week 8 gmo
TRANSCRIPT
Research, development, and technology – 1940s-1970s
Increased agricultural production around the worldNew view for ag.- commercial sector than a
subsistence oneIndia Famine –plant breeding, irrigation,
agrochemicals…“Saving a billion people from starvation”
High-yielding varieties of cereal grainsExpansion of irrigation infrastructureModernization of management techniquesDistribution of hybrid seedsSynthetic fertilizers and pesticides
Semi-dwarf allowed countries like Mexico and India to be self-sufficient
Yields of rice and wheat doubled
Higher profits allowed farmers to expand
Instead of widespread famine, cereal and calorie availability per person increased by 30%
Wheat & rice cheaperRaised farmer’s incomeStimulated rural nonfarm
economy – less poor families
Better nutrition
Depletion of groundwaterIncreased monoculturesExcessive and inappropriate
use of fertilizers & pesticides
Increased income inequality and asset distribution
Owners of large farms were main adopters of new technologies (access to irrigation, fertilizers, seeds, and credit)
Small farmers unaffected or harmed – lower product prices, higher input prices…
Worsened absolute poverty?
Pre Revolution – Indian farmers grew diverse food crops
With new machinery, chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and hybrid seeds = now planted cash crops for export rather than local food consumption
Ex: Cotton – India opened its seed sector to international agribusiness (small farmers competing with giant cotton plantations and seed corporations)
What would have been the magnitude of hunger and poverty without the yield increases of the Green Revolution and with the same population growth?
How does this relate to what’s happening today with genetically modified foods? Green Revolution II?
Easing of world hunger?Development of crops that can be grown in marginal soil
Reduced strain on nonrenewable resources?
- Drought resistant crops- Salt-tolerant crops - Crops that make more efficient use of nitrogen and other nutrients
Reduced use of pesticides and herbicides?►Development of pest
resistant crops ►Reduced herbicide use
is better for the environment and reduces costs for farmers
Improved crop quality? Frost resistant crops Disease resistant crops Flood resistant crops
Improved nutritional quality?
Development of foods designed to meet specific nutritional goals
In 2002, Monsanto “came to the rescue” with higher-tech seeds than hybrid seeds from Green Revolution = GE Bt Cotton
“Miracle Seeds” would bring pest resistance and higher yields
Heavily marketed in India with film stars and religious deities
4-10 times more expensive than hybrid seeds
GE “terminators” – seeds had to be repurchased every season
Bt cotton required more pesticides spraying than indigenous cotton
Created new resistant pests – farmers were using 13 times more pesticides = more costs
Yields are low – Monsanto claims 1500kg per year but farmers were getting only 300-400 kg per year
Crop failures are common – farming no longer financially sustainable (can’t compete with cheap subsidized cotton)1994 – 1 lb of raw cotton = $1.102006 – 1 lb of raw cotton = $0.54
“GM Genocide” – In 2009 alone, 17,638 Indian farmers committed suicide
Vandana Shiva ‘s The Violence of the Green Revolution: the non-sustainability of chemical industrial agriculture and the unproductivity of chemical monocultures.
FrankenfoodsMonarch butterflyHoneybeesStarLink corn tacosGMO CanolaGMO SalmonGMO Wheat
Threatened by pollen in GMO maizeRapid rise of crops engineered
to withstand herbicidesMonarchs lay their eggs on
milkweed / caterpillars feed on milkweed
Milkweed thrives on edges of corn fieldsRoundup Ready – farmers used regularly
without worrying about impact on RR cropsMilkweed plunged 58%; Monarch egg
production decreased by 81%
Feb 2013 - 1500 colonies of honey bees disappear in Mexico
CCD – Colony Collapse Disorder Monoculture fields of GMO Bt corn inoculated with
pesticide called neonicoticoids (neurotoxins)Disrupts their ability to learn, remember, and find their
way back to the hiveCoat 142 million acres of corn, wheat, soy and cotton
seed and common ingredients in home gardening products
Contaminate the pollen and nectarMonocultures also fragment natural food supply 2006 - 30% of US bee population disappeared and
bees were imported; happening annually ever since
Bt – bacteria lives in the soil & naturally produces a toxin
Bt corn – pesticide in pollen2000 StarLink Bt corn designed
for stock feed Found in Taco Bell taco shellsNot approved for human
consumptionKraft recalled all taco shellsEx. of lack of control to monitor
modified corps entering food supply
Soybean and CanolaConcern that plants engineered to
withstand weed killers = super bugs & super weeds
Traditionally, farmers saved portionof seeds for next year’s crop
Growers using GE / RR crops must sign a contract agreeing not to save or reuse seeds
Court decisions have supported Monsanto’s right to prevent farmers from saving patented seeds
DNA genetically modified to produce growth hormonesfor its entire life
Grow at much faster rate thanwild salmon
FDA approved for human consumption in US
AquAdvantage – grow 2x rateFear – interbreeding with natural salmonClaims fish is sterile – only 95% actually sterileAvailable at grocery store by end of year
2013 – farmer sprays Roundup and finds green wheat stalks
Monsanto never asked for government approval to sell GMO wheat – growing it would violate the law
Tested positive as GMO wheat at Oregon StateIf rogue genes are present in America’s wheat
harvest – Japan, Korea, and other customerssay they won’t take it (millions of dollars)
Monsanto claims anti-biotechactivists stole the wheat and staged it as sabotage
Map indicating which states have pending GMO labeling bills or upcoming ballot initiatives. Credit: Right to Know.
Is supporting Organic standards the solution?
• USDA regulations allow food products that contain 95-100% certified organic ingredients
• Prohibit chemical fertilizers, synthetic substances, irradiation, sewer sludge or GMOs in production
• Prohibit antibiotic and synthetic hormone use in organic meat and poultry
• Require 100% organic feed for organic livestock
• Labeled “100% organic,” “organic,”or just “made with organic ingredients,” non-organic ingredients cannot be produced from GMOs
Is Education the Key?Is Education the Key?
DEBATE TIME!