I, II, III and IV
Ecological movements arise from a confluence of factors:
Identity Politics (I): Many ecological movements are intrinsically linked to identity politics. For instance, Indigenous communities frequently spearhead environmental advocacy due to direct threats to their subsistence and cultural identity from deforestation, mining, or dam construction. Their claims to resources and right to self-governance are paramount to these movements.
Resource Exploitation (II): A core tenet of ecological movements is opposition to excessive natural resource exploitation. This exploitation, fueled by industrialization, consumerism, and historical colonial practices, is identified as the primary driver of environmental damage. Movements strive to curb resource extraction, encourage sustainable methods, and contest economic models that prioritize profit over ecological well-being.
Cultural Anxieties (III): Concerns regarding the erosion of traditional lifestyles, the disruption of natural cycles, and the desecration of sacred sites frequently motivate ecological movements. These anxieties can be spiritual, aesthetic, or pragmatic, encompassing worries about food security, water availability, or the welfare of future generations.
Social Inequality (IV): Environmental challenges disproportionately impact disadvantaged groups, intensifying pre-existing social disparities. Ecological movements often address environmental justice, emphasizing how pollution, resource scarcity, and climate change affect the impoverished and vulnerable most severely. This focus on social inequality connects environmental issues to broader campaigns for social and economic fairness.
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 :
(a) How is agriculture becoming more commercialised?
Differentiate between social change and social movement.
Sometimes societies can experience a ‘negative growth rate'. What is ‘negative growth rate'? Name two countries that have experienced it.