These 2 case studies point to conditions that are not unusual among the world's 1.3 billion farmers...

In the 1950s, an African farmer produced 10 quintals of grain, kept 8 to feed his/her family, and had 2 left to sell on the market at $29 per quintal (current rates), leaving $57 to cover basic expenses.

Today, a quintal of grain is worth less than $14. A farmer who produces 10 quintals must sell 4 to earn the same he/she did in the 1950's or keep 10 to feed the family and not be able to cover basic expenses.

The Green Revolution allowed farmers in the Punjab to 'modernize'. 15 years ago, a farm required $30 worth of fertilizers per tonne of grain. Today, the effects of soil depletion and uncontrolled irrigation mean have increased the cost of fertilisers to $80 per tonne.

Meanwhile, market prices have dropped and food self-sufficiency has become impossible as harvests are sold for food, seeds, fertilizer and pesticides.