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Genetically Modified Crops Are Not the Answer
The Senate is considering a bill that would overhaul the way Americans deliver foreign aid. With more people going hungry than ever before, the bill's attention to global hunger could not come at a better time. The Global Food Security Act would streamline the aid process and focus on long-term agricultural development. But something has gone awry inside the bill. A closer look reveals that its otherwise commendable focus may be seriously undermined by a new clause lobbied for by one of America's largest seed and chemical companies.
This bill includes a mandate that we spend foreign aid dollars developing genetically modified (GM) crops. No other kind of agricultural technology is mentioned. Unsurprisingly, Monsanto has lobbied more frequently on this bill than any other entity.
The trouble with a mandate for GM crops is this: it won't work. A recent report by the Union of Concerned Scientists demonstrates that GM crops don't increase crop yields. USAID has already spent millions of taxpayer dollars developing GM crops over the past two decades, without a single success story to show for it, and plenty of failures. A recent, highly touted partnership between USAID and Monsanto to develop a virus-resistant sweet potato in Kenya failed to deliver anything useful for farmers. After 14 years and $6 million, local varieties vastly outperformed their genetically modified cousins in field trials. Another 10-year USAID project for GM eggplant in India recently met with such outcry -- from scientists and Indian farmers alike -- that the government put a moratorium on its release. Growing insect resistance to genetically modified cotton and corn shows that the technology is already failing farmers and will continue to fail over the long term. Sadly, today's GM obsession shows every indication of duplicating the first ill-fated "Green Revolution" that trapped millions of farmers on a pesticide treadmill while devastating the functioning of the ecosystems on which we depend.Fortunately, we have alternatives. Improved farming practices, conventional breeding and agro-ecological techniques deliver far better results, without the risks and high input costs that accompany GM seeds. A 2008 study by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development found that "organic agriculture can be more conducive to food security in Africa than most conventional production systems, and ... is more likely to be sustainable in the long term." Even the chief agricultural scientist of Punjab -- a home of the Green Revolution -- argues that Indian farmers should farm organically.
Meanwhile, the World Bank and UN agencies have completed the most comprehensive analysis of world agriculture to date: the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD). This four-year study -- by more than 400 scientists and development experts from 80 countries and approved by 58 governments -- found that reliance on resource-extractive industrial agriculture is risky and unsustainable, particularly in the face of worsening climate, energy and water crises. It noted that expensive, quick fixes -- including GM crops -- fail to address the complex challenges that farmers face, and often exacerbate already bad conditions. Instead, the IAASTD highlighted the need to build more resilience into our food systems by increasing investments in agro-ecological sciences, small-scale biodiverse farming methods and farmer-led participatory breeding programs.
The success of ecological agriculture rests not only in its immediate outcomes of better and more reliable performance, but also in its ability to address the underlying cause of hunger: poverty. Congress could learn from the thousands of Kenyan farmers who have obtained bumper crops and higher household income through the ecological pest management system known as "push-pull." By planting a variety of grasses in and around their cornfields, these farmers have suppressed insect pest and weed populations, reduced input costs, doubled or tripled their corn harvest, increased forage for livestock, supplied their families and local markets, paid off debts and set aside money to pay for school, medicines and other needs. No amount of gene-splicing (or lobbying or advertising) by Monsanto has ever accomplished this much for an African family.
Ultimately, tackling global hunger and poverty requires more than a focus on production technologies. The bigger, more fundamental challenge today is about restoring fairness and democratic control over our food systems. This requires strengthening local food economies, increasing small-scale farmers' control of seed and land, and -- importantly -- breaking up corporate monopolies in agriculture and establishing fairer regional and global trade arrangements.
If Congress is serious about addressing world hunger, they should take their lead from the most comprehensive science and from farmers on the ground -- not from Monsanto lobbyists.- Posted in
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38 Comments so far
Show All"By planting a variety of grasses in and around their cornfields, these farmers have suppressed insect pest and weed populations..." As a farmer, I don't get how this could cut down on weed populations. Most grasses compete very strongly with corn for moisture and nutrients. Years ago, when it was often difficult to control grasses, our yields suffered a great deal.
