Could a global farming network bring economic power to farmers?
A network of farmers from throughout the world working together to build economic power is an interesting alternative to the rivalry and competitiveness we now see among farmers of different countries. Farmers around the world have at least one thing in common: they must deal with multinational firms to sell their products and buy many of their inputs. Growth and competition in agribusiness are not restricted to any one country, says Dick Levins, economist with the University of Minnesota Extension Service. We continue to think of large grain companies and other large multinational corporations as U.S. corporations, but their home base is the world, not any single country. Farmers continue to identify themselves as being from one country or another, and to see their principal competition as coming from other countries, Levins says in a recent paper presented at Grain World 2002 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I am especially saddened to see the animosity between farmers in my own country and in
