What farmers gain most of all from the increase in agricultural productivity, of course, is choice.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Prosperous farmers mean more employment, more prosperity for the workers and the business men of every industrial area in the whole country.
The duty of the individual farmer, at this time, is to increase his production, particularly of food crops.
Profits might also increase, because improvements might take place in agriculture, or in the implements of husbandry, which would augment the produce with the same cost of production.
I have seen firsthand that agricultural science has enormous potential to increase the yields of small farmers and lift them out of hunger and poverty.
To me, the most critical thing in agriculture is investing in the peasant agriculture, transforming peasant agriculture.
When you cook, you get to shop. You get to vote if you want the pastured raised pork or the organic grain. You can get to help produce your agricultural system, and you give that up when you outsource your cooking. You become dependent on what's offered - and that's a shame.
If we as a society are willing to have a preference for organic food, the farmer can pass on the savings.
Nevertheless, the number of farmers, small as well as large, who are adopting the new seeds and new technology is increasing very rapidly, and the increase in numbers during the past three years has been phenomenal.
We can choose food that doesn't lead to illnesses like diabetes and cancer. We can choose food that doesn't contribute to water pollution and climate change. And we can choose food that keeps local economies vibrant and farmers on their land.
It is obvious that the greatest and most important service that is required of our agriculture under existing conditions is an enlarged production of the staple food crops.