Mariarosa Dalla Costa – So that Fish May Flop in Vegetable Gardens Biodiversity and health in movements for peasant-based agriculture and artisan fishing.
1. Trees and shrubs, earthworms and dung-beetles
Analysing the essential points articulated in the debate for a different management of agriculture and fishing requires dealing immediately with the crucial instance for the defence of biodiversity. In fact, it is an incontrovertible and continually documented datum, and several exemplifications will be given, that the industrial management of agriculture and fishing reduces biodiversity, thus its defence and restoration, where possible, are central to organizing another type of agriculture and another type of fishing. One could say for peasant-based agriculture and for artisan fishing, keeping in mind that the latter refers to a reality in Southern countries that does not correspond to what is meant by artisan fishing in countries such as Italy.1 Therefore, to illustrate the issues, we will refer fundamentally to the experiences in “developing countries”, while still aware of the inadequacy and the ambiguity that such an expression always connotes. Rather, with regard to peasant-based agriculture, we can refer to both these countries and countries such as Italy.
Linked with the loss of biodiversity is the loss of health.
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