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Wednesday, November 3, 2010
A farmer’s dilemma -by Low Shu Wei Should or should they not clear the forest using the traditional slash-and-burn technique? Should these farmers be blamed for clearing the forest using the traditional way? In my blog this week I shall address to these two major problems that causes the haze in Singapore. We often see reports of the haze issue in the nearby Indonesia. These reports usually states who should be blamed, most likely it’s the farmers in most cases. But in all of these reports, you only see those who are at fault but no way to tackle it. Why is there no way to tackle it then? From the farmer’s perspective, the slash-and-burn technique is the most cost effective way to cultivate crops. First, the nutrients from the ash of the cleared forest will remain and be used to cultivate crops. Secondly, it does not require any extra cost. If farmers were to cut the trees down and bring it to other place for disposal, it would be costly and their land will be infertile. If I were a farmer, I would not want to incur any cost as I am already earning so low. Even if I really want to be eco-friendly and transport the trees for disposal, I would harm the productivity of the crops due to insufficient nutrients in the soil. We have to bear in mind that we are living in a resource scare world. These farmers produce food for us instead of harming us. I think that they should not be blamed. |
