1. AIM: Why do farmers face economic difficulties?
Do Now: Quiz 2
Do Now #2: How can too much success be a bad thing?

2. What are some Challenges faced by Commercial Farmers?

3. Too Much Success?

4. How can a farmer have too much success?

5. Commercial Farmer’s problems
They overproduce crops leading to low prices.
This leads to low incomes.
Food supply has increased but demand has stayed constant in MDCs

6. Success

7. Too successful
In the 1960s 20 million cows produced 57 metric tons of milk. In 2005, 9 millions cows were able to produce 80 million metric tons of milk.

8. U.S. Government intervention techniques (government subsidies)
Farmers are encouraged to avoid producing crops that are in excess supply.
The gov’t pays farmers when certain commodity prices are low.
The gov’t buys surplus production and sells or donates it to foreign governments.
Food stamps given to those who cannot afford food to increase food consumption.

9. European countries subsidize farmers even more.
Possible Solutions;
Sustainable Agriculture

10. Why is it funny that MDC governments order their farmers to grow less food?

11. Challenges facing Subsistence Farmers
Due to rapid population growth, more food is constantly needed.
Subsistence farmers must also grow food for export instead of for direct consumption due to the new international trade approach.

12. Ester Boserup, and economist proposed that LDCs can intensify their output through 5 stages.
Forest Fallow – fields cleared and utilized for up to 2 years & left fallow for more than 20 years.
Bush Fallow – fields cleared and utilized for 8 years & left fallow for up to 10.
Short Fallow – cleared and utilized for 2 years, left fallow for 2
Annual Cropping – Fields used every year, and left fallow for a few months with fallow crops.
Multicropping – Fields used several times a year and never left fallow.

13. New tools also intensify agriculture.
Output increases, but with increasing population, output per person remains the same.

14. Subsistence farmers need to expand production.
To generate funds, they need to buy agricultural supplies.
So they produce crops they can sell in MDC’s
Fruits, Vegetables that would be out of season, drugs.
What is the problem with devoting more and more land for export?

15. Drug Crops Marijuana – used by 140 million worldwide
Cocaine – 13 million users
Heroin – 8 million users
UN estimates 4 million Latin Americans derive their income from the cultivation of the opium poppy or the coca leaf

16. Strategies to Increase Food Supply
Expand the land area used for agriculture
Increase the productivity of land now used for agriculture
Identify new food sources
Increase exports from other countries.