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7 Responses to ““The Problem with Subsidies” Video”
Its sad to see that people like Sedou have to think that it is in God’s will for him to live the way he does, and how much this can lead to increased violence and crime in these poor countries.. a cycle that will never end unless we all do something to help. Hopefully we will all soon be able to see that helping poor farmers like Sedou will change their lives, and also benefit our nation as well.
but if we reduce our own subsidies, what will become of the american farmers, or the workers of major american farm corporations? Will it not result in another pre-depression era? I am all for levelling the playing field, I just don’t know how lowering subsidies will help…. why don’t we great a form of global subsidies for farmers in the 3rd world communities instead?
Reading the past comments it just goes to show that we need higher up people, who have more answers then us, to make the right choices. But something needs to change.
Good video, and I agree that US and EU subsidies distort markets, but cotton is a horrible example. Cotton will never give a small farmer in Africa (most farm on less than a hectare) adequate returns to support a family. Cotton is efficiently grown on large scale farm operations. Cotton also requires high levels of pesticide, fertilizer, and is hard on soils. Farmers in low income countries need to diversify their production, adopt technologies that increase their per unit productivity, and understand market demand.
It’s hard to argue with the nationalism present in Kelly’s comment about the effect of reducing subsidies for American farmers or agribusinesses and I think that sentiment is a big obstacle for an organization like Global Development Matters to overcome.
Subsidies ruin the equal opportunities that a “free market economy” is supposed to foster, but how should an economy such as the one in the US move to a subsidy-free model while other rich countries may still provide subsidies without sending our fellow citizens into poverty themselves?
Also, this video is somewhat biased by its lack of human face for the American cotton growers, in my opinion.
The video has the potential to be very powerful at raising awareness to this issue. It doesn’t just preach facts and statistics about the harms of government farm subsidies, it introduces the voice of the people/communities who are effected by agribusiness subsidies and immediately brings a face to the issue.
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October 31st, 2007 at 3:52 pm
Its sad to see that people like Sedou have to think that it is in God’s will for him to live the way he does, and how much this can lead to increased violence and crime in these poor countries.. a cycle that will never end unless we all do something to help. Hopefully we will all soon be able to see that helping poor farmers like Sedou will change their lives, and also benefit our nation as well.
October 31st, 2007 at 4:14 pm
but if we reduce our own subsidies, what will become of the american farmers, or the workers of major american farm corporations? Will it not result in another pre-depression era? I am all for levelling the playing field, I just don’t know how lowering subsidies will help…. why don’t we great a form of global subsidies for farmers in the 3rd world communities instead?
November 2nd, 2007 at 11:03 am
Reading the past comments it just goes to show that we need higher up people, who have more answers then us, to make the right choices. But something needs to change.
November 6th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Good video, and I agree that US and EU subsidies distort markets, but cotton is a horrible example. Cotton will never give a small farmer in Africa (most farm on less than a hectare) adequate returns to support a family. Cotton is efficiently grown on large scale farm operations. Cotton also requires high levels of pesticide, fertilizer, and is hard on soils. Farmers in low income countries need to diversify their production, adopt technologies that increase their per unit productivity, and understand market demand.
January 9th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
It’s hard to argue with the nationalism present in Kelly’s comment about the effect of reducing subsidies for American farmers or agribusinesses and I think that sentiment is a big obstacle for an organization like Global Development Matters to overcome.
Subsidies ruin the equal opportunities that a “free market economy” is supposed to foster, but how should an economy such as the one in the US move to a subsidy-free model while other rich countries may still provide subsidies without sending our fellow citizens into poverty themselves?
Also, this video is somewhat biased by its lack of human face for the American cotton growers, in my opinion.
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:31 pm
The video has the potential to be very powerful at raising awareness to this issue. It doesn’t just preach facts and statistics about the harms of government farm subsidies, it introduces the voice of the people/communities who are effected by agribusiness subsidies and immediately brings a face to the issue.
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:35 pm
In response to the issue about American’s being thrown into poverty if subsidies are reduced:
http://www.reason.com/news/show/36207.html