Thursday, October 29, 2009
Question of public debate on GM foods.
Many times I am asked by individuals, corporate heads "Why have we not called Mahyco for an public debate"? It appears to me that it is only us who are questioned, crying ourselves hoarse to awaken the public, when in reality, i suggest try reaching out to GM proponents who hide behind the shields of falsified claims by using 11 PR agencies to broadcast their manipulative findings without being confronted! Now, they never bother to invite us on any of their forums? The truth is - The GM proponents refuse to participate in any public debate.
Despite invites from director Ajay Kanchan and noted film maker Mahesh Bhatt on the making of the potent 28min documentary film, the GM proponents refused to comment nor appear, you can see it in the disclaimer for yourself.
Here again, Devinder Sharma has openly challenged them to a public debate, and to give the public informed choices, we await their acknowledgment. Recently, 24th Oct a one hour live programme on DD News "For and Against GM foods" had all my visitors and me captive.
Amidst a proactive audience, a articulate hostess who navigated the debate between a interactive panel comprising of Devinder Sharma from Forum of Food Security and Biotechnology, Suman Sahai from Gene Campaign, Mr Sompal ex Agriculture Minister against GM foods whose probing questions and their own findings stirred and ignited an uproar. Versus for GM foods was Dr Bansal, Principal scientist at the IARI New Delhi, along with another scientist (sorry whose name i cannot recall) from the Centre for Life Science at JNU who nervously kept referring, clutching to sheets of printed paper to share the manipulated evidence. The outcome clearly relayed evidence that the GM proponents have much to answer for, given the safety data by their own concerned scientific fraternity is cleverly overlooked and brushed under the carpet for reasons known.
We welcome such healthy debates which is in public interest and encourage TV channels, media to carry out more of these.
In solidarity
Sangita Sharma
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Mr Raju Barwale, let us have a public debate on Bt brinjal
Devinder Sharma
Oct 30th 2009
It is probably late to comment on the press statement issued by Raju Barwale, Managing Director of the Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company (Mahyco), the developers of the Bt brinjal. Pardon me, since I do not read the propaganda sites of either Mahyco or Monsanto (and the tribe) I had missed this. Someone had very kindly sent it to me a few days back, and I couldn't resist the temptation to comment on it.
This media statement, pasted below, is dated Oct 14, the day the environment clearance came. Interestingly, Raju Barwale, in the press release says that " Mahyco is awaiting the decision of the GEAC for environment-release of the insect resistant Bt cotton." Well, Mr Barwale, you didn't have to wait for long. The GEAC had the same day rubber stamped the report that many believe was written by one of your consultants in Hyderabad. You certainly couldn't have expected anything better from a committee which is known to be notoriously anti-environment and anti-people.
The report of the EC-II is a sham. It is a scientific scandal.
You say that 25 biosafety tests were rigorously conducted. If that is true, I don't know why Dr Pushpa Bhargava, the Supreme Court's nominee, is still not convinced about the biosafety testing. Do you think that he does not know his science? And what about the scandalous manner in which the EC-II had simply brushed aside the objections raised by independent scientists, NGOs and others?
Do you think we don't know our science? Do you think the nation does not have the capability to question the veracity of the so called scientific claims that your company has made? If GEAC is comprising of stupid people and is stuffed with scientists who are known in scientific circles as " son-in-law " of the Department of Biotechnology (since most of them receive funding for their research project), it does not mean that we have to accept their flawed analysis.
I am throwing a challenge to you, Mr Raju Barwale. Come, let us have a public debate on the veracity of your scientific claims. You and me, anywhere that you desire. Let us publicly debate, and let the nation then decide.
Meanwhile, pasted below the press release (from mahyco's website) for those who missed seeing it:
Bt Brinjal - Media Statement
Mahyco is awaiting the decision of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) for environmental release of insect-resistant Bt brinjal. We look forward to a positive decision because it will help millions of our brinjal farmers who have been suffering from the havoc caused by the Brinjal Fruit and Shoot Borer (BFSB). Bt brinjal will help them tackle this pest in an environment-friendly manner and increase yields and farm income.
Insect-resistant Bt brinjal has been in development for nine years. It has been tested in full compliance with the guidelines and directives of the regulatory authorities to ensure its safety. It is the most rigorously tested vegetable with 25 environmental biosafety studies supervised by independent and government agencies. It has the same nutritional value and is compositionally identical to non Bt brinjal, except for the additional Bt protein which is specific in its action against the BFSB.
We believe in the soundness of the scientific basis of the regulatory system and the various studies and field trials carried out by various national research institutions, agricultural universities, etc., and in the future of this technology. Mahyco respects the decision of the GEAC and will provide any clarifications asked for. We are confident that we will be able to satisfy the GEAC about the safety of this technology for the environment and consumers, its usefulness to increase yields and farm income for brinjal farmers, and its beneficial impact on the environment and farm labour.
Raju Barwale
Managing Director
14th October, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Brief analysis of Expert Committee - II report submitted to GEAC
Monday, October 19, 2009
Bt brinjal -- India's first poisonous food crop by Devinder Sharma
I am not the least surprised. Knowing that the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) is merely a rubber stamp for the biotech industry, the environmental approval to India's first genetically modified food crop -- Bt brinjal -- is no surprise. You couldn't have expected anything better from a bunch of stupid bureaucrats and scientists/officials masquerading as regulators. I am sure Michael Moore, if he had followed the ways of GEAC, would have already penned down a sequel to his The Stupid White Men.
India's Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh therefore has a monumental task on his hands. He has to appreciate the role of the GEAC (which falls under his ministry) even knowing they have done a shoddy job, and at the same time seek the help of the public at large before taking the final decision pertaining to the commercial release of India's first poisonous food crop. Not a simple task, and I know the tight-rope walking Jairam Ramesh will have to do in the days to come.
His task becomes more difficult when one learns that within days of the GEAC giving its nod, the seed company seeking the approval -- Mahyco -- had already made a presentation to the Prime Minister Office. And let us not forget, Jairam Ramesh's senior colleague and the sugar baron, the Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar is already known to have thrown his weight (and we all know how heavy he is ) behind GM crops.
