re about the consequences of bad farming practices, and the role of greed and/or increased production levels. Outright greed drives the wealthy landowners in Latin America to force land conversions from sustainable, small operations to large cash crop operations. (223). This results in pushing smaller farmers to more erodible land where erosion rates are thus increased. Production levels and conservation of soil are called "diverging imperatives" according to Wilken. (226). This means that the high levels of production required by an increasing population cause more strain on soil and may eventually result in the loss of huge areas of farmland because soil erosion and degradation are so high. Finally, Wilken notes that in areas where there have been bad practices (The former Soviet Union e.g.), recovery may take years, even decades. There are consequences to farming actions taken in the past. Therefore, sustainability will require the correction of past practices, research to determine the complex interactions involved in modern agriculture, and less demand on the land currently being farmed. Wilken's point is no different from that of other critics of traditional farming in the united States; namely, that farm practices will have to change somewhat radically in order for there to be a sustainable future. This means that in the future, grain producers and exporters in the US at the cooperative level, will have to consider new market levels which make sense for the land and for future productivity. In the end analysis, this is the single most important grain export issue....
