Question

The more widespread aspect of the globalisation of agriculture is the entry of multinationals into this sector as sellers of agricultural inputs such as seeds, pesticides and fertilisers. Over the last decade or so, the government has scaled down its agricultural development programmes and 'agricultural extension' agents have been replaced in the villages by agents of seed, fertiliser and pesticide companies.

Based on the given passage, answer the following question:

How is agriculture becoming more commercialised?

Answer 1

• Farmers can only learn about new crops, fertilisers, insecticides, and agricultural techniques from multinational corporations.
• This has caused farmers to become more reliant on pricey pesticides and fertilisers, which has hurt their earnings, put many of them in debt, and had other unfavourable effects.
• Government agricultural development programs have been scaled down, and private company agents now dominate villages, replacing traditional agricultural extension agents.