More Liana Posted January 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 And...as if all of that isn't already enough...I understand that the Monsanto-developed GMO corn requires Monsanto pesticides to stay healthy. Tio, thank you for your well-researched and well-written posts that back up what I and others here have tried to point out. Those of you who are interested in this topic might want to read here for some additional background: http://mexicocooks.typepad.com/mexico_cooks/2010/07/sin-ma%C3%ADz-no-hay-pa%C3%ADs-without-corn-there-is-no-country.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrunner Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 BTW, there is an Occupy Monsanto movement going on, both at Monsanto physical locations and on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/occupymonsanto Need not be on FB to read this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobyjug Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 Hmm, if the folks in the Sudan have to choose between starvation or GM food, I guess is they do not look at the label...the bigger sin is using corn to make Ethnol and feeding corn to cows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimfos Posted January 26, 2012 Report Share Posted January 26, 2012 I was in the seed genetics business and got out when GMOs started to take over. No control over my research innovations because of contamination. Don't get me started on Ethanol! Brazil became energy independent (before discovering huge reserves of oil offshore) using Ethanol produced from sugar cane. Ten times the yield vs. corn. US had to slap a BIG tariff on imported ethanol to allow stupid domestic production which helps corn farmers (Iowa farm lobby) but has raised costs for all using corn as input, ie. cattle, poultry, hogs, breakfast cereal, etc. Yeah, Brazil defaulted on international debt back a few years and wasn't even involved in foreign wars. It was able to eliminate its foreign debt by cutting out cost of importing oil. Now it is a leading producer of GMO soy beans and corn. For EXPORT! Perhaps some lessons to be learned from them. Convinced me to learn Portugues and to get ready for my next stop after my stay lakeside. Sorry to get a little off topic. Tudo bem! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canamex Posted January 26, 2012 Report Share Posted January 26, 2012 I recently watched "The World According to Monsanto", a France/Canada production, and think it was in that film where they said in the 1950s there were some 50 varieties of potatoes and I don't know how many tomato varieties, and we are now reduced to 10 and 5 - I may have the exact numbers wrong, but it was a tremendous reduction in choices. The contamination of wheat and corn is already tragic. It's easy to be deluded into thinking more people are being fed - it's not true, as farmers around the world are sunk by debt and crop failures after using Monsanto seed - either buying it or being sued for having accidental pollination. As to reduced varieties, history has always shown monocultures to fail with tragic consequences for the population that depends on it. What can we do? Try to eat food that is grown locally and by people who are anti GMO. Organic and small-scale farming in Mexico is in it infancy, but to the extent that it's possible, the Tuesday market at the Laguna Centre has these as its objectives. Most or all of the vegetables are organic, the sprouts are certified organic and seeds imported from Canada and Europe, the organizers have weeded out the sneaks, do checkups, and overall are trying to make available healthy food. Yes, the breads may not be made with organic flour (barely available in Mexico and terribly expensive, it has to be imported), but the fresh stuff is organic. Also make your own food, and don't eat the processed packaged stuff where most GMO products end up. Hybridization was always the way to develop plants that are adapted to a particular environment - with more or less rain or heat or a shorter or longer growing season, and without harm to other organisms; implanting a foreign protein into a plant to make it impervious, not only to insects, but to chemicals like Roundup, or implanting extra genes in wheat to make it mature at a lower height but foreign to human digestion is a completely different story, and people should be concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimfos Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 Sorry to keep spamming the blog but this issue is very personal with me. I have never posted so many replies on one topic. At the risk of going off topic again........I know of only one local "organic" producer. He is no longer at tianguis but is continuing with "organic" production. "Organic" certification means big $ spent for a third party certifier that comes around to check all soils, inputs, etc. Europe and North America are going with "Naturally Produced" moniker to bypass legal term of "organic." Many local producers fall under "Naturally Produced" category. Small producers that really tend to their crops can't afford "organic" certification. But they produce with great care and appreciation for inputs. Check them out and honor their dedication to growing the best, most healthy crops possible. Buy local and enjoy the benefits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canamex Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 My intention is not to spam either, but to inform. The last poster is right - technically naturally produced. There is a body in Mexico trying to get organized for certification, but it isn't there yet. The Mexican gov't people who at present do certification like their perks and have greasy palms - so I don't think their certification is worth much. However, the sprouts in the market are grown from certified imported organic seeds which is important; they're not treated with chemicals or fertilizers, nor is the rest of the process. The heirloom tomatoes are not grown with chemicals, nor are the rest of the vegetables. Getting certification is not the be all and the end all - there are differences in standards in Canada, Europe and the US anyway. So what these people offer is technically organic, just what you'd grow in your own pesticide-free garden, certainly local and the best bet to avoid Monsanto-type commercial GMO production. