ABSTRACT
The decoupling gave rise to extensive academic and political literature, and even to the emergence of the so-called “green economy” that believed it was possible to maintain economic growth thanks to the decreasing consumption of materials. Indeed, economic growth experimented by developed countries is maintained thanks to appropriation and consumption of low-cost natural resources from less-developed countries, and the consequent deterioration of their standards of living and environmental quality conditions. The effects of natural resource depletion and the worsening of the environment that make economic activity possible go beyond the health of ecosystems. Economic policies aimed at lowering food prices in order to lower wages and promote economic growth in other sectors of activity are responsible for the downward trend of prices received by farmers. The vicious circle of increasing pesticide use and increasing resistance brings about mounting costs for farmers, as well as further environmental damage.
