I have spent some time investigating agricultural trade issues and feel that it is necessary to update the California Green Party Platform. What follows is my rationale and proposed text changes.
According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, California is the leading agricultural producer in the nation with nearly $28 billion in farm receipts generated from 350 different commodities. It is a challenge for all political parties to find an appropriate set of policies for this critical sector. Yet the Democratic Party only mentions agriculture in passing claiming “strong support for agriculture and the agri-business sector...”
The Republican Party does have a more fully developed statement which I quote:
“Agriculture
Agriculture, California's leading industry, exemplifies the free market at work and requires the use of farmland and animal production industries. Therefore, the CRP opposes extremism that, in the name of animal rights activism or environmental protection, has resulted in over-regulation of California agriculture and other businesses in the state. Water is the life-blood of agriculture. Republicans support and encourage efforts to protect and promote the availability of water for agriculture.”
The official platform statements of both the Green Party of the United States and the Green Party of California fail to address agriculture in an appropriate manner. Both platforms approach the issues of agriculture and associated policies solely in ecological terms. Both platforms express concerns with pesticide use, factory farm practices and genetically modified crops. While we should not bring any less attention to the ecological impacts of agriculture, it is equally important to address agriculture in economic terms, which neither platform accomplishes.
As much as one might wish to seen a Wendell Berry type of agrarianism take root, that too will not satisfy the need for an economically sustainable agriculture. One has only to note that when Berry needs sustain himself economically, he can write another book. The assumption is rather one of a gentleman's farm rather than the bedrock of American society.
As the party grows, it is imperative that an economically sound agriculture policy is developed. The current ecological bias is reasonable given the history of the party and the emotional content of these ecological concerns. However, if significant changes are to be made in agriculture policies, they must also be economically sustainable or they will not happen.
The absolute necessity for an economically sound agriculture policy can easily be illustrated by examining the issue of dumping, or the sale of agricultural products on the world markets at prices below the cost of production. The United States contributes significantly to dumping in five major agricultural products: rice, wheat, soybeans, cotton, corn and rice. As a result of United States corporations, with or without governmental subsidy, selling at prices below the cost of production, farmers in developing countries are forced out of business, unable to compete in world markets with United State dumping.
Rather than allowing developing countries to develop a self-sustaining agriculture, those most affected by dumping become increasingly dependent on the United States and other major exporters for their nutritional needs. This is contrary to all Green concepts and must be addressed in any future platform revisions for both the Green Party of California, a major producer of both cotton and rice, and the Green Party of the United States.
The most common local market outlets for agricultural products are farmers markets and community supported agriculture. In general, both of these need to continue and to be supported. Local farmers markets provide a venue where independent farmers have direct contact with the consumer, both selling their products and educating the public on the value of buying fresh, buying organic, etc. Community supported agriculture is a system in which the consumer purchases a share of the output of the farm. Based on the size of the consumer's investment, they are delivered an appropriate share of the farm's output. This is generally on a weekly basis. This draws the consumer more into the operation of the farm and brings the farmer an consumer closer together. However, it will always have a seasonal nature and will never be capable of being the consumer's sole source, even of fresh produce.
Neither approach works on the scale required to deliver agricultural products to a large, geographically diverse population. Ultimately, more agricultural products are sold to food processors than will ever go directly to the consumer if for no other reason than to allow the consumer to eat corn in January.
There are, however, several specific changes in policy the should be made and which the Green Party (California or United States) should address in their platforms.
US Agribusiness, with the help of governmental policies, is responsible for the dumping of a significant quantity of US agricultural products into world markets. The result is to cause irreparable harm to the importing countries agricultural economies and to maintain downward pressure on domestic farm prices. Small farm operations, unable to sell their products at prices other than those dictated by by the buyers, are increasingly abandoning their operations and, if they are able, selling the land for development, permanently removing it from agricultural production.
To tackle dumping in a serious way, countries must make a commitment
to keep products priced below the cost of production out of world markets. Since the exporting and importing corporations that profit at present from this dumping are not likely to voluntarily give up this practice, countries will need to take policy measures to gain corporate compliance.
Dumping is often made possible by direct and visible governmental subsidy of exported products. This practice must stop.
If there is any term that is subject to political manipulation, it is the simple, two word phrase “fair trade.” Too often the call for fair trade is only a thinly disguised call for supporting exports of one country while protecting that same country against the imports from all the others. As used by the Green Party, the terms should be defined to include:
Controls which ensure that the agricultural workers are paid enough to sustain their local agricultural economy.
Measures which prevent the exploitation child labor.
Common definitions of dumping and enforcement of anti-dumping regulations.
After reviewing the platform of the Green Party of California, I believe the the following changes need to be made.
Creating the Right Focus:
Add the following as a separate bulleted item:
“Encourage the development of a second supply chain that works for small-scale agricultural producers at local/regional level, is environmentally sustainable, and maintains convenience for consumers. This will require local processing and collaborative marketing and
distribution. Farmers can’t be expected to do everything. If the dependence on factory farms and large scale agribusiness is to be broken that alternative must be economically sustainable. “
International Trade Agreements:
Move this plank from “Peace and Non Violence” to “Community Based Sustainable Economics”. It seems to me this is out of place and that the issues of trade policies need to be considered in economic terms if it is ever to be effective. The connections to a Green economic vision are direct while the connection to issues of Peace and Non-violence are at best indirect, existing only because enforced economic disparities result eventually in violent correction.
Add the following as separate bulleted items:
* “End the practice of providing visible export subsidies as quickly as possible.”
“Commit to keep US products priced below the cost of production out of world markets. (see True Cost Pricing above.) Dumping has long been a part of US Trade Policies, encouraging over production of some products while destroying the agricultural economies of importing countries. “
“Encourage the development of measures to ensure fair trade policies in agricultural products.