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Liana Posted January 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 The 'like' function on this web board isn't working. But tio, lemme tell you, I definitely LIKE your posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobyjug Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 I guess some folks will always have trouble healthwise with anything that is or is not organic...but since the majority of the world population seems to to be growing, living longer and better, I assume GMC is here to stay..if you want to kill something, start with Coca Cola Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Liana Posted January 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 Tobyjug, I don't care if what I eat is organic or not. What I care about is that Monsanto and its ilk do not take over the world. Genetically modified foods are not good for the earth or its inhabitants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the walkers Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 Hmm, if the folks in the Sudan have to choose between starvation or GM food, I guess is they do not look at the label...the bigger sin is using corn to make Ethnol and feeding corn to cows in india the people were denied the use of their normal seeds and forced to buy monsanto's. there have been over 100,000 suicides by farmers in india due to crop failures from using their seeds. not only must the farmer buy the seeds from monsanto,but they must buy the roundup from them also. and the crop requires more water too, all leading to a social and economic disaster. certainly it is hard to make an informed decision when you are starving,but how many would eat it if they knew that it would cause sterility in their children? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrunner Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 Some folks are having trouble grasping the enormity of this issue or the implications it represents. Think BIGGER, Tobyjug, think GLOBAL. The Walkers, that's a very very disturbing story you related, 100,000 farmers! Not saying it's not true, but can you site some link or article? The safety and viability of the WORLD'S food supply is being threatened!!! Or, read the Huffington Post: The Unholy Alliance: Monsanto, Dupont & Obama Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedros Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 in india the people were denied the use of their normal seeds and forced to buy monsanto's. there have been over 100,000 suicides by farmers in india due to crop failures from using their seeds. not only must the farmer buy the seeds from monsanto,but they must buy the roundup from them also. and the crop requires more water too, all leading to a social and economic disaster. certainly it is hard to make an informed decision when you are starving,but how many would eat it if they knew that it would cause sterility in their children? I watched a show on India the other night that went into detail about the suicide of many famers. There was certainly no connection between the suicides and the use of Monsanto products. The suicides led from overpopulation with the result that farmers have smaller and smaller farms so that they can't produce enough to support their families. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the walkers Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 the info is out there for all to see, just google monsanto india suicides and read for your self. the number is now above 200,000 and growing. india has always had a problem with the division of land,but this is a whole other thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Liana Posted January 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 Have a look at this: http://www.rense.com/general91/dehe.htm. Then sign this, please: http://fdn.actionkit...8i68&source=taf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carib Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 SuzieSunshine, Here is what you said, in part: GMO simply allows for less work to be done and get a higher yield. I would point out that that is the objective, so that farmers can grow more grain, with less effort, to keep prices low so that people all over the planet have ample food at affordable prices. Do you know that Monsanto and others are sole owners of the GMO seeds. Once you buy the seeds from them, you have to do it every year. Every season you have to buy new ones. He who controls the food and water controls the world. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 If Monsanto and "others" own them then there's no "sole owner." Why would you have to buy from them every year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the walkers Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 If Monsanto and "others" own them then there's no "sole owner." Why would you have to buy from them every year? you have to buy the GMO seeds every year because they cannot reproduce, that function has been removed. and they have bought up competing seed companies and make it against the law to save your own seeds and buy up all the seed harvesting machines to insure that you don't. monsanto is the "sole owner" because the supreme court has ruled that corporations are people too..