The Farmer’s Daughter: The tragedies of the past must inspire our future (republished for St Patrick’s Day)

2024-03-17 07:18:13

The Farmer’s Daughter: The tragedies of the past must inspire our future (republished for St Patrick’s Day)

Amanda Zaluckyj, AGDAILY*

(Source)

Bad harvest. Food shortage. Famine.

For most Americans, these words have some meaning, but especially in a historical context. Thanks to the abundance of food supplies, we know little regarding the reality of such events and consider them to only occur in other parts of the world. Even in 2012, when many farmers suffered from drought, most consumers probably didn’t notice it other than having to water their lawns more often. They were even able to see negligible price increases at the grocery store.

But for much of human history, the reality of crop failure, scarcity, and famine has been at the forefront, and many important historical events that have shaped world politics and governments have resulted from food shortages.

Of course, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated today [le 17 mars]this is the ideal opportunity to look back on one of these bad harvests that changed the course of history: the great potato famine.

Life in Ireland in the mid-1800s can only be described as difficult, especially for the largely illiterate masses who were trying to survive by living off the land. Land was generally owned by wealthy British aristocrats, who generally lived away from their estates at Court. Their lands were divided into regions and managed by middlemen, who divided them further and rented plots to Irish families. At the time, the average family farm was just 4 hectares.

These struggling Irish families turned to the potato for their staple diet because it is rich in protein, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin and vitamin C. In fact, it is possible to subsist on potatoes alone, which was probably the case for many of these poor families. While the potato seems synonymous with Ireland today, it actually originated in South America and probably found its way to Europe in the late 16th century. Tradition has it that it was introduced to Ireland around 1585 by Sir Walter Raleigh. But Irish farmers discovered that it grew well in the Irish climate, produced more per acre than other crops, and helped (largely) feed their families.

That’s when things happened. In September 1845, Irish farmers noticed that their potato plants were mysteriously beginning to dry out and die. When the potatoes were dug out of the ground, they looked fairly edible, but they wilted and became inedible within a few days. What we know today as Phytophthora infestans, a fungus, was the cause of late blight that spread across the country. Of course, crop failures had occurred before P. infestans arrived, but this time it was different. It performed all over the country and continued year following year.

The scenes were devastating. The description of a magistrate who saw starving families describes the horror:

“I entered some of the hovels and the scenes that took place there were such that no tongue or pen can give the slightest idea. In the first, six starving and ghastly skeletons, apparently dead, were huddled in a corner on dirty straw, their only covering appearing to be a tattered horse blanket, their miserable legs dangling, bare above the knees. I approached in horror and discovered, through a faint moan, that they were alive – they had fever, four children, a woman and what had been a man. It is impossible to go into details. Suffice it to say that within minutes I was surrounded by at least 200 ghosts, frightening specters that no words can describe, [souffrant] either from starvation or fever. Their demonic screams still ring in my ears and their horrible images are fixed in my brain. »

Overall, the scourge lasted six years. More than a million men, women and children died of hunger and disease. Another million Irish people emigrated to other countries, with few or no other options available to them.

Remarkably, in 2013, scientists were able to determine exactly which strain of P. infestans had been responsible for the crop failures. Contrary to popular belief, DNA samples extracted from preserved botanical specimens revealed that it was a previously unknown strain, HERB-1, which had been at the origin of all the destruction. It is thought to have originated in Mexico in the early 19th century and eventually reached Europe in the 1840s. Thanks to better plant breeding techniques, HERB-1 resistant potatoes were selected, which led to the extinction of the strain.

Although it seems unimaginable to us, such things still happen in our world today. Potato late blight still exists, and potato growers use crop protection tools to combat it. In fact, Simplot’s Innate potato has been genetically modified to resist late blight. Imagine telling those Irish families facing disease, starvation and death that we can give them potatoes that will not wither or rot, even if they come into contact with the ruinous disease their crops. Sure, they might not understand exactly what we mean by our scientific explanations, but I’m sure they would prefer technology to hearing their children scream at night from hunger.

Even today, there are people who suffer from food insecurity, farmers who struggle to protect their crops from pests, and children who suffer from diseases. We have the tools, science and technology to solve these problems, but we must have the opportunity to do so. Unfortunately, while these issues seem so far from our tables, people tend to buy into messages that denigrate and hinder our ability to find solutions.

The naysayers need to get out of the way for these solutions to have a chance of working.

For a very good source of information and reading regarding the Irish Famine, please see The History Place.

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*Amanda Zaluckyj blogs under the name The Farmer’s Daughter USA. Its goal is to promote farmers and combat the misinformation swirling around the American food industry.

Source : Farmer’s Daughter: Tragedies of past should inform our future | AGDAILY

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