Courting Arrest

Courting Arrest.
By Foodchoices

On Friday, July 10th, in Hyderabad, Greenpeace activists which included film-star Amala Akkineni, courted arrest at Patancheru Police Station in continuation of their protests against field trials of GM rice in the village of Chinna Kanjaria. Bayer Bio-Science which is conducting these trials had pressed charges against the activists who cordoned off the fields where the trials are being done and put up scarecrows and warning sayings “Bio-Hazard”. The charges are tresspassing, damage to property and criminal intimidation.
The activists are welcoming the arrest warrant in their names as they feel it is for a just cause, the right to safe food and the protection of the environment and bio-diversity.
Bayer has not taken permission from the village Panchayat for conducting the trials. In 2004 they had given an assurance to Greenpeace that GM rice trials had been discontinued in India. The rice crops have to be sprayed with a herbicide that has been proven to be toxic and is being phased out in Europe.
As consumers we need to take a strong stand against this and make sure that the government takes action against the contamination of our food and environment.

For more info:

<a href=”http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/24/stories/2009062454740800.htm”>

http://tinyurl.com/lbn8lt

http://www.greenpeace.org/india/stand-up-for-your-rice

Victory after a Nine year legal battle.

Victory after a Nine year legal battle.
By Foodchoices

Bio-watch, a small NGO from South Africa working on issues of bio-diversity , sustainable agriculture etc. has won a battle against the State and Monsanto in a case where the State refused to divulge information about the GM crops that were being cultivated in South Africa. While the Government lost the case, Biowatch was asked to repay the costs.
South Africa’s Constitutional Court to which Biowatch appealed after it was denied permission to appeal to the Supreme Court, has revoked this decision of the High Court on the costs order.
This is indeed encouraging news for all who are engaged in the cause of public interest and especially for those who are trying to fight the corrupt multi-nationals and the governments who are colluding with them.
More on this at
http://www.biowatch.org.za/main.asp?show=66

http://www.biowatch.org.za/docs/courtcase/briefing160209.pdf

Some Myths, Some Facts

Some Myths, Some Facts.

By Foodchoices.

It was a long time ago. Man and Nature lived in harmony with each other. Nature fulfilled Man’s needs and desires uncomplainingly. In this land which bordered the sea there was more water than land. Man desired for land that he could cultivate and from the depths of the water clay lumps surfaced to cling together and form land surfaces. Sometimes these little islands that dotted the water became water-logged .Man wished for the waters to recede. This too was granted and he now had fertile fields to plant on. Man soon became proud and greedy. He felt that Earth Mother should give him more conveniences. One day a farmer was returning home after a hard day’s work, hungry and thirsty. Passing a coconut tree on the way, he asked it to bend down so that he could quench his thirst with the cool, sweet water that was contained in it’s nut. The Coconut palm obligingly bent down; but the impatient farmer was rude enough to tell the palm that it should have cut open the nut before offering it to him. Legend says that from that day onwards the Coconut palm always stood ramrod straight and stopped bending.

Paddy was another crop that grew abundantly in that area. In those days of which we talk of, the rice grains had no husk covering them which made it so much easier.  Once a lady went to the paddy fields to gather rice for the day’s meal. She was perhaps in a hurry to finish her housework for when the plant gave her rice grains, she was not satisfied and admonished the plant for giving her raw grain instead of ready to eat cooked rice! Since then the rice grain has always had a husk covering it.

In the land where these myths arise from, Nature had given man another bounty. This was in the form of a special rice that could grow in these sea washed fields that were often flooded and had remains of salt in it.  This rice required no special feeding, poisonous chemicals were not required to get rid of pests nor were herbicides required to kill weeds. It grew naturally, organically. Another side to this bounty was that when the paddy was harvested , Prawn seedlings  flowed in along with the tide and thrived on the left over paddy stubble.  Man devised ways of keeping these Prawn seedlings in the fields during their growing period and of harvesting them when they were ready.

A beautiful , natural, harmonious way of life one would think.; but like the man and the lady in the myths, humans have an unfortunate trait  of wanting more and more and to over exploit resources that have been so generously given by nature.  As a result, this special method of cultivation called Pokkali is also facing many threats. Pollution of the waters due to ”development”, industrial and man-made effluence, diminishing prawn seedlings because of large scale fishing, shrinking Pokkali fields as demand for land goes up and disinterest in cultivation by the present generation. Availability of labour has  become a problem too. Yet another threat is the Rice Research Centre itself which has come up with a hybrid Pokkali variety, VLTA 6 which like most hybrids require fertilizers.