Perhaps you need to learn more about companion planting, since GMO is finally being shown as the dangerous flop that it is. I didn't have to look far with Google to find out about "smother" crops used against weeds in corn and soybean plantings.
You GOOGLED info on farming? hahahahaha What an expert you are!!
You have no clue what you are talking about. I am always amazed at the clueless leftists who dare lecture farmers about agriculture. (I own a farm as well)
And I'm always amazed at the food fascists who prefer to deny the harmful and dangerous sides of biotech farming in order to justify profits, which isn't even necessary. Organic farmers are making profits too. After all, our species evolved for hundreds of thousands of years before pesticides and Roundup were invented to poison our planet and pollute our air, water, and soil, kill off the bees and give people cancer.
Cman2, At the risk of getting banned from CD, Shut the Fu#% up and get off of this site. If you want to spew your verbal and chemical poison, do it on a more conducive venue like perhaps, the Rush Limbaugh show. Your divisive ignorance will be indistinguishable from that acid tongued asshole. Owning a farm has obviously taught you no respect for the very thing that keeps your body and loud mouthed behavior in tact. THE EARTH!! you cannot exist without the planets support, so why do you insist on putting poison into the very thing that keeps you alive. that was a rhetorical question. no need to attempt a truculent retort.
Good Gosh, I spent years cutting weeds in soybeans fields as a kid. I don't want to go back to that. Perhaps some of you leftists should put your time and money where your mouths are and go farm your utopia yourselves. Go ahead. Go. What part of this don't you understand?
"...you leftists". Oh brother. When it comes to every argument about preserving earth's biodiversity, your ilk hangs labels.
With that in mind: you food fascists should know by now that organic farming is a fast growing art and science. Even if I grow food in my garden, I'm not a farmer, but organic market crop farmers are using companion planting and biological controls to successfully produce food that fetches a higher price than your frankenfoods that require biotech companies' endless efforts to suppress information in order to stay in the market.
Hilarious. CD is full of labels a lot stronger than "you leftists."
Grow up.
A real farmer would be a lot more courteous than you. You sound more like a heehaw clown working for some agri giant like Cargill or Monsanto than a real farmer. No wonder the corporate giants were able to wipe out the small farmers and put in GM plants like you disguised as "farmers" ! LMAO !
Monsanto is EVIL incarnate. The only way to stop this company is to refuse to buy anything that is even remotely connected to them. You can not legislate these monsters out of business. You can not win a judgement big enough to subdue their lust for world domination. You can not convince them through logic. You can not appeal to their compassion. Nothing but the outright refusal to purchase anything that is related to their company will suffice.
sirios333 sez: "Nothing but the outright refusal to purchase anything that is related to their company will suffice."
***
At this point, that might require not eating at all. Monsanto's tentacles are many and long.
And good luck trying to purchase from "organic" farms. Monsanto's frankenseeds often carry into neighboring fields, at which point it can sue the other farmer - and win - for patent violation.
Come on, that's just the attitude they love. We have to be willing to take a stand without fear of reprisal. Monsanto operates on fear and intimidation, show some backbone. For example- The RGBH hormone used to treat cows has all but been defeated here in calif. How? By people simply not buying milk that contains it.
"Monsanto operates on fear and intimidation"
That's not all. Monsanto also operates on public ignorance in addition to fear and intimidation. My neighbors and I were at first not as successful in convincing others to try our locally grown fruits and vegetables. Most would shut the door in the past and say "We'll just get it at Walmart". Some of them have come around though after finding out about poor food safety maintenance. I think there needs to be a combination of boycotting the big bads and buycotting the small goods en masse.
"By planting a variety of grasses in and around their cornfields, these farmers have suppressed insect pest and weed populations, reduced input costs, doubled or tripled their corn harvest"
Are you kidding me? planting grasses around corn will reduce weeds and perhaps triple corn harvest? I can't wait to show this article to corn farmers. We need a good laugh once in a while.
Rather than lecture farmers (I am one), you leftists should put your money where your mouths are and go show us all HOW to farm. No one is stopping you. Go ahead and start. What part of this don't you understand?
