Realizing the potential of the Carbohydrate Economy depends, however, on many other changes. As with other aspects of green economic developmentlike solar energy and green taxationsome of its advocates reify its importance. But the Carbohydrate Economy is, by itself, no panacea. Without a fundamental redesign of the economys basic structure and values, it can even present a barrier to sustainability. Here are a few important considerations: Without a transformation of agriculture, industrial use of agricultural materials can simply intensify the mining of the soil, the destruction of both environment and rural communities, and actually reinforce oil-based development. Agriculture today is one of the most destructive and polluting of all industries. It depends on heavy capital investment and petrochemical inputs in the form of pesticides and fertilizers. It is also based on oil in the form of long-distance transport, with the average molecule of food travelling 2000 miles before being consumed. A healthy Carbohydrate Economy would increase the diversity and reduce the size of the typical farm; facilitate organic methods and the regionalization of agriculture; and make the most of agricultural waste. But large agribusiness interests like Cargill and Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) are promoting the appropriation of food lands for industrial crop monoculture utilizing conventional capitalintensive methods. Internationally, the pharmaceutical industry is a major player in the intensive exploitation of plant matter, especially in the South. In some cases it is working through international institutions like the World Bank and large ENGOs (like the WWF)