Noticiero Latino: Farm Bill

On this occasion, we will discuss the new Agricultural Law in a divided Congress. Although the current law expired on the last day of September, the real impact will be felt until the end of the year.

The new proposal could fully address the climate crisis, since, as you have seen, its effects have recently been experienced through devastating forest fires, drought, and floods. It would seek, on the one hand, to support agricultural producers, but also to maintain resources to combat hunger.

Miguel Altieri, a scholar and defender of traditional agriculture, and Professor Emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley, says it is difficult to transition to a smart agriculture system, instead of attacking the problem comprehensively.

But who stands to gain from this type of agricultural law?

The expert points out that fruit and vegetable producers have been left out of the benefits; the professor emeritus even comments that small farmers are being excluded from the market, and the profits are going to large monopolies.

Miguel Altieri says that large corporations have a huge lobby and that the green revolution doesn’t benefit small-scale agriculture, and that subsidies help large groups.

Finally, he points out that what needs to be done is to incorporate the techniques used by small farmers in Mexico and Latin America, which have ancestral teachings.

This article has been made possible in part by the support of the Walton Family Foundation.