I am waiting for a good laugh when you try planting grasses in and around your fields expecting to triple yields compared to the conventional neighbor farm.
I'll pay money to watch this. really. I'll pay money to watch. It will be cheaper than a comedy club.
Oh I get it. With GM crops, you can be a lazy ass and not care for the crops because according to Big Agri, "those crops will take care of themselves as a result of being genetically modified". All you hooligans care about is profits with no regards to what your reckless practices are doing against the environment, economy, and people's health. We may not produce a huge amount going non-GMO non-pesticide but with team work, we can produce high quality produce our neighbors and ourselves can enjoy and not have to worry about contamination while you're probably worried that someone will sue your behind for food poisoning. I may not be a farmer but even as a gardener(one of my hobbies), I can tell from your reckless and snarky posts that you're a paid Big Agri plant probably sitting in a trailer park waiting for your next corporate welfare check. Keep your money or better yet, give it to the poor in your neighborhood.
Actually in many instances organic farming has been shown to produce higher yields than chemical methods, and in almost all instances, gmo has never produced higher yields. Higher crop yields from genetically modified seed is a myth that Monsanto and other biotech companies continue to put out there, in spite of research to the contrary.
Go to www.organicconsumers.org and just put "yield" in the search engine. You'll get a lot of results but many of them are articles on crop yield research.
Thanks Bliss for the link and I will check it out. More than how much, my serious concern is the quality of the yield. As an example, 5 of us in the neighborhood take great care in growing 50 grapefruits and we don't care about the profits but we do care to look out for the crops daily for a few minutes every day. A GM farmer on the other hand could care less what happens and I have run into corporate clowns similar to Greg R and cman2 who proudly boast about getting their government subsidies even if they don't deliver for it. I don't believe in stealing taxpayer dollars like that and I like to help myself and each other eat healthy as much as possible even though gardening is just one of my favorite hobbies. If people could only team up and go organic would we put those GM crooks out of business once and for all.
I enjoyed your comments, cman2, however I am a "leftist." While it's extremely difficult to imagine grasses cutting down on weed problems, I can imagine at least the possibility of grasses intercepting (attracting) some insect pests. So some beneficial aspects are possible, I would guess. As you are apparently quite aware, when it comes to corporations and food, the average "leftist" has no sense of humor, and also, at times, seems to lack the ability for critical thinking involved with this "core" belief that says that any 'hocus-pocus' involvement with food is a big no-no. Some think simple hybridization is a scandalous debasement. Others think if a corporation is involved, then it's junk. Others merely worry about gm and/or 2 parts per billion of pesticide. But look, fellow leftists, Mother Nature herself will sooner or later come and getcha. In Oregon some trees are releasing a fungus into the air that, when breathed by humans, sickens some, and so far kills more than 20%. Have a nice day and try to worry about the important stuff.
"when it comes to corporations and food, the average "leftist" has no sense of humor"
Oh and we're supposed to be laughing while everything is falling apart under our noses ?!?!? Like health care, like food.
"Mother Nature herself will sooner or later come and getcha. In Oregon some trees are releasing a fungus into the air that, when breathed by humans, sickens some, and so far kills more than 20%."
I hope Mother Nature SMASHES your destructive GM poisoning fields and puts you frauds in the poor house or better yet in JAIL where you belong !
"Have a nice day and try to worry about the important stuff."
Oh even some of us truly practical liberals are already doing that while you're quacking in your boots. My niece was correct about your callous behavior ! Keep campaigning for Obama and his flailing party but they already lost me as one of their reliable stupid voters. You know nothing about leftists so stop using the word.
50 years ago, Big Agri lied to the public about the benefits of factory farming over small farms and look what happened. Fossil fuels and water get sucked up, people grow more obese, environmental damage from factory farming, employee abuse, animal cruelty, tainted foods, etc... is all factory farming had to show us and they lied and brainwashed the public into believing that this would feed enough people when all it has done is make more people hungry all in the name of driving up the profits for the corporate farm pigs. The sooner peak oil kicks in, the sooner these unsustainable factory farming practices will come to a crashing halt.