In fact, I sympathise with the chairman of the Expert Committee-II (called EC-II), Dr Arjula R Reddy, who is also the vice-chancellor of the Yogi Yemana University in Hyderabad, to have worked under such difficult conditions. If I were in his place I would have tendered my resignation rather than stamp a report which is clearly the handiwork of USAID and Mahyco. Knowing the incompetence of the members of the EC-II (and I tried to talk to several of their colleagues before saying this) I doubt if they could ever write such a clean copy. Ask them to write two pages, and you will get to known what I mean.
About USAID, the little said the better. I have always referred to it as: US Artificial Insemination Department. And if you have ever been to Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh city, you will understand what I mean.
Nevertheless, coming back to the report of the EC-II, it is a complete sham. There is no other word to describe it. I wonder how could the so-called scientists on the panel be so stupid. I can understand the vested interest of the Cornell University scientists, but how come our own breed of scientists be so idiotic? Isn't it a reflection on the kind of people who dominate the corridors of scientific research in the country? This of course holds true for the advisors in the Department of Biotechnology, but I always thought that at least some scientists working in the ICAR and ICMR system would still be engaged in good science. Perhaps that category of scientists has already been marginalised.
This itself is a dangerous trend, too threatening for the future generations. It wouldn't therefore be unfair to say that Indian science is literally in a pit. Only Bindeshwar Pathak of Sulabh Sauchalaya can pull it out.
Now let us look at some of the conclusions arrived at by the EC-II. On page 2 of the report entitled: Report of the Expert Committee (EC-II) on Bt brinjal EE-1 developed by: M/S Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company Ltd. (Mahyco), Mumbai; University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Dharwad; and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore (this report is available on the website of the Ministry of Environment and Forests), it states the following:
"Based on the recommendations of the EC-1, the GEAC in its 79th meeting held on Aug 8, 2007, permitted the conduct of large scale trials (LST) of By brinjal for two season under the direct supervision of Director, Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), Varanasi to conduct some additional biosafety related studies by M/S Mahyco. the field trials were subjected to compliance of the following conditions:
1. Maintaining an isolation distance of 300 metres.
2. Submission of validated event specific test protocol at limit of detection (LOD) of at least 0.01 per cent to detect and confirm there has been no contamination.
3. Designated a lead scientist who would be responsible for all aspects of the trials including regulatory requirements."
This is what is called as clear manipulation of the scientific norms. You first lay out conditions that are suitable for you to arrive at the conclusion you are aiming at, and then you make the recommendation based on the flawed parameters laid out. In the research trials at IIVR, the isolation distance between crop fields is kept at 300 metres (because you don't want the contamination to exceed the LOD of 0.01 per cent). Mahyco therefore got the result it was looking for.
But please tell me where in the country can you conform that Bt brinjal is grown with an isolation distance of 300 metres? Shouldn't the IIVR have known this? If not (and we all know that maintaining an isolation distance of 300 metres at the farm level is practically impossible) than the entire scientific experiment began on a faulty premise. The correct experiment should have been to measure the gene flow on adjoining crop fields of brinjal. That would have given us the correct picture. The experiment therefore was designed wrongly to yield the right results.
This is not the only flaw. I can point a number of glaring flaws in the way the experiments were conducted. Only stupid scientists could have endorsed these results.
Now move to the annextures. From page 66 onwards, the EC-II has responded to the issues raised by NGOs, National and International Groups on Bt brinjal biosafety studies. This is a very interesting section, and all you can say is how ashamed you are if this is the scholarship of so called distinguished scientists/officials on the panel. Take the response to the studies conducted by Prof G Seralini, University of Cannes, France. The response of the EC-II generally is: The EC-II is of the view that no additional information regarding toxicity and allergenicity needs to be generated.
Again it uses the same stupid arguement: Cry1AC protein has a history of safe use for human and animal consumption as GM crops such as Bt maize and Bt potato containing Cry proteins including Cry1AC protein have been consumed by millions of people without any adverse effects. [Each of the responses is simply a cover up. I will take that up subsequently]
I thought the EC-II was a research panel. Instead it has produced the relevant literature to justify its position while ignoring a plethora of scientific research that questions the claims. In any case, the EC-II should have conducted more research to address the issues and concerns raised rather than simply brushing them aside. Let us not forget, history is replete with examples where what was approved as safe by scientists had eventually turned out to be killer. The Orange Gas used by Monsanto in the Vietnam war is a class example. Even now, thousands of people are dying from the residual impact of the gas, which was once considered to be safe. DDT is another example.
Coming to food, we have numerous such examples. Trans fatty acids were once considered to be safe and of course essential for the processing industry. Today, several US States have banned the use of transfats. In fact, food has now become the biggest killer in the United States. More than 400,000 people die from food related ailments, including obesity, every year in the US alone.
Further, I want to ask the chairman of the EC-II a simple question. If I eat Bt brinjal, which you consider as absolutely safe, and I fall ill, is there any way I (or my doctor) can find out whether it was from the alien gene in the brinjal I ate? Do you have any medical assay anywhere in the world which can even pinpoint an ailment or a disease to an alien gene in the GM foods? What will happen Dr Reddy if your wife or children get seriously ill from eating Bt brinjal and your hospital treatment is unable to detect the real cause?
The answer is simple. It is because you allowed premature approvals for poisonous GM crops and foods, without asking the companies to first hold human clinical trials. My sympathy for you surely disappears. Scientists like you should be held responsible, and I think the time has come to make provisions for stringent possible punishment for the approval committees (inlcuding GEAC) if anything goes wrong. Scientists cannot be allowed to play with human lives, animals and the environment.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Thank you all for Warm Diwali Greetings
Today is " World Food Day". Lets strengthen forces to make each day a "Safe Food Day".
Each one of us carry this torch of light and take the responsibility and strive to protect our food chain against the assault by GM proponents.
It is up to us to safeguard our health and the future of our children.
Now the Good news is not all is lost. With mounting pressure on Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, we have some justice. In his words "Strong views have already been expressed on the Bt-Brinjal issue, both for and against. My objective is to arrive at careful , considered decision in the public and national interest. The decision will be made only after the consultations process is complete and all stakeholders are satisfied that they have been heard to their satisfaction.”
