Topic: Impact of War on Agriculture
Country: Belarus
Delegate Name: Kailene Schabes
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Belarus position papers GLIMUN 2008 committees
While the Global Food Crisis, for justifiable reasons, is receiving abundant attention, some of its triggers, such as war, go without suitable notice or concern. War has a large impact on the vulnerable and fragile system of agriculture. Its effects are both direct and indirect but both disrupt the agricultural process and fuel the Global Food Crisis.
Since 1954, the number of armed conflicts has been increasing. There are an estimate 30 major and 80 to 100 minor conflicts throughout the world, most of which are in rural, low-intensity areas where farmers and their work are disrupted. In Vietnam, as a result of the Vietnam War, unexploded bombs inhabit potential farm land. In the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, Ethiopia has tried to disrupt Eritrea’s agriculture as a strategy. The bombs there have made farming and herding dangerous. The dropping of the atomic bomb to end World War II caused agricultural devastation up to 7 miles from the drop site. Plants and animals were killed in the blast and later from radiation poisoning. In Sudan, farmers often abandon their own land for their own protection. The farms in Ethiopia and Somalia are currently being devoured by plagues of locusts, but the countries are hesitant to declare a state of emergency because of their dispute. Belarus has also experienced the effects of war on agriculture first hand. WWII ruined our agriculture and as a result, we were forced to rely heavily upon other countries such as Russia, for a source of energy and raw material.
Agriculture is a fragile system that needs fertile, undisturbed farmland, a workforce, and a market, all of which are disrupted by war. War prevents transportation of seeds, livestock and products, directly destroys farmland, increases fertilizer prices, poisons and pollutes animals and fauna, reduces biodiversity, takes money that could be used to prevent/reduce agricultural problem, and much more. Since agriculture is often a large part of a country’s economy and essential to fighting the Global Food Crisis, the devastating impact of war on agriculture must be reduced. As it is unlikely that countries will end conflict to protect agriculture, Belarus encourages them to at least not destroy it as a strategy. This effort will take money, years, and unity and needs more attention and concern now.
