Governments serve as the structural framework for
the functioning of most societies and
have a wide range of responsibilities.
While there are many types of governments,
they are concerned about similar
national issues from the economy to
education to defense to health.
Outside
of the government itself, so many other
groups influence society.
This includes
corporations, the media, nonprofits,
clinics, lobbying groups, and the people
themselves.
These groups have a lot of
influence but instead of representing a
particular country or state or physical
area, they often go beyond borders and
represent a set of values or an ideology.
As a result these groups are called
non-state actors because they are
separate from governments or states.
Even
though these non-state actors aren't
affiliated with, directed by, or funded
through the government, they have a lot
of power to facilitate change.
Keep in
mind that a non-state actor in one
country may actually be controlled by
the government in a different country.
However, while non-state actors can be
influenced by the government, they still
have their own agendas.
This can be
clearly illustrated through the role
played by non-state actors in various
social movements.
A social movement is
when a group of people and/or
organizations work towards a common goal.
These goals are oriented around social change
over a long period of time
Often, the
social movement doesn't come from within
the government but rather outside of the
government and this is where the non-state
actors come in.
Unfortunately, things
aren't always straight forward.
Sometimes
the non-state actor involved is working
with the social movement to promote
change.
Other times, the non-state actor is what
the people of a particular social
movement are demanding action against.
We
will look at various examples around the
world of both of these cases.
Sustainable agriculture movements across
the world have many different goals, for
example, promoting organic farming or
opposing deforestation, but they are
united by a common objective: ensuring
that the way that we grow and produce
food is environmentally, economically and
socially sustainable.
With hundreds of
millions of people around the world who
are hungry every day, how do we improve
the way that we grow, share, and consume
food while at the same time not harming the
environments, economies, and societies in
which we live?
Agricultural practices have changed
dramatically in the last two centuries
mainly due to industrialization.
The
development of new technologies and
agricultural methods have allowed
production of food to increase.
In
addition to reducing the amount of
labour needed to grow crops.
But, these
changes have also resulted in many
drawbacks that have had negative
environmental and socio-economic effects
including top soil depletion, groundwater
contamination, disintegration of rural
communities, worsening conditions for
farm workers, and increased production
costs.
Besides industrialization, one of
the major drivers of unsustainable
agricultural practices was the Green
Revolution.
Although food production
increased rapidly as a result of the
agricultural techniques that were
implemented in developing nations, many
of these techniques relied on the heavy
use of chemical fertilizers and
pesticides which were only later to be
found to be harmful to human health and
the environment.
Other harmful practices
included overuse of water for irrigation,
using heavy machinery that required
fossil fuels, and planting many of the
same varieties of crops leading to a
reduction in biodiversity.
As more and
more people are realizing the extent of
damage that these agricultural practices
have caused, areas around the world have
begun to move towards more sustainable
practices, for example reducing the use
of pesticides, implementing more
efficient irrigation systems, and
planting genetically diverse varieties
of crops.
Besides these environmentally
sustainable practices, people have also
begun to think about the social
implications of changing agricultural
practices, especially for vulnerable rural
communities.
Green City Growers, an
organization based in Boston, is playing
its own role in promoting sustainable
agriculture.
The goal of the organization
is to turn unused space in the city into
urban farms, increasing land efficiency
while also teaching the local
community about nutrition,
self-sufficiency and sustainable
agricultural practices.
Stated by just one Boston resident, to date
Green City Growers has grown over
200,000 pounds of produce and worked
with over 7,500 individuals.
Examples like this invite us to think
about how we in our everyday lives can
participate in social movements that
change our communities for the better.
In summary,
sustainable agriculture movements
really took off in the early
2000's when their importance started to be
recognized by the Department of
Agriculture.
Programs like SNAP (the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program) allowed people to have access to
healthier foods and several working groups
worked to promote more sustainable
agriculture.
Their work resulted in
Article 89 being passed into law in
December 2013, which allows Boston
residents to grow food and maintain
farms in an urban setting.
For example,
Green City Growers built a rooftop farm at
Fenway Park in 2015 and supplies
vegetables for Fenway's restaurants.
Any
leftover vegetables from the Fenway farm
are donated to homeless shelters, crisis
centers, after-school programs,
veteran service agencies, and elderly
service providers.
