IATP Hog Report - Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy

Section 8
VIII. Funder to
Funder
Sub-sections:
Our Perspective on the
Role of Foundations
What can private
foundations do about the
alarming issues raised in
this report? Why should
we care?
But what can private
foundations, specifically,
do?
Why should private
foundations get involved
with this issue, at this
time?
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Funder to Funder
Our Perspective on the Role of Foundations
Intensive livestock operations or CAFO's (Confined Animal Feeding
Operations) stick out like a sore thumb. Why? Because they are creating
unprecedented and harmful effects on human health, animal health, water
quality, and the economic sustainability of independent farmers. Some
might say that nothing can get too big. Like the growing market
dominance of gigantic corporations, the increasingly concentrated and
monopolistic ownership of our food system, and the vast network of multinational
timber, mining, oil and gas companies, CAFOs are another
example of what can go wrong when the scale of operations becomes too
big. The result is business that is too big, unsustainable and in the
unending pursuit of profits, disrespectful of creatures, people and
communities. Unfortunately, CAFOs are not an isolated issue but related
to the globalization of our economy. To us then, this report is not antibusiness
but anti- "too big" business.
Like it or not, this report confronts us with the profound changes that have
occurred since WWII in the way our food is produced. Over time, the
evidence of the measurable effects of "modern" agricultural practices on
human health, the environment, and the sustainability of rural economies
is mounting. This report focuses on one facet of the "path of
industrialization" that agriculture has followed during the past 30 - 40
years: the emergence of large-scale, capital-intensive "factory farms" for
the cultivation of beef, hogs, turkeys, and chickens for human
consumption.
Let's face it: most of us see the world through our consumer eyes and
know only the bright side of US agriculture: the post-war growth in our
productive capacity; the comparatively low cost (so we're told) of food;
the appearance of high quality of our food products; the breadbasket for
the world. The problems with CAFOs are parallel to those associated with
concentrated crop production: monoculture growing, fence row to fence
row planting, increased reliance on fossil fuel based inputs, non-point
source pollution, monopolistic markets, and food products with chemical
residues. Our agriculture and food systems are now based on the industrial
model of production rather than ecological principles. "Too big"
agriculture reveals the mistaken belief that more technology will fix the
problems that have been caused by technology. Our current food
production system, and CAFOs in particular, make us ask just how far
from nature do we think we can bend natural systems without breaking
them?
http://www.iatp.org/hogreport/sec8.html (1 of 3)2/27/2006 3:50:18 AM