My gratitude to Mr Jairam Ramesh for being just and fair. But we have very little time but we cannot take this lying low. We need to garner your support asap to raise awareness platforms, as we have only two months left. Please lend your views to government as requested.
You may wonder why this crazed farmer is doing this, when i can sit pretty tight in my farm and enjoy the bountiful harvests. Well, one has no desire to live in a sick society where every third house has a cancer victim. Wake up and do you your bit please. This cause is not mine alone, it is ours.
Read below, released today. I have also attached the GEAC report which has been made public for scrutiny for you to give you opinion
In solidarity
Sangita Sharma
http://myrighttosafefood.blogspot.com/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?667850
The government today said it will take a decision on the issue of commercial cultivation of controversial Bt brinjal only after holding a series of consultations with scientists, farmers, consumer groups and NGOs early next year.
The Environment Ministry has also sought public opinion in the matter till the end of the year.
Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said he proposes to have consultations with scientists, agricultural experts, farmers' organisation, consumer groups and NGOs in January and February.
"The decision will be made only after the consultation process is completed and all stakeholders are satisfied that they have been heard to their satisfaction," he said, a day after the government's biotech regulator gave nod for the commercialisation of the Genetically Modified vegetable whose suitability for human consumption has sparked a raging debate.
Except two, all the members of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), after going through the recommendations of two expert panels set up to access the data on the transgenic vegetable, had yesterday approved its environmental release.
Sources said P M Bhargava and Ramesh Soni, members of GEAC, disapproved of its release. However, the government has reserved its decision amid dissenting voices from various quarters including civil society groups, NGOs and food experts.
Bt brinjal is a transgenic vegetable which carries a gene called "Bt" from a bacterium which releases toxin to kill fruit and shoot borer insects.
However, GM food is claimed to be more pest-resistant and high-yielding.
If approved, Bt brinjal will be the first GM food in the country being developed by Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company, (Mahyco) a subsidiary of the US multinational Monsanto.
"The GEAC has given an independent decision in the matter. I will take a final call in the matter after the process of consultation is complete and all stakeholders are satisfied," Ramesh said.
The Environment Ministry has sought public opinion in the matter till the end of the year.
The NGOs and a section of experts have strongly condemned GEAC's decision alleging the approval for Bt brinjal was given without taking in account the scientists' opinion.
"The government should not clear any genetically modified food crop till the time we have strict provisions for labelling. Bt brinjal will be one of the few crops which are used for human consumption directly and not processed into bread," prominent NGO Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said.
"Clearance of such a crop requires the authorities to practise extreme caution. Currently, in India there is no labelling regime for GM foods which will give consumers a choice to make a decision whether they want to consume GM food or not.
"Till this time this is done, regulators should not clear edible GM crops," said Sunita Narain, Director of CSE.
She said labelling of GM foods requires "a strengthened laboratory and regulatory framework."
Condemning the approval of Bt brinjal by GEAC, Coalition for a GM-Free India said "it is a shame that regulators in this country have put the interests of corporations over the interests of ordinary citizens."
"We are yet to see the expert committee report. But prima facie, it appears that the committee has not responded to all the issues raised about the safety of Bt brinjal adequately.
"More importantly, it appears that no satisfactory answers have been yet preferred about the very need for this Bt brinjal when safer, sustainable and affordable alternatives exist," the members of the coalition said in a statement here.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
" There is an opinion poll at http://www.indianexpress.com/ about GM crops. So far more than 75% have voted against it. Let's all add our voices and hope for a positive outcome."
Today is " World Food Day". Lets strengthen forces to make each day a "Safe Food Day".
Each one of us carry this torch of light and take the responsibility and strive to protect our food chain against the assault by GM proponents.
It is up to us to safeguard our health and the future of our children.
Now the Good news is not all is lost. With mounting pressure on Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, we have some justice. In his words "Strong views have already been expressed on the Bt-Brinjal issue, both for and against. My objective is to arrive at careful , considered decision in the public and national interest. The decision will be made only after the consultations process is complete and all stakeholders are satisfied that they have been heard to their satisfaction.”
My gratitude to Mr Jairam Ramesh for being just and fair. But we have very little time but we cannot take this lying low. We need to garner your support asap to raise awareness platforms, as we have only two months left. Please lend your views to government as requested.
You may wonder why this crazed farmer is doing this, when i can sit pretty tight in my farm and enjoy the bountiful harvests. Well, one has no desire to live in a sick society where every third house has a cancer victim. Wake up and do you your bit please. This cause is not mine alone, it is ours.
Read below, released today. I have also attached the GEAC report which has been made public for scrutiny for you to give you opinion
In solidarity
Sangita Sharma
http://myrighttosafefood.blogspot.com/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?667850
The government today said it will take a decision on the issue of commercial cultivation of controversial Bt brinjal only after holding a series of consultations with scientists, farmers, consumer groups and NGOs early next year.
The Environment Ministry has also sought public opinion in the matter till the end of the year.
Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said he proposes to have consultations with scientists, agricultural experts, farmers' organisation, consumer groups and NGOs in January and February.
"The decision will be made only after the consultation process is completed and all stakeholders are satisfied that they have been heard to their satisfaction," he said, a day after the government's biotech regulator gave nod for the commercialisation of the Genetically Modified vegetable whose suitability for human consumption has sparked a raging debate.
Except two, all the members of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), after going through the recommendations of two expert panels set up to access the data on the transgenic vegetable, had yesterday approved its environmental release.
Sources said P M Bhargava and Ramesh Soni, members of GEAC, disapproved of its release. However, the government has reserved its decision amid dissenting voices from various quarters including civil society groups, NGOs and food experts.
Bt brinjal is a transgenic vegetable which carries a gene called "Bt" from a bacterium which releases toxin to kill fruit and shoot borer insects.
However, GM food is claimed to be more pest-resistant and high-yielding.
If approved, Bt brinjal will be the first GM food in the country being developed by Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company, (Mahyco) a subsidiary of the US multinational Monsanto.