In spite of all this there seems to be a ray of hope. In November 2008, Pokkali came under the Geographical  Indication registration. With this GI status, the Pokkali as a brand  and  it’s area of origin will be protected . This along with organic certification should  help improve it’s marketability and assure better returns to the farmers provided efforts are made in the right direction. Just getting the GI status is no guarantee of better prospects. Efforts are also required to lessen the other threats looming large, the biggest of them being the fascination for Hybrid and Genetically Modified crops.

YORA: Year of Rice Action

YORA : Year of Rice Action 2009-2010.

By Foodchoices.

While NGO’s and many other concerned organizations in the rice growing belt of Asia are  joining hands to celebrate YORA, Year of Rice Action and to say no to GM Rice and the associated ills, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation instead of supporting causes like this which would help preserve the gene pool and diversity of Paddy in Asia and also help the small and marginal farmers, are  misguidedly funding GM Rice research in Kerala, India.

Kerala had declared itself a GM free state , a report of which was earlier posted on this blog. The Gates Foundation in collaboration with IRRI [ International Rice Research Institute] Manila and Kau [Kerala Agriculture University] is seeking permission from the state government to conduct research, according to a news report in the leading Malayalam newspaper, Mathrubhumi, on April 29^th, 2009. Will the state government be foolish enough to succumb?

A translation of the article can be found at this link:

http://save-our-rice.net/news/single/article/2/kerala-agric.html

What has the IRRI which has been around for about half a century achieved till now if it is still talking of food scarcity and hunger? Their major achievement seems to be introducing the Green Revolution which was more disastrous than good and helping agri-businesses to prosper. “Scuba Rice” makes a splash in India and Bangladesh” they proudly proclaim on their website. This is a variety of genetically modified / MAS rice which they claim can survive underwater for more than two weeks thus making it a boon for farmers in flood prone areas. If only they had spent a little more time and money on researching traditional varieties, some of which are said to be able to survive for even a month under water,we would not need expensive and hazardous GM rice.

An indigenous variety of rice used to be grown in Kerala, whose growth was regulated by the water level , thus protecting it from floods. If water levels rose it grew taller and it has even been known to reach a man’s height. This information was given me by a person from Kerala whose father used to grow this variety. His name for it was “ Karuka Kuttaadan” but this could vary from place to place.There are many such deep water rice varieties in India suited  to particular terrains that have been ignored in the rush for “New”, ‘Improved”, “More”.

In the year 2003, the “Save our Rice Campaign” was launched by PAN AP [ Pesticide Action Network Asia & the Pacific], to preserve the traditional rice varieties of the Asian countries and through this the rich culture of the people, which was closely linked to rice cultivation. The campaign is based on the foundation of “Five Pillars of Rice Wisdom” and works through network partners in other Asian countries. The Year of Rice Action [ YORA] is an offshoot of this.

If you’re Interested in learning more or wish to participate please go to these links:

http://www.panap.net/333.0.html

http://ricewisdom.org/

http://thanal.co.in

Obamas’ Organic Garden

The Obamas’ Organic Garden.

Why is Obama family going organic while the rest of their Nation and many other countries are being subjected to deadly toxins manufactured by the U.S. Bio-tech Companies?

Michelle Obama as a caring wife and mother no doubt wants her family to eat healthy. Will this concern also extend to her own country-people and the rest of the world?  A bit too much to ask? “Vasudaiva Kutumbakam” [the world is one family] is not a value that she or majority of her people may have grown up with and inculcated.

In a New York Times reports she says “A real delicious heirloom tomato is one of the sweetest things that you’ll ever eat, and my children know the difference. That’s how I’ve been able to get them to try different things. “  So nice. Looks like her husband is not too fond of the heirloom variety since he has included in his team men who are said to be strong supporters of the biotech industry. What message does this send out?

Before I go any further I would like to mention that I have no idea of American politics and never have been very interested. It is just that my recent explorations into the politics of food, it’s freedom, it’s safety, have opened up a real Pandora’s Box.

From the various articles, youtube videos etc I understand that former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, whom Obama has appointed as Secretary of Agriculture  [ USDA Chief] is a well known supporter of genetically modified crops.  During his Governorship of Iowa he is said to have given Monsanto two awards for environmental excellence. The bio-technology industry in this game of “you-scratch-my-back” named him “Governor of the Year”. He was also the founder of Governor’s Biotechnology Partnership.

Another disturbing piece of information I found is that Michael Taylor of Monsanto has been chosen to head the Food Safety Agency which is being set up.

