Small farm in a big world: globalization’s impact on Latin American food systems.

Agricultural systems are in a state of flux in Latin America providing both opportunities and pitfalls for farmers (Doolittle, 2002). This flux is a result of increased liberalization of economies coupled with globalization of market places. Access to global markets and industrial technologies can be a good thing for developing countries, especially at the macro level, but on the micro level of individual small farm holders it could mean the loss of livelihoods. Latin America is an urban place, with large urban populations relying on the food systems (Doolittle, 2002). This population dynamic has supported the rural farmer growing food for the urban populations, but as cheap food imports flood local markets, peasant and farm families can no longer compete and are driven from their lands (Campesina, 2000). Some argue that this can be a net environmental benefit, falling under a land sparing model, where intensive agriculture is concentrated and increased in production sparing the land for nature conservation (Grau & Aide, 2008). While social programs or practices like welfare and remittances are attributed as way to help support people left behind from this rapid economic change, it is not a sustainable solution because people take pride in working and self-reliance.  Some social rural movements are pushing for food sovereignty as an alternative, which focuses on local autonomy, local markets, local production/consumption cycles, energy and technological sovereignty and farmer-to-farmer networks (Altieri, 2008). This approach has positive aspects on the micro level, but is hard to argue for on the macro level. Successes like Argentina becoming the third largest producer of soybean in the world through liberal economic reforms of the 1990’s (Caceres et al., 2009) are hard for developmental leaders to ignore and instead adopt a protectionist and isolationist policy.  A true sustainable model for food production should engage global markets while supporting smallholders and protecting the environment.  Ironically while Latin America is adapting to industrial farming, developed countries like the United States and European Nations are struggling to support local and sustainable agriculture. Programs like community supported agriculture, farmers’ markets, and local/organic food movements could be solutions, which Latin American countries can adopt proactively instead of following the same development playbook as industrialized nations.

Works Cited

Altieri, M. A. (2008). Small farms as a planetary ecological asset: five key reasons why we should support the revitalisation of small farms in the global south. Third World network (TWN).

Cáceres, D., Silvetti, F., Díaz, S., Calvo, S., & Quétier, F. (2009). Environmental winners and losers in Argentina’s soybean boom. Applying Ecological Knowledge to Landuse Decisions, 65.

Campesina, V. (2000, October). Bangalore Declaration of the Via Campesina. In Declaration ar the Third International Conference of the Via Campesina (pp. 3-6).

Doolittle, W. (2002). Feeding a Growing Population on an Increasing Fragile Planet. Latin America in the 21st Centruy: Challenges and Solutions.

  

Grau, H. R., & Aide, M. (2008). Globalization and land-use transitions in Latin America. Ecology and Society, 13(2), 16.