Analysis of Stuffed and Starved Book by Raj Patel - Essay Example

Task: Stuffed and Starved This book was compiled by Raj Patel, and it mainly talks of uneven food distribution in most parts of the world. Rajab talks of the many experiences undergone by people of low class who are not lucky to afford the expensive food. Rajab puts it clear that those who are from the world’s agriculture-based nations do not benefit from their efforts. They produce but what they get out of that is a negligible portion of the total output. He says that almost 6 million people fall under the farming category, most nations especially the developing ones depend on agriculture as their source of income as well as their staple food. He also says that also included are urban consumers who live in slums and do industrial jobs, or those who live in exclusive houses and work in big offices. The only people exempted from the list are corporate food executives. To them, the food system works excellently. The value of the food chain lay square at the hands of these corporations. Patel argues out his point using an appropriate example from India where farmers committed suicide due to agriculture and trade liberalization. The liberalization led to 20% fall in the rural income. Free Trade treaties cannot solve poverty issues in the developing nations. Chapter three of this book provides a definite example to Rajab’s stand in food distribution in most developing nations. Most Americans think and believe that it is the fault of the Mexicans that causes their poverty. However, according to Rajab, the problem or poverty in Mexico has its foundational cause in the American government and trade. The US and Canada entered a treaty with Mexico in order to allow free trade of goods among the countries. The treaty was signed in 1994. One of the examples that Patel uses in the book is that of the Mexican Free Trade Treaty with the US and Canada in 1994. 60% of Mexican cultivated land was used for growing corn, which was the key staple food for the larger Mexican population (Patel 54). The supporters of free trade had one thing in mind that by forcing producers to enter into competition with each other, there would be an automatic price fall, thus, helping the mass urban population. Corn price in most of the Mexican markets collapsed while the US imports into the country increased significantly (Ning.com). The US corn farmers, on the other hand, were heavily funded by their government through subsidies creating a conducive environment for them to carry out their trading activities. The market competition between the farmers from the two countries was, therefore, biased on the side of the Mexicans. The impact of this type of trade was predictably undesirable on the Mexican side. Most of the Mexicans suffered malnutrition, with a great number becoming obese. Moreover, the step taken by Wal-Mart to organize and conduct a joint trade with Mexican’s Wal-Mex worsened the situation. Wal-Mart took three out of every ten pesos that was spent on food in the country (Patel 34). Another related epigraph that Raj is using in his book is about the step made by Britain, as the pioneer of grain trade, to encourage nations like India to sell their wheat stocks. This automatically brought about famine in the entire Asian continent, as India is the production house of grains in the entire continent. The British, on the other hand, enjoyed cheap foods especially the factory workers. Raj’s first insight was that free market always favors consumers, and not producers. It lowers the prices, at the same time forcing most of the weakest products out of the market. This is not entirely true any way. However, it does fit well in such a case. Free market certainly causes market price fall. This permits the same population to live with very few farmers and focus on knowledge or other skill related opportunities. For the profitability to be maintained, traders have an obligation to ensure that they expand their market and sell to more people. The more the number of buyers, the lesser the price, this is because of the existing competition among the sellers and traders. If the above scenario were the case, the US corn farmers, as well as distributors, would leave the market. Their ability to expand more market reduces. Nevertheless, it is not always automatic that there would be business room for these people. In case it lasts, the business people will move out of the market with the fear of stiff competition (Patel 89). This is clear proof of Rajab’s stand on the issue of economic development and food security. Developing nations can only develop when the have their own freedom. The last epigraph that Rajab has used in the book is derived from the seventh eighth and ninth chapters of the book. Chapter seven talks of the Second Company, which is taken to the field for the reinforcement purpose. In the field, men are given a few hours off. Krop and Paul glare at an attractive girl on one of the army theatre performance posters. They decide to rip off the picture. They feel ashamed when they compare their dirty clothes with the girl’s. The two men tempt three French women with a loaf of bread after swimming and flirting with them. The men swim down the canal and luckily point at the women’s house. They plan to meet them there at night when there would be no guards (Greenstuff.me). Besides, they make a promise to bring bread with them. The men get drunk at night and tell all sorts of sexual stories. The women are only three but they are four men. They decide to make Tjaden heavily drunk and ensure that he passes out. They swim across the canal to the women’s house carrying with them cigarettes, bread and sausages in their boots. The women whom they give the bread and sausages give them dry clothes. The men, except Paul, enjoy themselves at the women’s place. On their way back, they meet Tjaden running naked to find the women. They burst into laughter. Paul is given a leave and the same night they return to the women’s place. Paul tells his partner that they will not meet again. She becomes nonchalant and says that she feels disappointed with the idea that Paul is going for a leave. Paul goes home where his sister Erna receives him warmly. He runs to his mother’s bedroom to greet her, she is very affectionate with him. Paul’s mother likes the civilian clothes that he puts one whereas his father prefers seeing his son in uniform. He reports to the commander later, who decides to reprimand him for not saluting well. Paul gets annoyed and puts on his civilian clothes, which do not even fit him. Some of his classmates accompany him. Paul’s mother is in critical condition suffering from cancer. He lies to Kammerich’s mother that her son had died. On his last night, his mother advises him on how to conduct himself at war. The above is a scenario of soldiers going to war and getting involved in romantic affairs with the opponent’s women. This is a definite example of ambiguity. The man settles for delousing instead of dressing well and competes with the girl on the poster. Paul wants to separate war and love. He needs the brunette to deliver him from war, terror and grossness, so that he can be awaken and be happy. Nevertheless, the brunette is only interested in Paul when his death is around the corner. To her, he means something only if he remains the heroic soldier in a foreign land (Greenstuff.me). Developed nations should leave the third world countries develop on their own. This is a definite and relevant case of Raj Patel’s assertion and belief on the issue of food distribution and security in the world. This scenario can be related to any international trade movement or any other business activity involving two financially unequal parties. The soldiers go to fight in a foreign land but get enticed by the women making them forget their initial purpose. This is the same way a developed or a wealthy country opens a free trade with a developing country. Before making the treaty, the objective of the treaty is very succinct specifying on the eradication or reduction of poverty in the developing countries by removing international trade barriers and allowing free movement of goods from one nation to the other. Due to some reasons explained earlier, they end up causing more destruction and interruption of the economy of the third world country (Ning.com). This is the same thing happening with the soldiers, they forget their goal and role of being soldiers and spend their night hours looking and entertaining their enemies’ women. In such a case, there can never be any peace. Similarly, there will be no economic growth in a poor nation that has entered into a Free Trade Treaty with a developed rich nation. That way, the economy of such a nation will continue deteriorating. From the above illustrations and examples, it is quite succinct that economies of most third world nations are controlled by the developed nations. Due to this control, it will not be easy for the developing nations to gain economic independence unless their respective developed countries withdraw their power and control. Work Cited Greenstuff.me. Review: Stuffed and Starved. 12 January 2012. Web. 04 March 2012. http://greenstuff.me/?p=124 Ning.com. Stuffed and Starved by Raj Patel, Analysis of Chapter 6: Better Living Through Chemistry. February 02, 2012. Web. March 04, 2012. http://nerdfighters.ning.com/profiles/blogs/stuffed-and-starved-by-raj-5 Patel, Raj. Stuffed and Starved: Markets, Power and the Hidden Battle for the World's Food System. New York, NY: Harper Collins, 2010. Print. Read More