Jeffrey Smith, founder of Institute for Responsible Technology, and who had worked at a GMO detection laboratory writes on this in detail in an article titled : “Obama’s Team includes dangerous Biotech Yes Men’.

http://tinyurl.com/65ecw2

The husband-wife duo is giving out mixed signals. One will have to wait and see who’s stronger. Will  Michelle Obama’s  “pillow-talk” skills be good enough to convince her husband that not just their family, but the rest of the world would also benefit from an organic, poison-free diet.

——–++++——–

More on this:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_16156.cfm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMWAzH9P728

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyw4MDVpwaw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hmoc4Qgcm4s

German Court rules against Monsanto Plea

Reuters UK  reports that the German Court has rejected Monsanto’s application to lift the ban on Monsanto Maize. The Court has said that under German laws it was not necessary to provide scientific proof that a new plant variety was dangerous in order to ban it.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/governmentFilingsNews/idUKL558166220090505?sp=true

Worth celebrating, but Monsanto is not likely to give up the fight.

Can we hope that the Governmant which comes to power in India next week will have the guts to follow Germany’s footsteps?

The Seed Growers: Sustainable Alternatives.

THE SEED GROWERS: Sustainable Alternatives

Nestling at the foot of the Western Ghats, in the only spot where the ranges part as if to allow the monsoon clouds to blow into neighbouring parched Tamil Nadu, lies the “Forest of Paala”* or Palakkad.

Also known as Palghat in English ,it is variously described as the Granary of Kerala or the Rice Bowl of Kerala. It is in this District, that 104 members from two villages have come together to form 18 Self Help Groups under the umbrella of VFPCK [Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council of Kerala] to grow and supply good quality vegetable seeds.

The seed growing and collection process is a specialized one. The local farmers who have the interest and aptitude are given training in the various aspects of seed production by VFPCK. The seeds they produce are open-pollinated ones, not hybrid and definitely not BT Seeds as thankfully Kerala is one of the states that has said NO to GM crops. Most of the farmers have around 5 acres of land or more out of which one to two acres are utilized for seed production and the rest for other crops. These are also generally family enterprises and most of the work force come from within the family itself with some additional outside labour. It is a lifestyle and not a purely business proposition. While it is not without risks, as all farming activities are, they are generally assured of a steady income from seeds as the prices for buy-back of good quality seeds are fixed by the VFPCK and do not fluctuate with market trends. In the year 2008, around 38 tons of seeds were sold.

The success of what started out as a collaborative project between the European Union and the Government of Kerala in 1993, led to the formation of the present  Company, VFPCK, with farmers playing a leading role in it. The original project was known as Kerala Horticultural Development Programme.  Apart from seed production, VFPCK through it’s branches in various districts of Kerala, also assists farmers in group marketing, credit, value addition, export assistance etc.

A successful, sustainable, participatory model that should be used by governments instead of giving in to the monopoly of International seed companies.

• The botanical name of Paala is Alstonia Scholaris

False Promises?

The latest issue of the online “Mother Earth News” [April29,2009] carries in it an article, “A Blow to GMO’s” which also speaks of Monsanto’s propaganda which I had written about in my last post. The article which is actually a news report from the Union of Concerned Scientists, talks of how the bio-tech industry has failed in it’s promise of increasing crop yields.

The article is here : http://tinyurl.com/cc6mxj

The advertisements can be viewed here :http://www.monsanto.com/responsibility/sustainable-ag/advertisements.asp

Monsanto: wooing the public.

Coinciding with the elections in many states ,Times Of India [ 23/04/09], carried a big advertisement , ¾ page , by none other than Monsanto. I don’t recall having seen Ad’s by Monsanto in the newspaper earlier, or maybe I just have’nt noticed. In the face of the mounting opposition to GM seeds this seems like an attempt to brainwash the public at large.
The carrot being dangled was water conservation. GM crops apparently do not require as much water as traditional ones. The Advt. states:

How can we squeeze more food from a RAINDROP?

Farming feeds the world, but it depends on vital natural resources. Just consider this: irrigation for agriculture consumes 2/3 of the world’s fresh water.
Experts have concluded that agricultural output will need to double by 2050 to feed a growing world. We’ll need to get more from each drop of irrigated water.
We also need to do more with the solution nature already provides: rain. The challenge for farmers is squeezing the most out of unpredictable rainfall. That requires putting the latest science based tools in farmers’ hands, including hybrid and bio-tech seeds. Our goal is to develop seeds that significantly increase crop yields and can help farmers use 1/3 less water per unit produced.
Producing more. Conserving more. Improving farmers’ lives. That’s sustainable agriculture. And that’s what Monsanto is all about.
Non irrigated agriculture produces 60% of the world’s food. It will need to do more.
Learn more at www.ProduceMoreConserveMore.com

———————

Who are these experts Monsanto quotes? Do we believe them. Whose opinion does a lay person go by? There are so many conflicting theories and reports doing the rounds.