"The GEAC has given an independent decision in the matter. I will take a final call in the matter after the process of consultation is complete and all stakeholders are satisfied," Ramesh said.
The Environment Ministry has sought public opinion in the matter till the end of the year.
The NGOs and a section of experts have strongly condemned GEAC's decision alleging the approval for Bt brinjal was given without taking in account the scientists' opinion.
"The government should not clear any genetically modified food crop till the time we have strict provisions for labelling. Bt brinjal will be one of the few crops which are used for human consumption directly and not processed into bread," prominent NGO Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said.
"Clearance of such a crop requires the authorities to practise extreme caution. Currently, in India there is no labelling regime for GM foods which will give consumers a choice to make a decision whether they want to consume GM food or not.
"Till this time this is done, regulators should not clear edible GM crops," said Sunita Narain, Director of CSE.
She said labelling of GM foods requires "a strengthened laboratory and regulatory framework."
Condemning the approval of Bt brinjal by GEAC, Coalition for a GM-Free India said "it is a shame that regulators in this country have put the interests of corporations over the interests of ordinary citizens."
"We are yet to see the expert committee report. But prima facie, it appears that the committee has not responded to all the issues raised about the safety of Bt brinjal adequately.
"More importantly, it appears that no satisfactory answers have been yet preferred about the very need for this Bt brinjal when safer, sustainable and affordable alternatives exist," the members of the coalition said in a statement here.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
" There is an opinion poll at http://www.indianexpress.com/ about GM crops. So far more than 75% have voted against it. Let's all add our voices and hope for a positive outcome."
Lets strengthen forces to make each day a "Safe Food Day".
Thank you all for Warm Diwali Greetings
Today is " World Food Day". Lets strengthen forces to make each day a "Safe Food Day".
Each one of us carry this torch of light and take the responsibility and strive to protect our food chain against the assault by GM proponents.
It is up to us to safeguard our health and the future of our children.
Now the Good news is not all is lost. With mounting pressure on Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, we have some justice. In his words "Strong views have already been expressed on the Bt-Brinjal issue, both for and against. My objective is to arrive at careful , considered decision in the public and national interest. The decision will be made only after the consultations process is complete and all stakeholders are satisfied that they have been heard to their satisfaction.”
My gratitude to Mr Jairam Ramesh for being just and fair. But we have very little time but we cannot take this lying low. We need to garner your support asap to raise awareness platforms, as we have only two months left. Please lend your views to government as requested.
You may wonder why this crazed farmer is doing this, when i can sit pretty tight in my farm and enjoy the bountiful harvests. Well, one has no desire to live in a sick society where every third house has a cancer victim. Wake up and do you your bit please. This cause is not mine alone, it is ours.
- Hide quoted text -
Read below, released today. I have also attached the GEAC report which has been made public for scrutiny for you to give you opinion
In solidarity
Sangita Sharma
http://myrighttosafefood.blogspot.com/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?667850
The government today said it will take a decision on the issue of commercial cultivation of controversial Bt brinjal only after holding a series of consultations with scientists, farmers, consumer groups and NGOs early next year.
The Environment Ministry has also sought public opinion in the matter till the end of the year.
Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said he proposes to have consultations with scientists, agricultural experts, farmers' organisation, consumer groups and NGOs in January and February.
"The decision will be made only after the consultation process is completed and all stakeholders are satisfied that they have been heard to their satisfaction," he said, a day after the government's biotech regulator gave nod for the commercialisation of the Genetically Modified vegetable whose suitability for human consumption has sparked a raging debate.
Except two, all the members of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), after going through the recommendations of two expert panels set up to access the data on the transgenic vegetable, had yesterday approved its environmental release.
Sources said P M Bhargava and Ramesh Soni, members of GEAC, disapproved of its release. However, the government has reserved its decision amid dissenting voices from various quarters including civil society groups, NGOs and food experts.
Bt brinjal is a transgenic vegetable which carries a gene called "Bt" from a bacterium which releases toxin to kill fruit and shoot borer insects.
However, GM food is claimed to be more pest-resistant and high-yielding.
If approved, Bt brinjal will be the first GM food in the country being developed by Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company, (Mahyco) a subsidiary of the US multinational Monsanto.
"The GEAC has given an independent decision in the matter. I will take a final call in the matter after the process of consultation is complete and all stakeholders are satisfied," Ramesh said.
The Environment Ministry has sought public opinion in the matter till the end of the year.
The NGOs and a section of experts have strongly condemned GEAC's decision alleging the approval for Bt brinjal was given without taking in account the scientists' opinion.
"The government should not clear any genetically modified food crop till the time we have strict provisions for labelling. Bt brinjal will be one of the few crops which are used for human consumption directly and not processed into bread," prominent NGO Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said.
"Clearance of such a crop requires the authorities to practise extreme caution. Currently, in India there is no labelling regime for GM foods which will give consumers a choice to make a decision whether they want to consume GM food or not.
"Till this time this is done, regulators should not clear edible GM crops," said Sunita Narain, Director of CSE.
She said labelling of GM foods requires "a strengthened laboratory and regulatory framework."
Condemning the approval of Bt brinjal by GEAC, Coalition for a GM-Free India said "it is a shame that regulators in this country have put the interests of corporations over the interests of ordinary citizens."
"We are yet to see the expert committee report. But prima facie, it appears that the committee has not responded to all the issues raised about the safety of Bt brinjal adequately.
"More importantly, it appears that no satisfactory answers have been yet preferred about the very need for this Bt brinjal when safer, sustainable and affordable alternatives exist," the members of the coalition said in a statement here.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
" There is an opinion poll at http://www.indianexpress.com/ about GM crops. So far more than 75% have voted against it. Let's all add our voices and hope for a positive outcome."
Today is " World Food Day". Lets strengthen forces to make each day a "Safe Food Day".
Each one of us carry this torch of light and take the responsibility and strive to protect our food chain against the assault by GM proponents.
It is up to us to safeguard our health and the future of our children.
Now the Good news is not all is lost. With mounting pressure on Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, we have some justice. In his words "Strong views have already been expressed on the Bt-Brinjal issue, both for and against. My objective is to arrive at careful , considered decision in the public and national interest. The decision will be made only after the consultations process is complete and all stakeholders are satisfied that they have been heard to their satisfaction.”
