Digitalization and corporate power in agriculture
Discussion tour and study presentation with Pat Mooney, laureate of the Alternative Nobel Prize
Smart farming, drones, remote-controlled tractors, the use of climate and weather information with Big Data technologies, or the application of a synthetic biology: is digitalization the new panacea for stopping hunger crises and biodiversity loss, for limiting climate change?
New technologies promise increased efficiency and sustainability in food production. The massive gathering and analysis of aggregated data in farming, cultivation and consumption is in the core of this new phenomena. Agribusiness companies such as Bayer and Deere, but also Internet companies such as Amazon and Google are already on their way to reach dominance over the digitization of agriculture. Ongoing merger processes enable them to further consolidate power not only in one sector, but across multiple sections of the agricultural supply chain. Political decision-makers in Germany and elsewhere support their efforts, emphasizing the benefits of digitization and by removing investment barriers.
A critical examination has been insufficient so far: Who are the key players in the digitalzation business and what are their goals? What does digitalization explicitly mean for small-scale producers and workers in agriculture and the food industry worldwide? To what extent and with which political measures can digitalzation be used for the conversion towards a socially and ecologically just agriculture?
Berlin
When: Tuesday, 9th October 2018, 6.30pm to 8.30pm and reception
Where: Münzenbergsaaal of Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung, Franz-Mehring-Platz 1, 10243 Berlin
With: Pat Mooney (ETC Group and laureate of the Alternative Nobel Prize), Geraldine de Bastion (Konnektiv), Franza Drechsel (GLOCON) and Jan Urhahn (INKOTA-netzwerk)
Hamburg in cooperation with Agrar Koordination
When: Wednesday, 10th October 2018, 6.30pm to 8.30pm
Where: Rudolph Steiner Haus, Mittelweg 11-12, 20148 Hamburg
With: Pat Mooney, Jan Urhahn (INKOTA-netzwerk) and Ursula Gröhn-Wittern (Agrar Koordination)
Cologne in cooperation with Arbeitsgemeinschaft bäuerliche Landwirtschaft (AbL NRW) and FIAN Germany
When: Thursday, 11th October 2018, 6.30pm to 8.30pm
Where: Karl Rahner Akademie, Jabachstraße 4-8, 50676 Köln
With: Pat Mooney, Dr. Gregor Kaiser (Arbeitsgemeinschaft bäuerliche Landwirtschaft Northrhine Westphalia), Jan Urhahn (INKOTA-netzwerk) and Philipp Mimkes (FIAN Germany)
The events will be held in English and German and will be simultaneously translated.
The event series is organized by INKOTA-netzwerk, GLOCON and the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung in cooperation with the Arbeitsgemeinschaft bäuerliche Landwirtschaft (AbL) Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein, as well as the Agrar Koordination and FIAN Germany.
If you have any questions, please contact Jan Urhahn of INKOTA (urhahn@inkota.de).