P.S.: I see we have a couple of paid shills for big agri, cman2 and Greg R, who can't stop arguing for gm crops. cman2 shows his hate for small local farmers and has in the past scorned the idea of teamwork farming. You corporate shenanigans don't fool anyone !
I'm sorry you get so angry. I hope your gardening hobby calms your spirit. There is some truth to many of the things you mention, but "factory farming," as you call it, does not have to lead to your list of horrors. For instance, many employees and animals are treated well. I doubt if "tainted food" is anymore of a problem now than it has ever been: eg poisonings from funguses such as ergot on wheat. I believe you are right in thinking peak oil will bring some major changes.
I don't lobby nor do I intend to because I am not some greedy pig acting like a reckless corporate joyrider putting people's health and lives, the economy of Main Street, and the environment in serious jeopardy. I know every bloody thing about factory farming and the truth is coming out even if the cornfed electorate, and my niece was right to use the word "cornfed", doesn't get it. Shame shame shame on you for being a shameless spokesman for those blood factory "farms" !
I take issue. We both lobby for our opinions. When you say you know every bloody thing about factory farming I know you are placing your anger ahead of logic. No one knows every bloody thing about anything. Anyone who thinks they know it all, is a fool. I don't necessarily think you are a fool, only that you overstated your argument because of your anger. You remind me a bit of some of the tea party types (Sorry if that makes you angry.) I hope you at least chuckle over some of this sometimes. It's good for you, as are those good organic veges. Honest.
Excuse me but I have justified anger straight from the facts and witnessing about factory "farming" and it matches the logic perfectly. Unlike Europe where there are more small farms to try to balance out the agri-businesses from what I heard, it's all farming for profit and small farmers are put under the knife with all sorts of gag rules placed against them which the corporate shenanigans don't have to face. It's bad enough we ended up with a regressive scam that passed as health care "reform" and now we have another faith based scam this time on crops. Who needs to laugh when this nation is already a laughing stock? If you want to know why a lot of small farmers in KS, MS, AR, rural IL and IA are joining the tea party rallies out of despair and madness, look no further than the agri-business favoring policies that put them not only out of business but also forced them to give up farming altogether for refusing to work for the corporate giants !
Stanley, GR's mind probably has been poisoned by using too many herbicides, pesticides and fungicides. It's pointless to reason with him.
I don't know if it is just that or his prioritizing money over being a dedicated farmer at heart that makes him think like that. I know he has some concerns and worries and he has been open about it. In this dog-eat-dog society, folks like Greg R are unfortunately the norm and it can be very difficult or just impossible altogether to reason with them but I don't mind debating even such diehards and letting others out there read and judge for themselves. They might learn something and that is why we have forums like these. I also get to know how to counter what people like him say and think likewise in the real world. We Americans get poisoned by all those chemicals but some of us break out of it and most are not lucky but I put confidence in myself of trying even if I am not always successful.
...nicely stated.
Stanley, i lived in germany for ten years and i can tell you first hand that GMO's are not popular there. the local small farmers are very careful how they treat the soil and many are outright hostile toward GMO"s. the people especially are against it. The introduction of GMO's in europe was literal blackmail by the American chemical industry. they had to accept a small percentage or be punished with trade embargos. This infuriated the french and germans, who have nothing good to say about the likes of monsanto. the europeans are light years ahead of us when it comes to boycotts.
Sirios, my niece noticed the same thing in her earlier trip to Europe. She has been to both France and Germany. Even in Eastern Europe, GMO is not as easy a sell compared to the US from what I hear. Those MNC shenanigans may try to infiltrate other countries around the world with their scams but that's why a lot of us want to stay here and fight those MNCs at their homeland source. To take it from a conservative playbook, we'll fight them here so they don't fight them there. Some people may bang the door and choose to get their junk food from Walmart but we won't give up convincing more people in my community to give truly local produce a try.
P.S.: I like your very thoughtful posts here and on Alternet. My niece, JenniferBedingfield who I believe you met, told me a lot about you and I thank you for being one of those patient ones out there to help her overcome part of her depression with the current political stupidity in this country. She came back late last month and brought over her relatives from Europe who I got to also meet. I must say that even the somewhat conservative Europeans at least speak with intelligence and make even the most liberal of Americans conservative in pale comparison. Take care.
no genetic modifuckation!