My gratitude to Mr Jairam Ramesh for being just and fair. But we have very little time but we cannot take this lying low. We need to garner your support asap to raise awareness platforms, as we have only two months left. Please lend your views to government as requested.
You may wonder why this crazed farmer is doing this, when i can sit pretty tight in my farm and enjoy the bountiful harvests. Well, one has no desire to live in a sick society where every third house has a cancer victim. Wake up and do you your bit please. This cause is not mine alone, it is ours.
- Hide quoted text -
Read below, released today. I have also attached the GEAC report which has been made public for scrutiny for you to give you opinion
In solidarity
Sangita Sharma
http://myrighttosafefood.blogspot.com/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?667850
The government today said it will take a decision on the issue of commercial cultivation of controversial Bt brinjal only after holding a series of consultations with scientists, farmers, consumer groups and NGOs early next year.
The Environment Ministry has also sought public opinion in the matter till the end of the year.
Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said he proposes to have consultations with scientists, agricultural experts, farmers' organisation, consumer groups and NGOs in January and February.
"The decision will be made only after the consultation process is completed and all stakeholders are satisfied that they have been heard to their satisfaction," he said, a day after the government's biotech regulator gave nod for the commercialisation of the Genetically Modified vegetable whose suitability for human consumption has sparked a raging debate.
Except two, all the members of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), after going through the recommendations of two expert panels set up to access the data on the transgenic vegetable, had yesterday approved its environmental release.
Sources said P M Bhargava and Ramesh Soni, members of GEAC, disapproved of its release. However, the government has reserved its decision amid dissenting voices from various quarters including civil society groups, NGOs and food experts.
Bt brinjal is a transgenic vegetable which carries a gene called "Bt" from a bacterium which releases toxin to kill fruit and shoot borer insects.
However, GM food is claimed to be more pest-resistant and high-yielding.
If approved, Bt brinjal will be the first GM food in the country being developed by Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company, (Mahyco) a subsidiary of the US multinational Monsanto.
"The GEAC has given an independent decision in the matter. I will take a final call in the matter after the process of consultation is complete and all stakeholders are satisfied," Ramesh said.
The Environment Ministry has sought public opinion in the matter till the end of the year.
The NGOs and a section of experts have strongly condemned GEAC's decision alleging the approval for Bt brinjal was given without taking in account the scientists' opinion.
"The government should not clear any genetically modified food crop till the time we have strict provisions for labelling. Bt brinjal will be one of the few crops which are used for human consumption directly and not processed into bread," prominent NGO Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said.
"Clearance of such a crop requires the authorities to practise extreme caution. Currently, in India there is no labelling regime for GM foods which will give consumers a choice to make a decision whether they want to consume GM food or not.
"Till this time this is done, regulators should not clear edible GM crops," said Sunita Narain, Director of CSE.
She said labelling of GM foods requires "a strengthened laboratory and regulatory framework."
Condemning the approval of Bt brinjal by GEAC, Coalition for a GM-Free India said "it is a shame that regulators in this country have put the interests of corporations over the interests of ordinary citizens."
"We are yet to see the expert committee report. But prima facie, it appears that the committee has not responded to all the issues raised about the safety of Bt brinjal adequately.
"More importantly, it appears that no satisfactory answers have been yet preferred about the very need for this Bt brinjal when safer, sustainable and affordable alternatives exist," the members of the coalition said in a statement here.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
" There is an opinion poll at http://www.indianexpress.com/ about GM crops. So far more than 75% have voted against it. Let's all add our voices and hope for a positive outcome."
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Devastating news - Congratulations for being the chosen guinea pig
GEAC has approved Bt Brinjal in its meeting today, with three dissenting voices. Earlier, an Expert Committee which prepared a voluminous report after looking at all the independent analyses of Bt Brinjal and other concerns, found all such concerns "invalid" apparently. With more than 1500 land races of brinjal grown across India, our regulators have sown the wind, and the imminently we, our children the future generations shall get ready to reap the whirl wind in the form of loss of diverse land races, with a bonus of health risks. This is highly disturbing news.
International experience shows that many countries faced problems from the release of such foods but with the mounting pressure from civil society GM foods have been banned or a moratorium passed. Molecular biologist Gilles-Eric Seralini in his study had revealed that there was an antibiotic gene in Bt brinjal 1000 times more toxic. Now do we need herbicides in our guts? Our stomach will be the living pesticide factory, as in toxic human beings.
The report and research by Gilles Eric has been so casually overlooked by GEAC (Genetic Engineering Approval committee) a rubber stamp body to the biotech industry. "US 'bribes' to Indian govt staff: CBI probe on, CVC alerted too". Featured today, No wonder the approval has come through so easily. See these links http://www.indianexpress.com/news/dow-to-us-watchdog-we-bribed-indian-officials-for-clearances/24122/ http://in.news.yahoo.com/48/20091014/804/tnl-us-bribes-to-indian-govt-staff-cbi-p.html
It is a National shame that from a massive population like ours, only 41,000 letters have been faxed to Environment Minister Mr Jairam Ramesh. I would have thought the secrecy around this issue would have raised more concerns among people. But no. Consumers are taking it so lightly. Every third house you peep into has a cancer patient, is there no cause to worry still?
Now there is still hope, as this approval still has not reached the cabinet as yet. I will not give up, now allow us to be the chosen guinea pigs. Only civil society can topple such destructive policies by joining concerted forces. Raise alarm bells, provide platforms, wake up, shake up, create a stirring revolution, a riot but not let our fate be decided by the ill equipped corrupt bodies and government to decide what we are to eat.
Disheartening it was to interact with young reckless journalist Bosky Khanna from DNA. When i raised huge concerns on the feature covered by her "GM crops for flood-hit areas". I requested for clarity on why the article was one sided without giving out facts based on holistic information and informed choices to readers. Why, no research done on traditional flood resistant crops that widely prevail in our country? Her reaction was " Sangita I was asked to cover the event, so whatever information was given to me by University of Agricultural Science, All India Crop Biotechnology Association (AICBA ) I published. So its not my views and you cannot hold me responsible, however when i get to my office i will look into it". I am deeply appalled by her lack of professional insight. Biased information relayed as good news to readers has damaging impacts. Having worked well with the media for over two decade, i have met only fine conscientious journalists of repute. Bosky puts journalists to shame with her impunity and indignity in ethics. Its a shame that a proactive paper like DNA employs cut and paste talent, disguised as journalists!!!
