Following on from the previous post, 'When Protection Means Privatisation' here
the following post reveals another way that corporations gain from farmers even when crops fail. Accumulation at all costs is the name of the game. JS
How You Pay Farmers to Watch Their Crop Shrivel Up and Die
Today, lawmakers will at long last begin negotiations on the farm
bill. Just one of the many portions up for debate is the federal crop
insurance program, which led to a very strange turn of events last
year.
During the 2012 drought, some farmers in Texas actually earned more
money by planting seeds that they knew would fail-and then
collecting insurance-than they would have by planting no seeds
at all.
The program keeps farmers limping along through drought years so that
when the rains return they will be able to afford expensive GM seeds.
So ultimately, the program works in favor of the companies that sell
those seeds-like Monsanto.
The worst part: Economists believe that as climate change intensifies
and droughts become more common, the insurance program will likely
only become more costly to taxpayers.
Read more here
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