Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Battle for Biodiversity

Monsanto has engineered yet another soybean.  This one will be resistant to a particular pesticide, that they manufacture.  I hope the organic tofu I buy really is organic!  What I'm learning as I read more about GMOs and from what I know about plant reproduction is that organic farmers are having a harder time producing truly organic crops. With so many GM crops out there, I can't believe the general public doesn't know more about it, probably because they are found in processed foods, and go undetected. 
La Via Campesina is a farmers' movement of 150 organizations from 70 countries that seeks to protect Biodiversity through seed saving and sharing, something farmers have been doing since we began cultivating crops.  In some cases members of this movement break international patent laws to continue this tradition.  The idea of patenting life is an odd concept for me to wrap my head around.  A mere 10 companies control nearly 3/4 of all seed sales globally.  Further, unlike original claims by the manufacturers, these crops are not solving our global food shortages.  For instance 3 countries (the United States, Brazil, and Argentina) grow 77% of all genetically modified crops, nearly all destined for livestock, not the world's hungry.
The two camps are on different sides of an ongoing debate.  If you are interested in learning more check out the original article.   Link to article.  You should also consider reading "Stolen Harvest" by Vandana Shiva, a physicist and environmental activist.  I had the opportunity to hear her speak when I was an undergraduate at Michigan State University. Shiva has dedicated her life to preserving global food cultures and food security.

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