Slash-and-burn agriculture is a common practice in underdeveloped countries. In this system, small plots of forest land are partially cleared, the cut vegetation is burned, and crops are planted in the ashes. Weeds are a significant problem when land availability is so scarce. Fertilizers used to maximize crops also maximize weed growth and thus reduce crop size. Herbicides used to control these weeds are often obtained from developed nations in which they have been banned because of possible water and soil pollution problems or adverse health effects. This paper will deal with a hypothetical situation and look at the technical, economic, environmental, and legal issues relating to sales of such herbicides to an Afrian country.
Subsistence farmers in some African countries have traditionally practiced the slash-and-burn farming technique and the plots are used for one to three years and then left fallow. The primary food crops are rice and maize, with some cassava as a security crop, and vegetables that can be sold in local markets. The crops are usually grown in polyculture. Crops which require the highest nitrogen levels are grown first, then crops with lesser requirements. Once the land is depleted of its nutrients, the area is abandoned.
Concerns over deforestation are prompting the governments of some African countries to subsidize farmers for purchase of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides so that permanent farms can be established. In some cases, the fertilizers are provided free. However, after about two years of permanent farming, weeds which respond favorably to fertilizers invade the plots and cause severe crop losses. Women and children carry out about 80 percent of the farming in the hypothetical situation here, and they are much less likely than men to receive training on indigenous weed control practices that the government extension service periodically offers. Since the farmers are not fami...