You may remember a recent post (The Rewards of Diversification, 25 June) in which I pointed out the dangers of monoculture – that is, giving land over to a single cash crop – and how diversifying crops may very well turn out to be our salvation.

I got a comment from one of my readers, who points out that "most of us are just pretty much fed with corn [maize]... prepared in millions of different ways to make us think we're eating different stuff."  And that's pretty much true – next time you go to the grocery store, read the labels and find out how often a product contains "high fructose corn syrup," possibly one of the main culprits in America's obesity epidemic (though of course, the big corporate ag conglomerates deny it).

Well...the chickens – or more accurately, the moths – are coming home to roost in the Deep South, as if to prove my point. Whether it's because of global climate change or increased resistance to pesticides, or some other factor, the corn earworms are showing up earlier and earlier.

This insect, known to entymologists as helicoverpa zea, is actually the larva of this species of moth, and is also known as the cotton bollworm or the tomato fruitworm, depending on what it's feasting on at any given moment. This little bug is a nasty one; not only will it eat up a large range of crops, it will even eat its brothers and sisters.

The corn earworm has been a problem in the South, particularly the Mississippi Delta region, practically since Europeans showed up and started planting crops almost 300 years ago. Last year (2009) was one of the heaviest infestations of earworms on record – but farmers in the Delta managed to dodge that bullet, as the bug's season was over and done with before the corn started silking. However, Ryan Jackson, an entymologist with the regional office of the USDA, warned that farmers "can’t necessarily count on that happening again in 2010." And of course, before this little demon starts in on the maize, it's already been doing some heavy snacking on cotton and soybeans.

Pesticides have long been the first line of defense in the war on the corn earworm, but like so many pestilential creatures, they've adapted; these pesticides have been having less and less of an effect, and besides, they're expensive, difficult to apply – and none too good for the consumer.

There are some more environmentally-friendly alternatives in the form of natural predators that can be used. One of these is the insidious flower bug; its favorite food is the eggs of the moth. Other "natural" solutions include a bacteria known as bacillus thuringiensis, which lives in soil and produces a toxin that is fatal to insect pests. Unfortunately, because such pests can breed several generations over the course of a single season, the old evolutionary mechanism kicks in and they adapt. There are also some types of roundworms, or nematodes, that live in damp soil and have been used successfully – but these can cause problems of their own.

Naturally, our friends at Monsanto and Dow have offered a solution, which they call Genuity VT Triple PRO – a type of genetically-engineered seed that "provides multiple modes of action against above-ground pests" and has been shown to increase harvests.

But given what we know about the history of Monsanto, Dow and the others as well as their recent behavior, we should ask: "at what cost?"

Of course, if hurricanes this year blow BP's oil inland and spread it over cropland in the region, it could all be a moot point (but that's a whole other topic).

 The following guest blog commentary was provided via José van Gelder

Farmers are key to fighting poverty

It's strange that we give so little thought to farmers, yet our very survival depends on them. Is this because in the developed world we only spend about 10- to 20 per cent of our monthly income on food? Maybe. I believe urban people have simply lost their conscious connection with the food chain’s starting point. Otherwise, food production and worldwide food problems would receive more attention in the media.

Small farmers in developing countries play a crucial role in local food supply. But they've been overlooked by policymakers for the past 25 years. Many have been forced to stop producing, or fall back on self-sufficiency. Three-quarters of the people who suffer from hunger and malnutrition live in rural areas, and that's where the fight against poverty and hunger must start.

This fight needs to involve small farmers and their organizations. Farmers establish new enterprises that create employment opportunities for their children. Rural democracy, economic growth and income distribution benefit from their determined action. Heads of state and large multi-lateral donors agree. Since early last year, we've seen them pledge billions of dollars at every summit meeting on agricultural development in the developing world. But very little of this funding has trickled down to the farm level.

Farmers' organizations operate on the principle of democracy, with real farmers feeding their views into local associations, provincial, national, regional and even worldwide federations. As such, farmers' organizations are powerful machines to disseminate new ideas, new technologies and knowledge over vast areas. They reach the people who live on less than two dollars a day, and are themselves a form of social media, transmitting the voice of the poor to others.

To help, in some OECD countries agri-agencies are established, such as UPA-DI in Canada and Agriterra in the Netherlands. These are development cooperation organizations, with a mandate to promote farmer-to-farmer cooperation, through project ideas generated by farmers and cooperative organizations in developing countries. These agri-agencies have joined forces in AgriCord to better coordinate their work, and in 2007, they came together to implement a program called Farmers Fighting Poverty. It supports activities by 145 farmers' organizations in 59 countries, such as cultivation-technical aspects, starting cooperatives, setting up agricultural extension and training in lobby and advocacy.

It is paramount that the organizations supported by Agriterra become stronger to better serve their members and be enabled to deliver their contribution in the fight against hunger and poverty. The G8 last year in Italy promised US$20 billion for investments in agriculture worldwide, this can only pay off with the direct involvement of farmers and their organizations. So far, it’s only promises, the farmers concerned have seen very little happen. Something’s gotta happen! Agriterra asks heads of state to agree that only 0.2% of the billions of dollars pledged for aid should be dedicated to support farmers' organizations in the developing world.

If you support this position, please visit the Youtube wakeup call video, sign the petition at www.farmersfightingpoverty.org and send the link to those who also believe farmers fight poverty.

Author:

Mrs. José van Gelder

Head of communications at Agriterra (since 2002)

Living in Stokkum, the Netherlands

Born: August 20, 1964

Education: bachelor in public relations and communications

I received the following information and though it would be a good opportunity for some of you young farmers and experienced horticulturalist with an interest in sustainable agriculture. 

