Dear Editor,
I was very taken with Joe Parkin Daniels article on the desire for food sovereignty in Haiti (The Guardian, 8th January 2022, link below). Indeed, yes, reducing "reliance on multinational organisations" sounds like a good path to giving a boost to a low-carbon, local economy.
So why don't we all take a leaf out of Haiti's book and instead of insisting on cheap, mono-culture, chemical-/pesticide- based food, carrying with it an enormous environmental and carbon footprint (e.g. destruction of species and long-distance freighting), put more faith in local, organic farming? That would cause a hike in our food-prices but, more importantly, would give an enormous boost to climate protection!
But, no, we are happy to make patronising comments on the efforts of the developing world (so often stymied by our, western, commercial interests) while we carry on with our own savagely rapacious and destructive practices.
It makes one despair!
PS: Nevertheless, bravo to Joe for an excellent report!
Regards
