by Colin Todhunter, Global Research:
This ebook provides insight into aspects of the global food system, including the micronutrient crisis, contested climate emergency rhetoric and its use in implementing the rollout of controlling technologies, the emergence and influence of digital platforms in shaping agricultural practices and the increasing corporate capture of Indian agriculture.
The book is the third installment in a trilogy of ebooks by the author exploring the global food system. It evolved from a series of articles originally published by various media outlets and written by the author and follows the February 2022 publication of Food, Dependency and Dispossession: Resisting the New World Order and the December 2023 release of Sickening Profits: The Global Food System’s Poisoned Food and Toxic Wealth.
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When read together, the three books provide an overarching critique of contemporary food systems and possible solutions. For instance, the first book presents a more in-depth discussion of agroecology, the role of the Gates Foundation, the impact of pesticides, the state of agriculture in India, including the 2020-21 farmers protest, and the issue of development.
The second book touches on some of those issues but broadens the debate to look at ecomodernism, food-related ill health, the role of big finance in the food system and the post-Covid food crisis. While readers do not have to read the first two books, it might help in providing added context and insights.
This new book draws on and develops many of the themes presented in the first two. In particular, it returns to India to explore what has happened over the last 22 months (since the publication of the first book).
More generally, it looks at the intertwining of political centralisation and corporate consolidation that is undermining democratic processes, economic diversity and local autonomy. This unholy alliance is creating a self-reinforcing, technocratic dystopia that concentrates power in the hands of a super-wealthy elite, which increasingly depicts anyone who challenges it as the ‘enemy within’.
In this respect, the book weds the topic of food to the wider dynamics of power in society, which is becoming increasingly concentrated, resulting in the domination of both resources and populations and seeking to shape the very fabric of our lives and beliefs about who we are and what we could or should be. Such an analysis is integral to gaining a deeper understanding of the food system and the influence of global agribusiness and the tech giants that are increasingly moving into the food and agriculture sector.
The following discussion is driven by a conviction in the transformative power of re-localising food systems, revitalising traditional ecological wisdom and rekindling our connection to the land that nourishes us. At its core, it challenges us to question our understanding of human progress and development.
Chapter I:
Consolidated Power
By focusing on the nature of power and certain challenges and issues that we face, this introductory chapter establishes a foundational framework for what appears in the subsequent chapters.
We live in a world that sees political power becoming increasingly centralised. In turn, this creates an environment ripe for corporate influence. Large corporations, with their vast resources, can more easily focus their lobbying efforts and capture policymaking bodies at national and international levels than at a more fragmented local or regional level, leading to regulations and laws that favour big business over small enterprises and the needs and rights of ordinary people. This results in a landscape dominated by a handful of corporate giants, each wielding enormous economic and political clout.
This consolidation of corporate power further reinforces political centralisation, as wealthy corporations (for example, think big pharma and big agribusiness) can effectively dictate policy through campaign contributions, lobbying efforts and the revolving door between government and industry. The voice of the average citizen is drowned out by the influence of corporate power.
As a result of this corporate monopolisation, local markets and small businesses, once the backbone of communities, are being systematically crushed under the weight of centralised state-corporate power. Unable to compete with the economies of scale and political influence of large corporations, they are forced to close their doors or sell out to larger entities. This not only reduces choice and drives up prices but also strips communities of their unique character and economic self-determination.
The global interests served by this system are at odds with local needs and values. Decisions made in distant boardrooms and government offices fail to account for the nuanced realities of diverse communities. Environmental concerns are brushed aside in favour of short-term profits, while cultural traditions are homogenised to fit corporate needs.
Democratic processes, designed to give voice to the many, are subverted to serve the interests of the few. Real power resides in the hands of those who control the purse strings, and public discourse is shaped by the corporate media (often part of larger conglomerates), limiting the range of ideas and stifling dissent.
At the same time, when decision-making is concentrated in a few hands, the potential for catastrophic errors increases. Over-centralised, corporate-dominated supply chains are vulnerable to disruptions, leading to shortages of essential goods that can ripple across the globe.
