New Documentary on Dangers of Industrial GM food

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Permalink Reply by Meditating on April 14, 2009 at 9:44pm

Yes, it is indeed scary and out people are brain-dead on this subject.

I have started growing my own food last year. This year I decided to add strawberries. It is very difficult to find organic strawberry crowns. I had to resort to sources that were not organic but definitely wanted to avoid GMO. I called a nursery that advertises on the internet and ended up speaking with the owner. I asked if any of their plants were GMO and was told they were not but then she began to tell me that all GMO plants occur naturally and there would be no reason for concern in dealing with GMOs. I very politely tried to explain to this woman that GMO is not the same as a hybrid and why. She told me I was misinformed and when I responded to her retort she became dismissive as if I were mentally retarded and she was tired of dealing with me. She told me that I needed to educate myself on the topic.

Needless to say I did not buy any of her products, but this points to a bigger problem. I had a discussion with someone I know last year whose uncle works for Monsanto as an "engineer." I was explaining to her the problems with GMO foods and she told me that they were the same as hybrids. She knew nothing about Round Up Ready foods and understood both from her master gardening classes and her uncle that they were lab created hybrids, nothing more than a quicker version of the hybrids that have been around for centuries. I gave her about a 5 minutes talk on the matter and, since she knows I try to be well-informed on a subject I claim to be well-informed on, she left in a huff saying she would call her uncle.

GMO producers are actively involved in a disinformation campaign to make people believe that GMO foods and hybrids are the same thing and they should not be "alarmed" when the encounter ill-informed people such as myself. Given that the average American doesn't even care to think and has a short attention span, this is an amazingly effective campaign because if is convenient for those who can't think through an issue.

Both a state-certified master gardener (she had to pass a test on vegetable gardening for her certification) and someone who runs a vegetable/fruit nursery don't understand what a GMO product is. That is really alarming.

The only place I heard mention that the mass suicides of India's farmers resulted from GMO crops was NPR. I only heard it mentioned in passing elsewhere but never a peep on the connection to GMO. I was appalled to hear of the huge influx of GMO into India. I always imagined them as a people with more respect for the land and their bodies.

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Permalink Reply by John on April 15, 2009 at 5:01pm

Read up on Vandana Shiva. YouTube.com her.

Also:
One of the things we can all do is to create our own seed bank, gathering seeds of edible plants from the wild, and also seeds from edible plants grown in other regions, and saving them.

I've been collecting culinary plant seeds, and also sending them to people who collect seeds and/or who grow unusual edible plants. "Unusual" nowadays can include seeded grapes, seeded watermelon, seeded oranges, etc.

California Rare Fruit Growers, http://www.CRFG.org

Native Seeds: http://www.NativeSeeds.org

North American Native Plant Society, http://www.NANPS.org

Rare Seeds, http://www.RareSeeds.com

Save Our Seed: http://www.SavingOurSeed.org

Seed Alliance, http://www.SeedAlliance.org

Seed Savers Exchange: http://www.SeedSavers.org

Synergy Seeds, http://www.synergyseeds.com

Victory Seeds, http://www.VictorySeeds.com

http://sunfoodtraveler.com/genetically-engineered-food.html

Read and learn about farmer Percy Schmeiser, who has been sued by Monsanto. Access his Web site: http://www.PercySchmeiser.com.

“We are facing the ultimate takeover bully – genetic engineering on the cellular level and corporate control on the global scale – and, of course, there is a relationship. Corporate control of the genetic material of the planet by buying up the planet’s seed supply and patenting everything they can patent has a major impact on the basic security of every person who eats. After all, having access to seeds and food is the foundation of security.”
– Deborah Koons Garcia, director of the documentaries The Future of Food and In Good Heart: Soil and the Mystery of Fertility

Ban Terminator Seeds: http://www.BanTerminator.org

http://www.Bioneers.org

EarthSave: http://www.EarthSave.org

The Food Revolution: http://www.FoodRevolution.org

The Future of Food: http://www.TheFutureOfFood.com

Monsanto Watch: http://www.MonsantoWatch.org

Seeds of Deception: http://www.SeedsOfDeception.com

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Permalink Reply by Meditating on April 16, 2009 at 6:17pm

1,500 farmers commit mass suicide in India

The Belfast Telegraph
Wednesday, 15 April 2009

Over 1,500 farmers in an Indian state committed suicide after being driven to debt by crop failure, it was reported today.

The agricultural state of Chattisgarh was hit by falling water levels.

"The water level has gone down below 250 feet here. It used to be at 40 feet a few years ago," Shatrughan Sahu, a villager in one of the districts, told Down To Earth magazine

"Most of the farmers here are indebted and only God can save the ones who do not have a bore well."

Mr Sahu lives in a district that recorded 206 farmer suicides last year. Police records for the district add that many deaths occur due to debt and economic distress.

In another village nearby, Beturam Sahu, who owned two acres of land was among those who committed suicide. His crop is yet to be harvested, but his son Lakhnu left to take up a job as a manual labourer.

His family must repay a debt of £400 and the crop this year is poor.

"The crop is so bad this year that we will not even be able to save any seeds," said Lakhnu's friend Santosh. "There were no rains at all."

"That's why Lakhnu left even before harvesting the crop. There is nothing left to harvest in his land this time. He is worried how he will repay these loans."

Bharatendu Prakash, from the Organic Farming Association of India, told the Press Association: "Farmers' suicides are increasing due to a vicious circle created by money lenders. They lure farmers to take money but when the crops fail, they are left with no option other than death."

Mr Prakash added that the government ought to take up the cause of the poor farmers just as they fight for a strong economy.

"Development should be for all. The government blames us for being against development. Forest area is depleting and dams are constructed without proper planning.

All this contributes to dipping water levels. Farmers should be taken into consideration when planning policies," he said.


Guess who the money lenders are why they don't have seed to begin anew next year.

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