“Growing plants is both an art and a science”, commented late Californian horticulturist Davis Kennedy. I feel that this also applies to the farming of crops – plants that we grow for food. There are many aspects of agriculture. From the choice of crop, land and fertilizer to the manpower deployment or determination of the time to harvest – these are subsets of various disciplines, both technical and normative. It is rudimentary for any farmer worth his salt to be able to balance these aspects. Failure to do so would result in a less than ideal harvest. The effectiveness of farming is determined by the output harvested given a certain amount of input. In short, an effective farm employing effective farming techniques would be able to obtain a better harvest as compared to a less effective farm that uses less effective techniques. Of course, there are many forms of farming, ranging from growing crops to rearing fish and animals. There is even talk about farming in the context of accumulating contact information through the internet (phishing) or other means. However, this essay will put forth issues pertaining to subsistence farming, use of Genetically Modified (GM) crops and economies of scale. Also, we will be looking at the effectiveness of “effective” farming techniques and whether it is desirable to be “effective” in the first place.
Subsistence farming exists in many of the developing nations such as Indonesia and the Philippines. These farmers use traditional farming techniques that are passed down to them through their parents or older generations. Based on these skills, they go about planting crops for their own consumption, selling their surplus. Over the many years of experience toiling in their small farms, these farmers would devise their own modified techniques based on their experience, in order to improve their crop yield. Given the little education these farmers receive, their techniques do not have any scientific basis and are largely trial and error based. An article written in June 2005’s issue of the TIME magazine highlighted the plight of Sumatra subsistence farmers. Although the issue in the debate was the problem with “slash and burn” associated with subsistence farming, it has brought to light certain insights about the farmer’s lives that are relevant to this essay. It was noted in the article that many families start subsistence farming in their backyard which ranged between 10 to 500 square metres. They usually do so either because of poverty and hence the inability to buy food or simply because their parents have passed down the farm to them. Given the small size of these farms, it is not feasible to use elaborate machineries like combine harvesters or diesel-powered tractors. . Even if the farmers had wanted to do so, they usually lacked the financial means. Consequently, their production methods cannot be scaled up to be comparable to large commercial farms. Their inability to exploit large economies of scale hence results in these subsistent farms being less efficient. However, if we consider the fixed, minuscule size of the farms, it becomes evident that it is unfair to make such a comparison. Subsistence farmers primarily farm to provide food for their families and perhaps to make a small living out of selling the surpluses. Hence, farmers are able to maximize the capacity of their small plot of land in a manner that produces the most output given the constrained resources. Hence it can be said that these farming techniques, despite not having any scientific backing, are efficient.
Arguably, subsistence farming does in a way use science, much to the farmers’ ignorance. Take for instance the use of animal waste as compost. Unmistakably, such fertilizers wouldn’t even exist without simple biological or chemical explanations. Many of the subsistent farmers are simply unaware that it is the insignificant bacteria present in the compost that makes all the difference. Neither are they bothered to find out since they are by no chance running a research facility. Thus, indirectly, subsistence farming still employs various scientific disciplines.
“Farming is all about economics”, commented Hugh Grant during a press conference about Monsanto’s latest “Roundup” seeds in 2004. As with any firm, the aim is to maximize profits. In other words, the objective of the firm is to operate in a manner such that the highest amount of revenue will be obtained by spending the lowest amount of money or resources. To many economists, this is a perfectly efficient scenario. Although such utopic conditions are rarely, if ever, fulfilled in real life, most large firms with the proper management do get close. Apart from the rudimentary scientific knowledge involved in the farming process, leadership is key. With the right leadership come the right decisions. Key decision-making processes greatly affect how a firm will perform. Likewise, the lack of proper direction and management translates to inefficiency which compromises the farm’s harvests and output. With a farm as large as Monsanto’s, we are looking at hundreds of square kilometres worth of agricultural area. Manpower comes in the hundreds or thousands. With such a vast scope for the management to handle, allocation of resources and deployment of manpower must be nothing less than optimal. Anything less and the consequence is simply the loss of productivity which would imply a loss in revenue due to poorer harvests. Therefore, when large farms are concerned, it is more than just science that ensures effective farming.
GM technology has all the hype of late. To some, it signifies pulling the starvation plug. To others, it is the epitome of disaster. Amidst intense debates in two opposing camps, GM Organisms or GMOs are touted by advocates to increase the quality and quantity of crops or reared animals. While there is scientific evidence of this positive outcome, critics of GMOs cite potential long term potential dangers of GMOs. Improvements in the quality of the crop, such as Golden Rice, which has beta carotene are said to solve problems in third world countries where vitamin A deficiency is a significant issue. Improvements in yield or quantify is evident in BT Corn, where corn is made to be pest resistant, thereby preventing crop damage from pests. This will therefore boost the yield of the crop, allowing the farmer to obtain a better harvest as opposed to normal corn, which will be wiped out by caterpillars. In either case, putting aside problems relating to GMOs, we can see that the use of GMOs can increase the productivity of a farm, thereby making farming effective. Hence, farming can be made more effective with the use of science.
After looking at issues relating to effective farming, it can be concluded that farming can only be effective through the use of science, or be made more efficient through scientific technology. However, we should be cautious not to be obsessed with science such that we examine it as the only factor affecting food supply. In the modern context, the government has a large role to play in ensuring the food supply. Stockpiling is practised in many countries for a variety of reasons. One of the main aims of such a policy is to ensure price stability for farmers since a good harvest leads to excess supply, which will cause prices to dip if left to market forces. The government acts to intervene by buying up the excess to maintain a price such that farmers’ incomes do not fall drastically. These stockpiles will then be put up for sale in a period of crop shortage, such as due to freak weather damaging crops, to prevent food prices from spiking. Sounds like a perfect plan? If only it were that simple. Effective farming would only increase the supply of crops which will force the government to siphon more of its budget for stockpiling. When too many stockpiles accumulate, the government will simply dispose of it as it would be the simplest solution. In summary, we should seek to question the objective of farming in the first place, rather than focusing on making Farming more and more effective. Effective farming may appear to be the ultimate solution to food problems. But in reality, with policies like stockpiling, effective farming through the use of science may cause society to be worse off than when less effective techniques were employed.