CAPITALISM AND INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE - THE OVERCONSUMPTION OF FOOD.

"All progress in capitalist agriculture is a progress in the art of not only robbing the worker, but of robbing the soil [...] undermining the original source of wealth" - Karl Marx. -- 'undermining' connotes with this focus on the idea of values, and how we as a group are trying to shift the focus on peoples values so that they change their behaviours in the light of climate change. 

! CAPITALISM TURNS FOOD, A LIFE ESSENTIAL, INTO A COMMODITY TO BE BOUGHT AND SOLD IN A WAY THAT IS DESTROYING THE PLANET !

The root cause of the global food crisis is found in a system designed to sustain corporate profit rather than meet peoples needs -- linking to capitalism - "profit in private hands"...

 CAPITALISTIC METHODS WITHIN THE FOOD / AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY (LINKING TO THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY)

1. OVERPRODUCTION
   • Corporate food companies produce too much for the demand of the ever-growing westernised world, yet the wasted food is not going to places of need in most cases, such as poorer countries or those struggling with extreme famines and starvation
   • Humanitarian issue
2. PROFIT BEFORE PEOPLE [+PLANET] 
   • Multinational corporations driven by their obsession with money
   • "THE GREEN REVOLUTION" - the large increase in developing countries achieved by use of artificial fertilisers, pesticides and high-yield crop varieties.
   • More food is produced, therefore more profit // levels of hunger rose due to land stolen from those who used it to sustain themselves on a smaller, more attainable and community basis.
3. CHANGES IN GLOBAL DIET
   
   • Global diet has become very standardised
   • The majority of the world relies on MAIZE, WHEAT, and RICE
   • Such an unvaried diet leaves the population vulnerable to mass disease.
   •  Government provided "plate" guideline - conforms to the idea that we need meat, dairy, etc. to sustain the demand and power of those industries.
4. GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD
   • Chemicals destroying the planet but also us!
   • Corporations monopolised the seed market which leaves farmers with no choice bu the buy GM seeds - creates a captive market.
   • How do we know the effects of eating GM foods over time? WE DON'T ! 
   • GO ORGANIC !!
5. LAND GRABBING
   • Armed trade - actually stealing land from indented farmers through violence and attacks.

 "Industrial agriculture has destroyed up to 75% of the worlds agro-biodiversity, uses up 80% of the planets freshwater, and produced more than 20% of the worlds greenhouse gas"

A FOOD SYSTEM SHAPED BY RACISM AND SEXISM --

Go back in history to look at the role of agriculture in capitalism, e.g.: the role of slavery in food production, maize introduced to Africa, Britain coming to depend on sugar and tea, etc. -- these foods kept workers busy and kept capital accumulating...

• most of the worlds food produced by peasant women who make up most of the worlds hungry too. 1/3rd of humanity.
• White farmers dominate as operators/owners.
• farm workers - from field to fork - are overwhelmingly POC, paid poverty wages, have high levels of food insecurity, and experience 2x more wage theft.
• FOOD WORKERS ANNUAL EARNINGS:
  • White - $25,000
  • POC - $19,000
• MANAGERIAL POSITIONS IN FOOD SYSTEM
  • 75% white
  • 13% latino
  • 6.5% black and asian

Factory Farms - destructive to our environment and health, "capitalist agriculture does all it can to make farms work like factories"

"START GROWING A GARDEN IF YOU CAN" - Eric Holt-Gimenez.

TOO GOOD TO GO  - AN APP TO COBAT CONSUMPTION AND FOOD WASTE