[p2p-research] controversy: GM foods and organic agriculture

[Michel Bauwens]

I am very distrustful of genetic foods, not because it's inherently evil,
but because I do not trust for-profit companies to have our best interest at
heart, and in a Monsanto-dominated world, it will be used to destroy not
just the farmers, but our health.

But what if GM foods can be combined with organic agriculture, and divorced
from dangerous private interests, does it become acceptable then?

Here is a position on the issue:

(the whole article, by Pamela Ronald , is at
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/03/16/the_new_organic/
)

"To meet the appetites of the world's population without drastically hurting
the environment requires a visionary new approach: combining genetic
engineering and organic farming.

This idea is anathema to many people, especially the advocates who have
helped build organic farming into a major industry in richer countries. As
reflected by statements on their websites, it is clear that most organic
farming trade organizations are deeply, viscerally opposed to genetically
engineered crops and seeds. Virtually all endorse the National Organic
Standards Board's recommendation that genetic engineering be prohibited in
organic production.

But ultimately, this resistance hurts farmers, consumers, and the planet.
Without the use of genetically engineered seed, the beneficial effects of
organic farming - a thoughtful, ecologically minded approach to growing food
- will likely remain small.

Despite tremendous growth in the last 15 years, organic farms still produce
just a tiny fraction of our food; they account for less than 3 percent of
all US agriculture and even less worldwide. In contrast, in the same period,
the use of genetically engineered crops has increased to the point where
they represent 50 to 90 percent of the acreage where they are available."

-- 
Working at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhurakij_Pundit_University -
http://www.dpu.ac.th/dpuic/info/Research.html -
http://www.asianforesightinstitute.org/index.php/eng/The-AFI

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Monitor updates at http://del.icio.us/mbauwens

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