer, since the hybrid potatoes can’t be used in local dishes. Pepsi was able to drive down the prices for the hybrid potatoes. Farmers gradually began to lose money, and locals were without adequate food supply. She finished by telling an anecdote about how farmers in Uttar Pradesh have found it cheaper to destroy their potato harvests than paying the costs it would take to transport the potatoes to the market to sell to Pepsi at such a low price.
At the festival, local women showed off the local agricultural products. It was incredible to see (and taste) the range of produce. There were chapatis served with local cabbages and potatoes, traditional Ladakhi brown brea with apricots, and a variety of locally woven textiles. Shiva also discussed what this changing global agricultural system means for Ladakh. By switching to hybrid potatoes, it undermines the local agricultural diversity. Instead, she encouraged the farmers of Ladakh to continue to maintain the local agricultural diversity. She explained that selling potatoes to Pepsi may be more profitable in the short term, but not in the long run. If there is a crop or monsoon failure, farmers are left with nothing to sell. They end up suffering economically in the long run, as well as the surrounding community which no longer as reliable a supply of food. And the fertilizers and pesticides needed to grow the hybrid potatoes gradually suck all the nutrients out of the soil, and the environment suffers in the long run. This is a process that has been going on for about a century now. Farmers either get locked into an endless cycle of fertilizers and new genetically improved seeds, or they maintain traditional methods of farming based on agricultural diversity. The second main speaker was Helena Norberg-Hodge, who echoed the importance of local agriculture.
After the festival, I visited a local organization Dzomsa. They sell a variety of locally-produced agricultural products and offer refills of potable drinking water. One of the products is Seabuckthorn juice, which is produced from a local berry. It was refreshing and tasty on a warm, summer afternoon. I was then able to refill my Sigg Water bottle with perfectly clean and safe drinking water from local sources, instead of buying water packaged in plastic bottles. (By the way, Aquafina bottled water is another Pepsi product.) Dzomsa also offers facilities to recycle batteries, which is great in a place with as many tourists and cameras as Leh. One of the great things about this trip has been seeing the number of places in Leh and McLeod Ganj that have facilities to refill water bottles with clean drinking water. The message about environmental conservation and local agriculture even shows up around town and on the school buildings.
As a traveler and a consumer, I’ve become more increasingly aware of how I spend my money and how it affects the local economy and the environment. Every day I have a choice to purchase cheap convenience in the form of bottles of Aquafina and bags of Lays, or I can buy products that help sustain local economies and don’t harm the environment. Choosing to purchase the local produce, I’m helping the farmers maintain their economic viability. It’s a choice that we as consumers all have. The more of us who make the choice, the more it will preserve the environment and pressure companies to make decisions that prioritize environmental sustainability over maximum profit.