It’s not that it doesn’t work; it’s just that it lacks support. Many people speculate that small-scale farming is not sustainable for the population needed to be fed. Mass farming is seen as the only way to provide enough food to nourish Earth’s population of now over 7 billion. Yes, that’s a lot of people. But then again, other organizations such as the United Nations believe small scale farming is the key to uplifting “over 1 billion people out of poverty.”
The thinking that large-scale farming is the only plausible option for food production has led to dwindling results caused by a narrow-minded framework. The truth is, while large-scale farming gives the means to allow for mass consumption, it does not take care of the real problem, food distribution.
With studies from McGill University and the University of Minnesota, it has been shown enough food is already being produced to feed 10 billion people (almost three billion over the existing global population). So even though we have produced enough, the means of doing so has failed us. It is time to switch to small-scale farming.
The hunger issues are a result of poverty and completely unequal distribution. It has often been thought that small-scale farms are designed to feed themselves, while larger ones are in charge of the world. But there are many advantages to small-scale farming that are looked over. It is not just that they are capable of aiding in food production; it is also that they are capable of stimulating the environment they are surrounded by, whether socially or economically. Large-scale farms suffocate impoverished areas, while small-scale ones have the potential to provide proper employment, encourage healthy development of rural areas, and improve markets.
Let’s say there is a small farm in a rural village. That farmer is usually in charge of feeding for him/herself. So, there is never a lot of income left over. Thus, the farmer struggles to make ends meet, and gives into the repeated cycle of the failures seen with small farming. But then, suppose others put more investment into the farm. The farmer now has a bigger table to feed, and more demand, leading to a higher income. With this newfound income in the impoverished rural village by the small farmer and others like him, the market for desired goods or services thus opens up, stimulating the economy. With a budding economy, the country now has the chance to improve in its other sectors.
As far as the yield gap goes between small and/or organic farms and conventional ones, it is not as big as once thought. So what is the issue? The reason small-farms have failed is because they lack support, but in order to fix the issue of food distribution, we must give rural areas the chance to be able to sustain themselves and contribute to the global order.
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-holt-gimenez/world-hunger_b_1463429.html