You can read this biased link http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_gm-crops-for-flood-hit-areas_129879.
Coming back to the issues on flood resistant crops. To cite about 8 states in our country, farmers still have flood and drought resistant crops that can withstand floods up to 45 days. Except that these superior traditional varieties carry with it no incentives of crown money for our government, nor scientists, so why improve their potential? The scientists cannot claim to possess even a single deep water rice variety suitable to the flood and drought regions. To say the least this is the diabolical state of affairs in our country.
Where as these GM varieties can withstand floods for 20 days only. Says Sajiv Anand, Director AICBA "we will persuade farmers to use GM seeds to get maximum yields". Disguised to help farmers but in reality farmers will have no choices but to spend masses amounts on GM seeds along with their corresponding chemicals. The greed to fill their already full coffers. Do you still not get it? Is the civil society so lost, daft that they cannot understand the crafty economies of scale by the GM proponents who are hand in glove with GEAC
India's rich diversity - the wealth of our country fast being destroyed by these corrupt bodies
The Varada basin is home to deepwater rice varieties like Nereguli, Karibatha, Sannavaalya, Karijaddu, Kani Somasale, Jenugoodu, Nettibatha, Kari kantaka, Edi kuni, and Karekal Dadiga.
Farmers in the Varada river belt have adapted to the fury of the river that flows in Sagar, Soraba and Sirsi taluks. The rivulet, which takes birth at Sagar, flows through Sirsi and Soraba for about 11 kms before joining the Tungabhadra. During its short journey, the Varada wreaks havoc and destroys thousands of acres of paddy fields when continuous rain swells the waterways. This puts at risk at least 30,000 people in 25 villages depending on it.
Flooding is an annual phenomenon here. However, it does not mean that farmers do not grow anything during the flood. They possess a unique wealth that enables them to grow paddy even in flooded conditions, and the varieties of rice can subsist deep standing water for a long period.
Karnataka has its own deep water rice varieties that have stood the test of time and survived for decades. The fury of the monsoons and the flooding of the fields on the banks of the rivers have not been able to destroy these varieties. But, in the face of mounting pressure from corporates, how long will farmers hold on to their heritage?
You can read further on flood resistant crops - link - http://www.deccanherald.com/content/17595/paddy-survives-flood.html
In solidarity
Sangita Sharma
http://myrighttosafefood.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Did the Green Revolution Prevent Famines? Gene Revolution now touted as the way forward in agriculture
Greetings from MY RIGHT TO SAFE FOOD
Stark realities in the link below by Alexix Lathem reveal startling home truths of the much praised Green Revolution. The greed of transnationals languishing in the aftermath of Green Revolution laughing their way to their banks, yet world over, these greed driven giants still get patted for doing splendours - eradicating hunger and poverty of the millions.
A question to ponder. Why as consumers have we become so callous and not willfully recognise the devious ploys put forth, first by the proponents of pesticides/chemical fertilisers and seed corporations? With billions being spent on creative advertisements to convince and impress fresh gullible minds, we the suckers are in awe, when a cow reveals her teeth glowing white, dairy produce glowing white, refined rice glowing white, refined sugar/salt glowing white, refined oil beaming bright, the list of endless falsified white tall claims. We actually start to believe and then indulge in it. When in reality, a silent slow poisoning is taking place in our minds and bodies. So swayed are we by such advertising gimmicks that in the late seventies, there was an advertisement of a model ingesting a spoonful of pesticide powder saying to the public at large, how safe it was. This i recall was aired widely, later it was revealed by the creators of the advertisement that all the model was ingesting was one tablespoon of baby milk powder and not pesticide!
Unfortunately there exists no stringent watchdog organisations to alert us anymore, we are so used to being spoon fed, make no efforts to find out the politics behind such corporations! We like to believe and blindly trust anything packaged well with a foreign tag. Because the right to question nor reason is the least tread path. Easy prey, masses of human guinea pigs are freely available to these disguised, distinguished caretakers. No wonder such catastrophes.
Questions often debated in my session by the urban elite be it from IT, Doctors, IIT, scientists, MSW students on sustainable farming practices. What do you expect, when these minds for over 40 odd years have only been impressed, clogged by the huge media coverage on the virtues of Green Revolution. Sustainable farming is no rocket science, i invite many to visit my self contained farm. I spend hours just relaying hardcore facts. Unfortunately media coverage this front is not aggressive for there are no profits earned. Proponents of such safe farming practises do not have obnoxious funds to squander on publicity to convince the world at large. Only those who are serious when confronted by their conscience or when inflicted with illness or by the loss of a loved one will make sincere attempts to find out where the equation has seriously gone wrong.
Lets start with Hybrid seeds which lose their viability after the first generation as they are developed under specified conditions marketed by seed companies for the business for making hoards of money. These seeds are not replicable, so each year farmers purchase seeds at high costs, hugely dependent on outside help to grow his crops with low resistance to pests and disease attacks. Generaly, if the crops is affected by disease, the entire crops are then detroyed because of genetic similarity. Application of external inputs like chemcial fertilisers and pesticides form an expensive package, a pre requisite for hybrids to flourish well. Yields from hybrid seeds decrease over a period of time as the chemcial packages kill all beneficial organisms and disrupts the whole eco system.
So where is the question of sustainability in Green Revolution, let alone feed the hungry?