There is much value in genetically engineering organisms (generally called GMOs) since worthwhile changes can be produced much quicker than traditional breeding methods.
Unfortunately in the agricultural field the technology has been captured by a few multinational corporations that seek to dominate world food production and enslave their farmer clients.
Now where have I heard that kind of story before?
"Unfortunately in the agricultural field the technology has been captured by a few multinational corporations that seek to dominate world food production and enslave their farmer clients."
Also unfortunate is that many of these enslaved farmers are proud to be that and be the MNCs' PR defenders. They are not real farmers but mere human robots following corporate orders to fatten up the CEOs' wallets.
A little knowlwdge always helps. Here are summaries from some recommended reading materials:
The First Decade of Genetically Engineered Crops in the United States, Jorge Fernandez-Cornejo and Margriet Caswell, USDA Economic Research Service, Economic Information Bulletin Number 11, April 2006.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/EIB11/
This report focuses on GE crops and their adoption in the United States over the past 10 years. It examines the three major stakeholders of agricultural biotechnology and finds that (1) the pace of R&D activity by producers of GE seed (the seed firms and technology providers) has been rapid, (2) farmers have adopted some GE varieties widely and at a rapid rate and benefited from such adoption, and (3) the level of consumer concerns about foods that contain GE ingredients varies by country, with European consumers being most concerned.
Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm Sustainability in the United States, National Academy of Sciences, April 2010
http://dels.nas.edu/Report/Impact-Genetically-Engineered-Crops/12804
Studies show that GE crops can be effective at reducing pest problems with economic and environmental benefits to farmers, but genetic engineering could potentially be used in more crops, in novel ways beyond herbicide and insect resistance, and for a greater diversity of purposes -- for example, GE crops could help address food insecurity through the development of plants with improved nutritional qualities or resilience to a changing climate. Understanding the impacts of genetically engineered crops is vital to ensuring that crop-management practices and future research and development efforts realize the full potential of genetic engineering for commercial as well as public goods purposes, while maintaining the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of U.S. farms.
Purpose of this world is to reach the ultimate conclusion of darkness, a pretense of good, such as the above, used to hide an intent to be enriched upon our misery.
There's a documentary called something like: ... "One man, one cow, and one planet saves the world." The story how Peter Proctor the top bio-dynamic educator in New Zealand, who made 25 trips to India to teach BD methods has now, at age eighty moved permanently to India to help the millions and millions of small farmers disengage from the killing practices of GM foods and establish true Garden of Eden farming. Literally Thousands of indian farmers have committed suicide because of the false hope in indebtedness of GM farming. I now this to be true because I have been going to India every year for the last 30 years and these stories appear regularly in the newspapers. Often the farmer will commit suicide by drinking the last of his herbicides in this pathetic tale of modern day horror.
This documentary is so inspiring I can't begin to describe it. Mr. Proctor is treated as a modern day agriculture messiah in India even though he is loving a humble servant of man and nature.
P.S. Yes, some of the pro GM people here on CD appear so regularly and with such speed that they do seem to be on the take. Oh, well what else is new in the coporatetocray?
I, for one, comment quite regularly on gm and hybridization issues. My take on Monsanto is that they are a reasonably responsible company whose number one goal is to make money, not unusual. I certainly do not agree with all their practices and I'm glad there is a strong push back against some of their business. No one should take anything for granted and knowledge is power. As it happens, for myself and most American farmers, gm has been an insurance policy against lower yields, weeds, and pests. It is the opposite of the Indian experience. I don't know, but would guess that many Indians believed the overly hyped wonders of ag advertising, much like the wonders of junk derivatives sold by Wall Street in this nation. Something like, "Plant these marvelous Jack-and-the-beanstalk seeds and your worries are over. Just sign everything you own over to us as a token of your appreciation for our gift to you." Have you ever met a truly amazing salesman and found it surprisingly difficult to hang on to your money?
I have noticed that there are a LOT of Bt soybeans being grown. I wish I could get some Bt green beans for my home garden. I can never keep those nasty bean beetles off them. Does anyone know when such crops will be available for home use?