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrunner Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 Again, read the links. Watch the docus. And, it certainly is true. Hundreds of thousands of Indians (Monsanto chose to begin their experiment in India) have committed suicide due to crop failure and the inability of those farmers to feed their families. More and more people are beginning to understand the ramifications of this situation by doing their research. There has been great effort to keep this quiet. There are organized protests against Monsanto happening now globally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espíritu del lago Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 in india the people were denied the use of their normal seeds and forced to buy monsanto's. there have been over 100,000 suicides by farmers in india due to crop failures from using their seeds. not only must the farmer buy the seeds from monsanto,but they must buy the roundup from them also. and the crop requires more water too, all leading to a social and economic disaster. certainly it is hard to make an informed decision when you are starving,but how many would eat it if they knew that it would cause sterility in their children? Could you please provide a source for this info... Thanks in advance, Espiritu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrunner Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 Read the links, Espiritu, watch the docu links! They're all provided for you in this thread. It's all there! And more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimfos Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 For a little insight into legalities see Plant Variety Protection Act of 1970 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Plant variety protection) The Plant Variety Protection Act of 1970 (PVPA), 7 U.S.C. §§ 2321-2582, is an intellectual property statute in the United States. The PVPA gives breeders up to 25 years of exclusive control over new, distinct, uniform, and stable sexually reproduced or tuber propagated plant varieties. A major expression of plant breeders' rights in the United States, the PVPA grants protection similar to that available through patents, but these legal schemes differ in critical respects. The PVPA should not be confused with plant patents, which are limited to asexually reproduced plants (not including tuber propagated plants). I will discuss more later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrunner Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 Thanks for your posts, Tio. Appreciate your time. This today from Occupy Monsanto: Occupy Monsanto ' Monsanto currently controls the genetics of nearly 90 percent of 5 major commodity crops including corn, soybeans, cotton, canola and sugar beets. Many farmers who do not use Monsanto seeds have had to stop growing their own crops in order to avoid genetic contamination from those used in fields nearby. According to OSGATA, Monsanto has “created an atmosphere of fear in rural America and driven dozens of farmers into bankruptcy.” ' And. . . Occupy Monsanto If Haiti of all places refuses GMO seeds, what does it say about us for allowing them on our soil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimfos Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 Must admit I'm more than a little humbled. With my last post I indicated I'd be back with more info. Was planning on doing an overview of hybridization and how cross-pollination impacts seed production. Admiting to myself that I should read some of links posted, I did so. PVPA of 1970 had just been enacted when I was in the bis. Farmers could still keep and even sell their own seed. I stayed in until early 1980s. Could still keep/sell own seed but GMOs were just taking hold. Big companies (not only Monsanto) were buying up ma/pa seed companies to gain marketshare. No, I didn't sell out to them but chose another path. Til mid-90s producer could still keep his own seed but not sell it. Pure open- pollinated crops started getting swept away. Monsanto, Ciba Geigy, et al came out with aggressive products, marketing and legal 'persuation.' I was glad to be observing from afar and got out of touch with farmers. I am appalled at how far the legal pendulum has swung even though I personally experienced the contamination of my research. Best I got out when I did or I would probably be hiding out in Brazil so I couldn't be extradited for 'dealing' with the competition. My hat is off to the Percy Schmeisers who have stood up and protested. Buy local and know producers. P.S. Speaking of India....anyone remember the Bhopal Disaster of late 1984? An insecticide producer partly owned by Union Carbide (bought by Dow) had an 'accident' that killed some thousands. At least GMOs don't require the same toxic chemicals to produce crops. Be thankful for the small stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaykay Posted February 6, 2012 Report Share Posted February 6, 2012 Cities started when man learned to grow food instead of killing it exclusively Ever since, man has been modifying crops. Native Mexican corn, the original stuff, doesn't taste very good Have a bite of the original tomato. You can still buy them here. I've eaten the original potatoes in Peru. About the size of walnuts. Some years back, a genetically modified wheat saved a hugh number of people in India. Do the big boys hurt the small farmer? Absolutely. Always have. Still, you can't get the Genie back in the bottle. GMO is here to stay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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