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    Exploitation

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    Catherine Li
    The document discusses Monsanto's exploitation of farmers in developing countries through their genetically modified seeds. It provides examples of this exploitation in India, Argentina, and Haiti. The exploitation occurs during the post-production phase as farmers purchase seeds unaware of higher long-term costs, potential crop failures, and dependency on Monsanto. Potential solutions proposed are educating farmers on ethical practices and negative consequences of Monsanto's seeds, and increasing media coverage of Monsanto's unethical behavior to convince consumers to boycott their products.

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    Exploitation

    Uploaded by

    Catherine Li
    100 views3 pages
    The document discusses Monsanto's exploitation of farmers in developing countries through their genetically modified seeds. It provides examples of this exploitation in India, Argentina, and Haiti. The exploitation occurs during the post-production phase as farmers purchase seeds unaware of higher long-term costs, potential crop failures, and dependency on Monsanto. Potential solutions proposed are educating farmers on ethical practices and negative consequences of Monsanto's seeds, and increasing media coverage of Monsanto's unethical behavior to convince consumers to boycott their products.

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    The document discusses Monsanto's exploitation of farmers in developing countries through their genetically modified seeds. It provides examples of this exploitation in India, Argentina, and Haiti. The exploitation occurs during the post-production phase as farmers purchase seeds unaware of higher long-term costs, potential crop failures, and dependency on Monsanto. Potential solutions proposed are educating farmers on ethical practices and negative consequences of Monsanto's seeds, and increasing media coverage of Monsanto's unethical behavior to convince consumers to boycott their products.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    100 views3 pages

    Exploitation

    Uploaded by

    Catherine Li
    The document discusses Monsanto's exploitation of farmers in developing countries through their genetically modified seeds. It provides examples of this exploitation in India, Argentina, and Haiti. The exploitation occurs during the post-production phase as farmers purchase seeds unaware of higher long-term costs, potential crop failures, and dependency on Monsanto. Potential solutions proposed are educating farmers on ethical practices and negative consequences of Monsanto's seeds, and increasing media coverage of Monsanto's unethical behavior to convince consumers to boycott their products.

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    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 3

    This week, find a "case study" of technological exploitation (with citations), and discuss

    how the business practice evolved using any of the theories discussed in class
    (Marxism, World Systems, ACT, etc. ...).
    Does the exploitation take place during the development or the production phase? How
    is the practice exploitative?
    Propose two possible ways of targeting this form of exploitation. Keep in mind, with
    complex social and economic issues, there is no "silver bullet" (as I've said in class),
    and most successful approaches are multifaceted. What I'm looking for is a piece of a
    solution for your selected case study, not the entire solution itself.
    The following excerpts show Monsantos exploitation of farmers in developing
    countries through attempts to create dependency on their GMO seeds. The
    exploitation occurs during the post production phase (selling phase) when farmers
    in developing countries buy the product unaware of potential issues such as higher
    cost in the long run, possible crop failure, and complete dependency on Monsanto.
    Argentina's tax agency has raided a Monsanto Co. contractor and found what it
    calls slave-like conditions among workers in its cornfields. The AFIP tax agency says
    Rural Power SA hired all its farmhands illegally, prevented them from leaving the
    fields and withheld their salaries. They had to de-tassel corn 14 hours a day and buy
    their food at inflated prices from the company store. (Bloomberg Business)
    The authors of the study view the switch from natural to genetically modified seeds
    as a direct result of World Bank policies that forced Indias cotton industry to
    compete globally starting in the mid-1990s. Not only did the genetically altered
    seeds cost up to 10 times as much as regular cotton seeds, needing to be rebought
    each planting season, they also used more water than natural seeds. [6] As a result,
    farmers were further trapped in a whirlpool of debt and dispossession that already
    plagued the region, leading to drastic increases in farmer suicides. In 2009, the last
    year for which figures are available, 17,638 farmers who used genetically modified
    products committed suicide (one death every thirty minutes), leaving behind
    families whose futures remained burdened by a debt death could not erase.
    (Powerlines)
    In 2001, Argentina was in the midst of an economic crisis; the nation was at its
    most vulnerable, and Monsanto did not hesitate to take advantage of the situation.
    Because Monsanto claims to communicate regularly with customers regarding

    proper use of [their] product, Argentinian farmers ultimately receive punishment


    for any of the products misuses, as opposed to Monsanto. In fact, Monsanto had
    already gained a bad reputation in Argentina as a result of the initial introduction of
    their pesticide, Roundup, which is believed to have contaminated water supplies
    and caused an array of health problems. This trend is indicative of Monsantos
    knowing exploitation of nations that lack regulation of such products. Monsanto
    tried the hardest to help the Haitian and Argentinian farmers when they were most
    vulnerable. If they were truly trying to assist regardless of socioeconomic politics,
    the company could have simply sent monetary aid. Instead, what they offered was
    not just a quick fix, but enticing bait that hid the hook of a generations-long
    commitment to the company and its products. (Powerlines)

    Potential solutions
    1. Educating farmers in developing countries so they can make more informed
    choices when purchasing seed would stop farmers from being taken
    advantage of. The examples that I have pointed out concerning India and
    Argentina show that farmers are exploited often through ignorance, more
    specifically of ethical practices and potential negative consequences of using
    Monsantos seeds.
    2. A main problem is that Monsanto is a monopoly player in the agriculture
    industry with major control over public relations. Because of deals made with
    various parties who have power, such as governments, it is extremely difficult
    to regulate Monsanto and force them to operate ethically. Despite articles
    about Monsantos unethical practices, it still generates enormous amounts of
    profit. Many are unaware of the suicides in India etc. thus more widespread
    media coverage of their behaviour could convince consumers to boycott the
    companys products.

    References

    Sheffo, Catherine. (2014). Monsanto: Sowing Inequality. Powerlines. Retrieved from


    http://amst.umd.edu/powerlines/monsanto-sowing-inequality/

    (2012). Argentina says Monsanto contractor abuses workers. Bloomberg Business. Retrieved
    from http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9SADUU80.htm

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