Crop destruction
Crop destruction is the deliberate destruction of crops or agricultural products to render it useless for consumption or processing. It can be made by burning, grinding, dumping into water, or application of chemicals. It should not be confused with crop residue burning, which burns non-edible parts of the crop.
Related to crop destruction is alternate, low-price use of agricultural products. A large portion of the European Union wine surplus has been converted to industrial ethanol.
There can be numerous reasons for crop destruction. In a scorched-earth strategy, crops and other useful materials are destroyed to prevent the enemy from gaining hold of them. The strategy of destroying the food supply of the civilian population in an area of conflict has been banned under Article 54 of Protocol I of the 1977 Geneva Conventions,[1] though it continues to be used as a weapon of war.[2][3][4]
In government-regulated agriculture, farmers can be required to destroy crops that exceed their production quota. Crops can also be dumped in the street during a public protest; this custom has been common in the European Union. Also, illegal crops, such as opium and cannabis, can be destroyed by law enforcement.
Note that this term does not apply to the burning of crops which are or can be usefully harvested by this means, such as sugar cane.
In culture
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The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck dramatizes the irony of destruction of oranges, potatoes, pig carcasses and other agricultural products during the Great Depression juxtaposed with widespread hunger.[5] This crop destruction was implemented by the Agricultural Adjustment Act as an economic measure to benefit farmers, and was harshly criticized,[5][6] although the book does not mention the cause.
See also
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- War on Drugs § Aerial herbicide application
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I), 8 June 1977". ihl-databases.icrc.org. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Haddad, Mohammed. "How Israel destroyed Gaza's ability to feed itself". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Tabrizy, Nilo; Piper, Imogen; Berger, Miriam (2024-05-03). "Israel's offensive is destroying Gaza's ability to grow its own food". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Chen, Bin; Tu, Ying; An, Jiafu; Wu, Shengbiao; Lin, Chen; Gong, Peng (2024-06-18). "Quantification of losses in agriculture production in eastern Ukraine due to the Russia-Ukraine war". Communications Earth & Environment. 5 (1): 1–10. doi:10.1038/s43247-024-01488-3. ISSN 2662-4435.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Haynes, Suyin (2020-05-28). "'The Saddest, Bitterest Thing of All.' From the Great Depression to Today, a Long History of Food Destruction in the Face of Hunger". Time. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lotterman, Edward (1996-12-01). "Farm Bills and Farmers: The effects of subsidies over time". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