The next question asked "Then why are traditional organic seeds are not being made available by the government? Simple, traditional, native, (same) organic seeds are geared for a subsistence economy as farmers first grows food for his sustenance and markets the surplus. He does not depend on an expert to tell him how to grow his crop for he promotes self reliance. Traditional seeds are diverse, hardy and replicable, over the years given the agro climatic conditions these native seeds develops resistance to pests and disease attacks. This means the farmer can save seeds for the next season. Crop loss minimalised. This age old practice came naturally over centuries, wisely adopted by our grandparents, not so long ago. Therefore the farmer is not dependent on the government nor the seed corporations for farming. But within a few decades of Green Revolution with importing technology of seeds and chemical fertilisers, it has not only crippled but killed the dignity of our farmers. Trans-nationals/private companies, hand in glove with government have succeeded to break the backbone the pride of our country - Our Once Sustainable Farmers.
So if the 70% farmers get independent, the coffers of the government would corrode and GDP down. The government surely cannot cope with this, so faulty policies are put into practice to appease a handul rich.
When countries world over have banned organo-phosphates and chlorines, pesticides like DDT, Aldrin, Endosulphan and more, there still exists this sad belief that high yielding varieties are still the solution to save the millions. Let me clarify, these so called high yielding varieties are designed to yield only provided corresponding high pesticide/ chemical fertiliser are applied which are expensive. It literally costs an arm and a leg of not only humans but depletes our environment of all its rich reserves. Yet, the educated continue to pledge that this revolution brought with it saving technologies.
Worse still, we continue wearing blinkers not wishing to see the wood for the trees, the open ploys of Biotech proponents who wish for a 100% genetically modified world, with only one giant Monsanto owning 91% of GM seeds globally. Whether in the US, India or South America, it is almost impossible to find a non-transgenic seed because Monsanto first bought the main seed companies and then imposed its patented seeds. Monsanto has a control agency called the “gene police”. It’s an outrageous system: these are private investigative agencies who go on to farmers’ fields and take samples, they ask farmers to show their invoices for purchases of seed and herbicide from Monsanto and if they are not forthcoming, the farmers get sued. The company always wins in court, because not respecting a contract is considered a breach of Monsanto’s intellectual property rights. They not only win when a farmer has intentionally saved part of the harvest, but even when GM seeds from a neighbor's property, or through chance, are found in the fields of a farmer who doesn't grow transgenic seeds. This happened to Hendrik Hartkamp, a Dutchman who bought a farm in Oklahoma: he was sued and forced to pay a big fine which led to him having to sell his property. The judge’s justification? It's irrelevant how the seeds got there, the farmer is responsible for what is in his fields. So he is guilty … It’s incredible.
These trans-national companies (TNC's) have come into our country claiming to revolutionise Third World Agriculture. Research labs are being set up at enormous costs. With tall yarns and show biz, they publicise how they are there to improve crop yields, protect crops from pest attacks and help farmers. TNC's only concern is to fill their coffers by producing Hybrid seeds now GM seeds along with plant protection chemicals to make herbidice -resistant seeds that respond only to fertilisers and pesticides manufactured by them. Under these cirucmstances, a farmer is forced to buy the entire package of seeds, chemical fetilisers and plant protection chemicals from the same company without a choice even if it is exorbitantly priced.
With the intellectual property laws being strengthened to bring more control in the hands of the these TNC's, the effort is to monopolise the entire food chain. He who controls seeds, will control agriculture. Then the Swiss multinational seed giant Syngenta, have mapped the rice genome. Syngenta has already announced that it will not be sharing the rice genome freely. In fact, Syngenta has already applied for bulk patents on 30,000 genes of rice (from a total of 37,500 genes in rice). The patent applications are pending. Once Syngenta gets the patents, the rice plant will for all practical purposes go into the private domain of Syngenta. How is that?
What this would mean for India, the place of origin of rice, is quite obvious. Rice plant which was a mankind’s heritage all these years will now become the private property of Syngenta. Now you know market for seeds is huge: don't forget that everything we eat exists because a farmer planted a seed in the earth. Once these companies get control over these genes the entire farming community and consumers will be at the mercy of the multinational seed companies.
So, where is the question of sustainability from this so called cancerous Gene Revolution???
GM crops are being pushed into India for reasons not of urgent need or requirement but for purely reasons of commerce. Knowing that the Indian policy makers and the laws of the land can be easily circumvented, the biotechnology industry has launched a multi-pronged attack to ensure that India accepts GM crops. This assault comes at a time when world out there, is growing huge resistance against GM crops. If small countries like Eygpt, Mexico can stand up and say NO to GM foods, even chickens more wise than us human lot are not fooled by GM for they refuse to eat it, then we Indians are nothing more than walking robotic corpses.
13th Oct 2009 If you do not believe me, the recent views of Jeffrey Smith, author of Genetic Roulette on Bt Brinjal :
"We know that Bt is indeed active on humans and animals, in spite of the baseless claims made by the industry and regulators. In fact, hundreds of people in the US and Canada exhibited allergic reactions and flu-like symptoms when they were sprayed with Bt from planes. The Bt in GM crops is thousands of times more concentrated than the natural spray form, and is designed to be more toxic. It is therefore no surprise to find that cotton workers throughout India are experiencing the exact same allergic symptoms--particularly itching--after touching Bt cotton. And thousands of sheep, buffalo, cows, and goats also died after grazing on Bt cotton plants after harvest--but not on natural cotton.
If Bt brinjal produces allergic or toxic symptoms in the population, it could be years or decades before authorities are able to track the cause. The brinjal is not labeled, so some may get reactions to some meals with brinjal, and not to others. isolating the cause is difficult. By the time it is discovered, the brinjal will have contaminated so many varieties, abandoning brinjal altogether may be the only recourse. This could be a disaster in the making, on so many levels."
This is no longer shocking to me. You may wonder why i am so crazed constantly raising alarm bells, time and again to all of you, when all i could do is sit pretty tight and enjoy the bountiful harvest of my farm. The truth is that i have no desire to see a further sick society. I am outraged that so reckless are we with our lives that we fail to consider the lives of our children, whose future is at stake. Innocent victims eating GM Corn widely available in shopping malls only to suffer the consequences of infertility. I quote only one such disaster. Why complain when hospital bills escalate, more spends in the pharma thats what they want, and you offer them your "taken for granted life" and that of your loved ones for further dissection and speculation.
Good, continue to be lazy, selfish and accept what comes to you lying low. Watch out, its not far when your rights of free choice will no longer be with you.
