This is war.
No, we do not mean that in a metaphorical sense. Looking at the determination, the hierarchies, the team spirit and the testosterone level, it makes sense to view the men of monoculture as soldier in a modern military. They had abundant resources and few inhibitions to use them, they dreamed of dominance and victory, and they commanded tools with an unprecedented capacity to destroy. In the twentieth century, being a soldier was about managing complex technological systems in a hostile environment. So how much of a difference remains between the men who made war and the men who made food?
A tractor on display at the 2023 Agritechnica in Hanover, the world’s leading trade fair for agricultural machinery. Heavy machinery is often equipped with continuous track to reduce ground pressure.© Frank Uekötter