Agriculture has long been a contributor to the global climate crisis, and it’s intrinsic to how industrial agriculture operates today. In 1990, half of the farms in the United States were small or medium sized. By 2019, that number has shrunk to less than a quarter.
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Today, agriculture is dominated by a select few – namely, large, corporate companies that employ mass-industrialized methods of growing livestock and crops. The United States Research Economic Service found that in 2021, large-scale family farms accounted for just 3 per cent of all farms, but produced 47 per cent of production value.
These farms, coined ‘corporate farming’, allows corporate ownership of farmland to drive out competition and outsources small, communal – and often more sustainable – farms.
A history marred with violence
In the U.S., corporate farming started in the 1970s due to then U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz, who served under the Nixon and Ford Administrations. His mantra ‘get big or get out’ forced farmers to turn to producing commodity crops on large-scale levels, leading to the rise of major agribusiness and greatly reducing the viability of small, family-owned farms.
Unsurprisingly, profit-driven companies that dominate industries have long been present throughout history.
Starting in the 15th century, European countries led the ‘Age of Exploration,’ seized control over the American continent and obliterated the agricultural system present at the time.
The agricultural industry is in need of a better solution, and it has one: shift our current system to small-scale, sustainable, community farms.
What was once a diverse array of agricultural complexes operated by autonomous indigenous populations was replaced by a mass-industrialized system of ‘cash-crop’ plantations that fed economic growth of the European economy, and enslaved indigenous populations in the process.
Growing cash crops led to a monoculture system that wore out soils and extinguished local biodiversity, as farms churned out copious amounts of sugar, cotton, and tobacco, which were then exported to Europe.
Over 90 per cent of the Indigenous people died from foreign pathogens brought by colonizers or slaughtered through horrific acts of genocide. The increase in production and shortage of labour from the murder of enslaved indigenous people led to the development of the triangular slave trade, introducing an institution of oppression that continues to plague the country today.
As a result, agricultural business skyrocketed, partially catalyzing the Industrial Revolution that occurred in Europe during the 19th century.
The development coincided with the ‘Scramble for Africa,’ as European nations rushed to acquire valuable land and cheap labour from countries in Africa, repeating an atrocious pattern of colonization and exploitation of the land and people of Africa. The large, imperialistic powers that weaken the countries they colonize bear striking resemblance to the depletion of the small, family-owned farms across the world today.
While there certainly are large-scale farms that manage to implement sustainable practices and operate ethically, they are few and far in between. To such corporations, the trouble of dealing with enraged workers and activists demanding humane working conditions and wages is much easier than losing millions of dollars in profit to competing corporations that would be willing to put communities at risk.
Dangerous to communities, dangerous to the environment
Another hurdle that small, sustainable farms are forced to face is the dilemma of whether to use agrochemicals, such as pesticides and fertilizers. Once again, large corporate farms manage to edge out smaller competitors through the extensive use of pesticides and fertilizers with chemical compounds that catalyze extensive environmental destruction.
Corporate farms are no stranger to animal cruelty, either. The Animal Welfare Institute highlighted treatment of livestock in ‘factory’ farms, where unsanitary living conditions, inhumane mutilation, and animal neglect are commonplace.
It isn’t hard to deduce why local small farm owners are driven out of the market from competitors who can grow faster, larger amounts of crops, often unethically. Ultimately, agribusiness is dominated by supply and demand, and it lies in the hands of corporate farms that spray their fields with fertilizer and wield the power and influence to sway public policy in their favour.
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Clearly, the agricultural industry is in need of a better solution, and it has one: shift our current system to small-scale, sustainable, community farms. There has been a growing movement in support of communal gardens that bring freshly grown produce onto tables. Not only does locally sourced produce tend to be fresher and cheaper, it also supports the farmers who rely on that as a source of income.
Under this model, farmers are able to tailor their growth to the individual needs of their communities. Through the use of innovative technologies and grassroots funding, they can both budget for sustainability and champion equity– especially in areas vulnerable to food insecurity.
Today, agriculture is dominated by a select few… large-scale family farms account for just 3 per cent of all farms, but produce 47 per cent of production value.
Lack of funding to start community gardens play a large role in the lack of their implementation, and so does the industrial power of corporate companies. Land-based grants have been increasing in the past several years, but have largely been given to corporate farmers. It seems as if the corporations are building monopolies, not all that different from those in the oil industry or beef industry.
As of now, many localized farms cannot be solely relied on to sustain the communities that they serve, but philanthropic donations can. Frequently overlooked for agriculture, there are few philanthropic organizations dedicated to supporting efforts to build community farms. Beyond funding, shifting reliance of food from corporate farms to local ones require communities to orchestrate community-wide efforts in ensuring that community garden initiatives are able to sustain and expand over time.
However, this is by no means an indication to completely eradicate corporate farming. Because it contributes to the vast majority of produce production, it provides a valuable pillar of support for economies, especially those that depend on agriculture. Rather, it is imperative that the balance between the two become a much more even playing field that prioritizes both producing enough food to feed the people, and helping the communities it afflicts.
Peggy Chen is a writer and media creator at the Piedmont Environmental Alliance, a non-profit based in the United States.
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