[pvn]

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Industrial agriculture is profoundly destructive and totally unsustainable. We are literally growing our food in inches of oil, needing ever increasing amounts of pesticides and fertilizers and also land for ever-decreasing yields.

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I agree, but the problem is not with governments, it's with the markets. Fresh produce wholesalers wants the lowest prices, so they can make the biggest profit selling to supermarket chains, who want to squeeze down suppliers as low as possible to make their own profit. And make no mistake, industrial agriculture is the cheapest of all agriculture, and creates food that travels better, looks better, and is more blemish free. The very thing consumers choose to buy.

If a local farmer wants to grow organically, and set up a market garden and sell to local shops, there is nothing in the world stopping him. Indeed, it's done quite a bit. There's a local farm and shop where I live that does just this, and the produce is just heaven. I shop there all the time. But not enough consumers choose not to spend their money at these places. They're happy with nice sized, blemish free, cheaper, more convenient supermarket based fruit and veg. And that's where the crux of the issue lies. The almighty dollar, the almighty market, and a public that just doesn't care about crap like "market externalities", but whether their pears are $1.99 or $2.99, and have a couple of spots.

To suggest this is due to subsidies is incorrect. Maybe for a few goods. But the same problems exist, regardless of subsidies and the government.

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If agribusiness is in fact unsustainable, it will stop. It's inevitable. The "problem" will fix itself. Someone will come up with some other business model.

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edit: I'd also add agreement that the government is most definitely in bed with the big US pharmaceutical and agriculture companies. But while that adds to issue, I don't believe that's the root cause of it, for the reasons mentioned above. If a large portion of consumers wanted to buy organic, and were willing to pay more for it, the market would supply it. In this case, the "externalities" you mention are caused directly by "idiot consumers", who individually are incapable of seeing the big picture - or just plain don't care. This is one of the gaping holes in capitalism.

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People ARE willing to pay more for it, and the market DOES supply it.

What's the hole? That not enough people share your preferences?

The history of mankind is *built* on "unsustainable" activity. Yet progress continues. Unsustainability is what drives improvement.

If you want stagnation, you can have it, nobody will stop you.