“The famine/population fear is older than Malthus. Confucius thought the earth was full, 2500 years ago. Romans thought they had “worn out the earth.” St. Jerome said “the world is already full, and the population too large for the soil.” Tertullian wailed about “teeming populations of Carthage” with “numbers burdensome to the world.” He saw death from famine, war and disease as “the means of pruning the luxuriance of the human race.” In truth, Rome was rich when it was crowded, and a wasteland when it was empty.”

The above is from an article by Gary Alexander,who describes himself as a recovering “Apocaholic”. A hilarious account of all the doomsday proclamations made over the years. A must read. http://tinyurl.com/2tynml

I also read an interesting observation in Paul Waggoner’s study “Wants rather than Needs in 2050” [ part of a report : How much land can ten billion people spare for nature?] where he has quoted K.S.Parikh as saying that the projections of wants rising from income growth imply “Nations of obese gluttons”!”
http://www-formal.stanford.edu/jmc/nature/nature.html

This brings to mind Mahatma’s Gandhi’s famous quote: Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed”

Another interesting article is : Overpopulation-10 myths” Dr. Jacqueline R. Kasun at
http://www.envoymagazine.com/backissues/2.3/coverstory.html

Greenpeace : Germany bans Monsanto’s maize

Germany bans Monsanto’s maize
15 April 2009
http://tinyurl.com/cs3wmk

Brussels, Belgium — We’re thrilled with an historic victory against genetically engineered crops. Germany has just announced that it will become the sixth EU country to ban the cultivation of Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) maize MON810 – the only GE crop that can be commercially grown in the region.

The German Minister for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Ilse Aigner, said “I have come to the conclusion that there are legitimate grounds to accept that genetically modified corn from the MON810 strain constitutes a danger to the environment.”

MON810 is mostly cultivated in the EU for animal feed – and is now due for re-authorisation under EU rules after the expiry of its ten-year license. Besides Germany, five countries have already banned the planting of it: France, Greece, Austria, Hungary and most recently, Luxembourg.

Any government that seriously examines the risks associated with growing this maize can only reach one rational conclusion: it must be banned. Instead of trying to force countries to lift national bans on this crop, the European Commission needs to face the reality of scientific findings. We’re calling on Commissioner Dimas to stop the re-authorisation of Monsanto’s maize in the EU.
One step for Germany, one giant stride for mankind

The recent announcement from the German Agriculture Minister has resulted in our phones ringing off the hook. An EU ban on this maize is something we have been working towards for years and having the two strongest countries in the EU, France (as of last year) and now Germany, agreeing on ban has brought us a lot closer to our goal. This is a victory for the environment, for consumers and farmers who want to avoid GE crops as well as for independent science.

Scientific studies have demonstrated that the pesticide-producing MON810 maize, has negative effects on the environment and on biodiversity. The Minister based her decision on a safeguard clause in EU law which allows Member States to use the precautionary principle and prohibit gentically modified organisms (GMOs) in light of new evidence. Aigner’s decision sends a powerful message to bio-tech corporations like Monsanto against taking control of our global food chain.
Monsanto’s not the only threat

In another bid to control our food, Bayer, the German chemical giant is hoping to get EU approval for the import of their GE rice variety LL62. Most countries have shied away from allowing risky experimentation with rice – the world’s most important staple crop and at present, no GE rice is grown commercially anywhere in the world. Bayer has genetically manipulated rice to withstand higher doses of a toxic pesticide called glufosinate, which is considered to be so dangerous to humans and the environment that it will soon be banned from Europe.

In the coming weeks, the European Union will also decide whether or not this GE rice can enter EU countries, appear on supermarket shelves and end up on our dinner plates. If the European Union approves the import of Bayer GE rice, farmers in the US and elsewhere may soon start planting the manipulated crop. Keeping rice GE-free is not just about consumer choice or the environment – it’s a lot bigger than that. It’s a matter of global food security, human rights and survival.

We hope that governments around the world will follow the examples of countries like Germany and France and ban all risky GMOs.
Take Action

* Ask all governments around the world to protect consumers and farmers, their crops and fields by rejecting Bayer’s GE rice, and stopping GE rice field trials.

Support Us!

* Our vision of a GMO-free future is only as strong as the people who support us. Join Greenpeace today and add your voice to the movement that’s committed to defending our food and planet. Your support will make all the difference.




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