Modern Capitalism and Food Commoditization: The Limitations of Industrial Agriculture and the Challenges of Sustainable Alternatives
Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: Agriculture is an essential function of contemporary human life that is bound by nature. Therefore, economic, social, and environmental perspectives must be examined to identify the most sustainable agricultural systems. This thesis argues that agriculture should be divorced from capitalist economic principles regarding specialization, trade, and production scale. Such principles have supported industrialized growing methods, which have been economically, socially, and environmentally unsustainable. In order for agriculture to be sustainable and equitable, food systems need to be de-commoditized and removed from the capitalist market. Policies should target the local control of food systems by empowering communities to subsidize localized production-consumption cycles. This thesis explains how localizing food systems can help solve many social and environmental problems. Urban farming and food hub initiatives are discussed as primary solutions to addressing the several challenges that have limited the ability of local food systems to replace the dominant industrial agricultural paradigm.
Author: Gerardo Patron-Cano
Language: English
Subfield: Development
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2399542437