VANDANA SHIVAThe Non-Sustainability of Monocultures
AndFrom Bio-Imperialism to Bio-Diversity
Monocultures In forests and in agriculture Not tolerant of other systems Do not grow sustainably Local knowledge vs. scientific knowledge Ecologically based vs. economically
based
Effects of Centralized Market and Industry
Decides what a “normal forest” should look like Non-marketable components of a forest are
seen as abnormal and destroyed in favor of marketable components
Ignores the food, fodder and water production capacities of the forest
Uniform Forests Allows sun to heat the soil of the forest More erosion Less humidity Fire Flooding and drought
PICOP Formed in 1952 between the American firm,
International Paper Company and the world’s largest paper producer, AndreSoriano Corporation.
Sustainable yields-purely economic term Short term
First run Takes 10% of the wood from per acre Allowed to take trees with a diameter of 32 in. or more Gets about 73 cubic yards
Second run Allowed to take trees with a diameter of 24 in. or more Get about 32 cubic yards from same acre
This is supposed to be a sustainable system. But here, although they use the term selective logging, there is only one harvest. A big one. After that, no more. Angel Ancala, Biology Professor, Siliman
University, Philippines
Some Stats. 14% of logging area cleared for roads 27% cleared for skid loaders In an acre averaging 58 trees, 10 will be
taken. However, 13 more trees will be damaged in the process
Other studies suggest that these averages are very conservative
Case Study:Brazil
Facility of Forestry Science funded project Greater knowledge of modern science and
economics led decisions Biodiversity replaced by monoculture People working with trees replaced by
machines 20 years later
Afforestation has dropped from 40% to 8% Population gone
Eucalyptus Protests People began to protest the planting of
eucalyptus due to its destruction of water, soil and habitat
1983- peasants in Karnataka Took out seedlings and replanted mango and
tamarind trees 1988- peasants in Thailand
Burned down the plantation
Destruction of Variety in Agriculture
Introduction of “miracle seeds” during the Green Revolution
Aren’t adapted to local habitat Not resistant to pests leads to more pesticides Takes nurturance from the soil Demands intensive irrigation, which leads to
desertification Nurturance cycle of soil turned into a linear
line, fueled by chemical factories Nitrogen based fertilizers lead to nitrous oxide
to be released into the atmosphere
Crisis of Dominant Knowledge Inherently fragmented and colonizing Wedded to the economy Political implications that ruin local
communities Exclusively for a few elite It is the monoculture of the mind
Democratizing of Knowledge
Precondition for human liberalization Shift from global knowledge to local
From Bio-Imperialism to Bio-Democracy
To conserve biodiversity, we need to stop and reverse its primary threats Stop aid and incentives for large scale
destruction Therefore, stop funding on a global level, such
as international aid and financing Stop the dominant pattern of development
that has no regard for nature
Value of Biodiversity All forms of life have an intrinsic right to
live Cultural value Recognize that money has a very limited
scope and value Farmer and indigenous knowledge of
biodiversity should be highly valued, not seen as primitive
What Drives our Actions? Currently, economics drives our decisions A framework of biodiversity needs to
drive our economic thinking, not the other way around
Only consider economic outputs
Ecology, Equity and Efficiency
These three qualities meet in biodiversity and cannot be found in monocultures
Diversity ensures ecological stability, multi-dimensional efficiency, multiple livelihoods, social justice, and efficiency
Biodiversity system ½ calorie produces 1 calorie
Industrial monoculture 10 calories produce 1 calorie
Uniformity Ecological instability External control leads to displacement of
livelihoods Efficiency on a one dimensional scale
instead of multi-dimensional
Who Controls Biodiversity? Historically, local communities
maintained biodiversity Now, the Global North patents,
repackages and sells biodiversity that once belonged communally to the Global South
This system is perpetuated by GATT, The World Bank and US Trade Act
Biodemocracy This bio-imperialism needs to be replaced
by biodemocracy Recognizes the inherent right of all living
things to live Recognizes rights of local communities to
the biodiversity they have evolved with Entails that nation states have a duty to
protect these rights from corporations and globalization
The Global South can only be strong if it supports the democratic rights of its biodiversity and the diverse cultures that co-exist with them.