Peace Corps Seeks Specialists in Sustainable Agriculture

Your Skills, Our Jobs

Sustainable Agriculture is a foundation for stable rural economies throughout world. Small farmers in these communities are struggling to adapt their traditional farming techniques in the face of a rapidly changing climate and increasingly unstable agricultural markets. As industrial agriculture expands globally, less attention has focused on the importance of small-scale producers in maintaining local food supplies. As a result, global food supplies are at historic lows. How are we going to feed the world’s growing population in the next century? Many policy-makers are beginning to question if capital-intensive farming practices are really the answer, or if these new technologies could pose new threats to the environment. Others worry that an over-reliance on industrial farming practices will limit the long-term sustainability and profitability of small-scale farmers. The Peace Corps has been called upon to help small-scale producers to develop more sustainable farming strategies and the agency is currently in need of experienced Americans to serve as technical agricultural specialists in countries that need their specific skills in sustainable and organic agriculture.

While serving two years abroad as an agricultural volunteer might seem like an unusual opportunity for many--nothing compares to the challenges and rewards of Peace Corps service. As valuable as your farming skills are at home, they can literally change lives when put to use as a Peace Corps volunteer.

What do Agriculture volunteers do?

Peace Corps volunteers serve overseas for 27 months and return to the United States as global citizens. They forge strong relationships in the communities that they live and serve in and empower farmers to engage in modern and sustainable practices that will improve the quality of life for their families and communities.

Peace Corps agriculture volunteers work closely with farmers to introduce effective organic and sustainable techniques and develop small business projects to increase market opportunities. From implementing soil conservation techniques such as composting, green manures, and contour planting, to promoting agroforestry techniques such as integrating timber and fruit trees on farms; Peace Corps volunteers make positive changes on the ground level by conducting field trials to increase crop production, teaching bio-intensive gardening techniques, promoting small animal husbandry, helping establish community banks, and working with farmers’ groups and cooperatives to improve organizational and business practices. Volunteers have a great deal of flexibility in their assignments to allow them to respond the needs of the local community. In Peace Corps, the needs of the local community come first.

The Benefits of Service

In addition to being offered a life-defining leadership experience abroad, there are considerable tangible benefits from Peace Corps service. Peace Corps provides a stipend to cover daily living expenses, travel to and from post, and a bonus of over $7400 for those who complete a 27-month tour. Volunteers receive full medical and dental coverage while serving; can take advantage of Peace Corps career services; and may qualify for graduate school opportunities, advantages in federal employment, and student loan deferment and cancellation.

The world is getting smaller and we are realizing that global problems demand local solutions. Peace Corps is one way to be part of the solution to the challenges facing our world. In the job market, employers value the very skills that make for a successful volunteer. Learning a new language and exposure to new cultures allow volunteers to return home as global citizens. Without question, this agricultural experience is highly valued by numerous organizations including the U.S. Forest Service, USAID, the National Park Service, USDA Extension Service, the U.S. Food and Nutrition Service, and many private corporations and public organizations seeking employees with sustainable farming skills and international experience.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities in agricultural science, protected area management, forestry, farm management and agribusiness, contact Frank Higdon at fhigdon@peacecorps.gov or visit www.peacecorps.gov.

Although monoculture (the practice of raising a single cash crop on extensive acreage) is a common business model in agriculture, it's a very bad idea. The Irish found this out the hard way back in the 1840s and again thirty years later – and if you know anything about your history, you know the how and why of it.

On the other hand, diversification of crops not only protects a community from famine is one crop should fail, it could actually be quite profitable. In fact, in a recent paper published by University of Iowa economics professor David Swenson, expanding production on farms in the Upper Midwest (Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa) to include 28 different varieties of fruits and vegetables, it could turn locally-based agriculture into a (get this) three billion dollar a year industry – and have many other benefits as well.

The paper, which came out in 2010, is entitled "Selected Measures of the Economic Values of Increased Fruit and Vegetable Production and Consumption in the Upper Midwest." You can download and read the paper here.

In light of statements made by the prophets of doom that we are all heading into Malthusian catastrophe in which population is going to outstrip food supplies and we're all going to starve to death, a number of things struck me about Professor Swenson's work. First of all was his statement that under his model, produce for ten thousand people can be produced on under 100 acres of land. An area the size of one Iowa county (a little over 270,000 acres) could meet the needs of the entire population of the six-state region. But that's not the best part.

According to Swenson's research (remember, this guy is an economist), that produce would generate over $880 million in direct sales – and this figure would more than triple by the time it reached retail outlets. We're talking $3 billion a year, folks. But here's the best part: such a project would create more than 9600 new jobs in agriculture paying almost $27,000 a year.

By the way, this doesn't include the contributions that could be made by backyard gardeners and small family farms.

What produce are we talking about?  Apricots, raspberries, tomatoes, strawberries, pears, watermelon and cantaloupe for starters. As far as vegetables go, there's nutrient-rich greens including mustard greens, collards, kale and spinach; root vegetables like sweet potatoes and  carrots; garlic and eggplant, squash, cucumbers and more.

Unfortunately, at the moment a lot of land in that region has been given over to only three crops: maize, potatoes and wheat. Michigan is turning out to be the exception, however, and is already emerging as a major force in this new type of diversified agriculture. This could be the start of a new lease on life for this economically devastated state (you may remember awhile back I posted some info on a proposal to turn Detroit into the world's biggest urban farm).

So...what will it take for the other five states in the region to follow Michigan's lead? With the influence in D.C. of big corporations like Monsanto and ADR and their endless quest to control the world's food supply, I would not expect any help from our bought-and-paid for federal government. However, at the state and community levels, there may be some real hope – perhaps starting with some property tax reforms and incentives.

Time to start organizing.