Nightmares of globalisation

Recently, as part of the BBC's Reith 2000 Lectures, the noted Indian scholar Vandana Shiva spoke on globalisation and poverty. In a thought provoking and wide ranging lecture Vandana Shiva outlined the undeniable facts that vast tracts are being laid to waste as the 'global economy' devours the traditional Indian agricultural and food economy. Vandana Shiva described how farmers in the Punjab, formerly India's most prosperous agricultural region, are being driven to suicide by debt and despair. Where farmers once grew millet, pulses and rice, they were lured into growing cotton by seed merchants acting for transnational agricultural corporations. These corporations promised the farmers that they would become wealthy. It has instead created poverty on a massive scale. The hybrid cotton seed is vulnerable to pest attacks. In some areas pesticide use has increased 2000%. Farmers are now drinking this pesticide to kill themselves. They are doing this so they may escape their mounting and unpayable debts. It is the same transnational agricultural and pesticide corporations such as Monsanto (the producer of the herbicide Round Up) which in Australia are developing genetically modified foods.

In exposing the exploitation of farmers in Canada, the Canadian Farmers' Union released a report which stated in part that whilst corporations such as Kellog's, Quaker Oats and General Mills had an average return of 140% on equity, Canadian farmers sold a bushel of corn for less than $4, whilst a bushel of corn flakes sold for $133!

In Vandana Shiva's lecture he outlined how these enormous US-based transnational food-processing corporations are unleashing an almost unimaginable economic and social disaster on India's farming and agricultural communities.

Vindana Shiva said: 'It is not that we Indians eat our food raw. Global consultants fail to see that 99% of India's food processing is done by women at household level or by small cottage industry because it is not controlled by global agribusiness. Ninety-nine per cent of India's agro-processing has been intentionally kept at the small level. Now under globalisation things are rapidly changing. In August 1998 small scale processing in India was banned through a packaging order. The takeover of the edible oil industry has affected 10 million livelihoods. The takeover of flour by packaged branded flour will cost 100 million livelihoods. It will also create an ecological disaster.'

I felt almost physically sick when I read Vandana Shiva's lecture. People, with hopes and dreams, are having their lives destroyed, quite deliberately, by the tens of millions. This is the globalisation process unmasked. Put simply I believe it can be summed up as 'If you are not wealthy enough to be a consumer you have no place in this world'.

The wealthiest 1% of the earth's population are richer than the poorest 60%. Our current Western consumer society has duped most of us into a 'more is good, much more is better' type of outlook on life. A four year old child would almost break your arm for the latest Pokemon card. Last year 59 million cars were produced worldwide, more than in any previous year!

Not only is the Western consumer model unsustainable, it is destroying the backbone of ancient cultures such as India.

Orwellian double-speak has reached new heights. Vandana Shiva points out that whilst he was participating in the United Nations Bio Safety Negotiations, Monsanto was claiming that Roundup 'prevented weeds from stealing sunshine'. What Monsanto did not state was that what it called weeds were green fields of rice which provide vitamin A and prevent blindness in children. Transnational corporations like Monsanto are accusing bees of stealing genetically modified pollen. They are backed up by World Trade Organisation (WTO) rulings.

Sometimes I feel like the tall, gaunt spirit of George Orwell is nodding his head saying 'I told you so...' What can we do? How do we of the First World help the dispossessed of the Third? We need to re-evaluate what we want out of our lives. Do we want more, or do we want a better world? If the answer is a better world we need to combine and we need to fight.

The present holders of political office nearly all chant the same mantra of how wonderful globalisation is. They need to be brought to account or voted out of office.

Some trade unions have done some good work on the globalisation issue. However much more needs to be done. Many unions are caught up in promoting massive growth in the economy when they should be examining sustainability. A shorter working week does a lot more to promote sustainability than overtime at double--time rates.

The conservation societies need to expand their vision and utilise their high standing in society to expose the myths of globalisation being good for our economy.

There is so much needed to be done and answers to be found.

However one thing is certain. As Gandhi said: 'The earth has enough for everyone's needs, but not for some people's greed.'