cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/4111586
When Billionaires Fund Science Education (Disclaimer: The guy in the video is a lib, but his analysis on this is good overall)
I might just be wrong about this, but would a socialist government not be able to perform industrialized agriculture in a much better way? Most of the problems listed in this video were the effects of profit-motive. The only problems with industrialized agriculture on the technological level were
- Industrialized farming uses land less efficiently because it reduces labor inputs. Since the whole point of industrialization is to reduce labor inputs, this problem can only be solved by improved technology.
- Industrial methods using tractors, artificial fertilizers and pesticides cause soil degradation.
The first problem I think will still exist in a socialist economy, but could be mitigated by diverting less calories to bio fuels and feed for animals. Since population growth can be solved with birth control, the freeing up of labor at the expense of land could be worth it.
Can the second problem not be solved through technological means? Drip watering systems could eliminate runoff, and GMO varieties that don’t need pesticides could be made more widespread. We could also make better use of crop rotation, or hydroponics to further improve the food supply.