Agricultural sustainability doesn't depend on agritechnology. To believe it does is to put the emphasis on the wrong bit of 'agriculture.' What sustainability depends on isn't agri- so much as culture.
Raj PatelRead
A fertilizer bomb that kills hundreds in Oklahoma. Fuel-laden civil jets that kill 4000 in New York. A sanctions policy that kills one and a half million in Iraq. A trade policy that immiserates continents. You can make a bomb out of anything. The ones on paper hurt the most.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the destructive potential of policies and systems that may not seem violent but cause significant harm.
Raj Patel's quote reflects on the various forms of violence and harm in the modern world, emphasizing that while physical bombs are destructive, the policies and decisions made by people can also lead to massive suffering and death. He points out that the systemic failures and harsh realities resulting from political and economic decisions often have more profound and far-reaching consequences than conventional acts of violence.
Themes
ViolencePolicyHarmSufferingSystemicInjustice
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the impacts of economic sanctions, one could quote Patel to emphasize the unseen consequences of such policies.
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