In light of all of the political discourse that occurs on any given day, agriculture as a topic typically doesn’t make it to the top of the list. Nevertheless, it has been, and it always will be the primarily focus of a good government which is to keep its people fed. Agriculture isn’t something per se that invites flashy headlines or is known to create spectacles worthy of a society that digests events in soundbytes but there are countless examples of what happens to communities and societies that cannot feed themselves. There are also countless stories in regards to people that struggle with famine, hunger, and it in turn has caused events that could range from civil war to exodus.
People need to eat.
Over the past few years American farmers have been on the front lines of Trump’s trade war with China. For decades the industry has been reliant upon a trade agreement that was first ushered in by the Nixon Administration but was killed off by a proclamation of trade wars being easy to win and repeated tweets that led to an end in that relationship. And even though the Administration now swears that all is now good, and China will buy more than they ever did before, farmers have a right to be skeptical. Many of them that are still in business lost a lot of money. And the subsidies did not go to them as primary recipients but rather the large conglomerates who in turn pushed out the smaller producers.
Farmers have every right to be skeptical.
Then there is the phenomenon of Climate Change which has further exasperated the situation for growers both here and all over the world. Unpredictable weather patterns and an acceleration in natural disasters has also put far too many farms underwater in more ways than one. Crops that were once assured are now compromised. Even a crop such as a potato is now in shortage and hiked prices for this foodstuff along with a host of others is bound to reflect back on market shelves.
So what can be done? What should be done? Should we simply bury our heads in the sand over going back to business or should something new be considered? Is farming currently being done simply to keep one’s head above in the present or to plan for the future? I personally prefer conversations that embrace the latter as the past cannot be changed and the present is already here.
What could America consider for the future?
I think the time has come for the United States to consider a new, regional agricultural cooperative that has the objective of ending hunger on the North American continent. It should be based within the NAFTA/USMCA charter but also include participating members from Central America. Some basic objectives would include the following:
1. Planning and implementation of crops between nations so that farming is a cooperative and not a competitive effort in the region. American farmers, Mexican farmers, Canadian farmers and farmers in Central America do themselves no favors if they all grow the same crops for competitive profit when other foodstuffs and bumper crops are ignored or not pursued because they are not as profitable.
2. Common agriculture/irrigation techniques should be considered so that farms that are even struggling with drought conditions or exasperating climate events are still capable of producing food and other crops with regional standards practiced throughout the continent in order to maintain the integrity of the crops and the surrounding environments. (An example of a bad actor is Tyson who not so long ago created one of the worst environmental catastrophes by dumping their by-product into the Gulf of Mexico. And unfortunately these occurrences are not uncommon). This would also include insecticides that are used.
3. An international VISA system for migrant workers and employers that will allow workers to openly travel through the trade zone and back without undue harassment or unnecessary wait periods. This same agency would also create and uphold a bill of rights for migrant workers as well as enforce a standard wage. The workers that join this cooperative would also be encouraged to unionize in order to counterbalance the influence of corporate farming enterprises which have a history of exploiting labor.
4. Research and development towards new consumer products that displace petroleum plastic components and packaging and offset it with cellulose components such as hemp.
5. A zero-emissions EV freight line that had the ability to move ag products throughout the Americas at a reduced cost and at a benefit to the environment. In addition decentralized infrastructure and eco-friendly living would be invested back into the farms in order to reduce costs and hazards caused by aging electrical grids.
6. The creation of a commission that oversaw all activities and directly answered to the participating governments.
Good government can’t really redress the past. The past is gone, the present is already here. All that is left is the future. Now the question should be asked: What kind of future do you want for yourselves, or your children? Which direction should we go?
It begins and ends with agriculture.
Thanks for reading.