In solidarity
Sangita Sharma
http://myrighttosafefood.blogspot.com/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://towardfreedom.com/home/content/view/1710/1/
Assessing the Legacy of Norman Borlaug: Did the Green Revolution Prevent Famines?
Written by Alexis Lathem Thursday, 08 October 2009
Just taken a few excerpts from the above article, you may click the link to view the whole piece.
The persistence of the belief that so- called high yielding seeds (they produce high yields only because they are tolerant of large doses of chemical fertilizers) saved millions of people from famine, is all the more remarkable given that the scholarship has thoroughly discredited it. What is implied here is that industrial methods produce more food than small farms that integrate a diversity of crops and rely on natural fertilizers and hand labor – which has been disproved by innumerable scientific studies.[1]
What is also implied by the argument is the Malthusian logic, which holds that famines are a consequence of a lack of food, and a lack a food is a consequence of the failure of agricultural systems to produce enough to keep up with population growth. Naturally where there is hunger, we assume that there is a lack of food. Historians and economists – most notably Amartya Sen, another Nobel laureate, who has examined the causes of hunger and famine in dozens of scholarly books – have found that famine and hunger have historically been unrelated to food availability.[2] Malthus, in other words, is thoroughly irrelevant to any understanding of the causes of hunger in the world. What was true in Ireland during the potato famine of 1845-1852 was also true in Bengal in 1943, and it remains true today– which is that millions died of starvation in the midst of agricultural abundance.
In the year 1880 the Commission found that: The effect of drought is to diminish greatly and at last to stop, all field labor, and to throw out of employment the great mass of people who live on the wages of such labor …distress arises, not so much from an actual want of food, as from a loss of wages – in other words, money to buy food…as a general rule, there is an abundance of food procurable, even in the worst districts and the worst time; but when men who at their best, live from hand to mouth, are deprived of their means of earning wages, they starve, not from the impossibility of getting food, but for want of the necessary money to buy it.[3]
Later, in its report on the Bengal famine of 1943 – the last major famine to occur in India, which claimed one and a half a million lives, the Commission also attributed other factors – namely greed and opportunism, as causes of the disaster: “Enormous profits were made out of this calamity, and in the circumstances, profits for some meant death for others. A large part of the community lived in plenty while others starved, and there was much indifference in the face of suffering.”[4]
Stark realities in the link below by Alexix Lathem reveal startling home truths of the much praised Green Revolution. The greed of transnationals languishing in the aftermath of Green Revolution laughing their way to their banks, yet world over, these greed driven giants still get patted for doing splendours - eradicating hunger and poverty of the millions.
A question to ponder. Why as consumers have we become so callous and not willfully recognise the devious ploys put forth, first by the proponents of pesticides/chemical fertilisers and seed corporations? With billions being spent on creative advertisements to convince and impress fresh gullible minds, we the suckers are in awe, when a cow reveals her teeth glowing white, dairy produce glowing white, refined rice glowing white, refined sugar/salt glowing white, refined oil beaming bright, the list of endless falsified white tall claims. We actually start to believe and then indulge in it. When in reality, a silent slow poisoning is taking place in our minds and bodies. So swayed are we by such advertising gimmicks that in the late seventies, there was an advertisement of a model ingesting a spoonful of pesticide powder saying to the public at large, how safe it was. This i recall was aired widely, later it was revealed by the creators of the advertisement that all the model was ingesting was one tablespoon of baby milk powder and not pesticide!
Unfortunately there exists no stringent watchdog organisations to alert us anymore, we are so used to being spoon fed, make no efforts to find out the politics behind such corporations! We like to believe and blindly trust anything packaged well with a foreign tag. Because the right to question nor reason is the least tread path. Easy prey, masses of human guinea pigs are freely available to these disguised, distinguished caretakers. No wonder such catastrophes.
Questions often debated in my session by the urban elite be it from IT, Doctors, IIT, scientists, MSW students on sustainable farming practices. What do you expect, when these minds for over 40 odd years have only been impressed, clogged by the huge media coverage on the virtues of Green Revolution. Sustainable farming is no rocket science, i invite many to visit my self contained farm. I spend hours just relaying hardcore facts. Unfortunately media coverage this front is not aggressive for there are no profits earned. Proponents of such safe farming practises do not have obnoxious funds to squander on publicity to convince the world at large. Only those who are serious when confronted by their conscience or when inflicted with illness or by the loss of a loved one will make sincere attempts to find out where the equation has seriously gone wrong.
Lets start with Hybrid seeds which lose their viability after the first generation as they are developed under specified conditions marketed by seed companies for the business for making hoards of money. These seeds are not replicable, so each year farmers purchase seeds at high costs, hugely dependent on outside help to grow his crops with low resistance to pests and disease attacks. Generaly, if the crops is affected by disease, the entire crops are then detroyed because of genetic similarity. Application of external inputs like chemcial fertilisers and pesticides form an expensive package, a pre requisite for hybrids to flourish well. Yields from hybrid seeds decrease over a period of time as the chemcial packages kill all beneficial organisms and disrupts the whole eco system.
So where is the question of sustainability in Green Revolution, let alone feed the hungry?
The next question asked "Then why are traditional organic seeds are not being made available by the government? Simple, traditional, native, (same) organic seeds are geared for a subsistence economy as farmers first grows food for his sustenance and markets the surplus. He does not depend on an expert to tell him how to grow his crop for he promotes self reliance. Traditional seeds are diverse, hardy and replicable, over the years given the agro climatic conditions these native seeds develops resistance to pests and disease attacks. This means the farmer can save seeds for the next season. Crop loss minimalised. This age old practice came naturally over centuries, wisely adopted by our grandparents, not so long ago. Therefore the farmer is not dependent on the government nor the seed corporations for farming. But within a few decades of Green Revolution with importing technology of seeds and chemical fertilisers, it has not only crippled but killed the dignity of our farmers. Trans-nationals/private companies, hand in glove with government have succeeded to break the backbone the pride of our country - Our Once Sustainable Farmers.
So if the 70% farmers get independent, the coffers of the government would corrode and GDP down. The government surely cannot cope with this, so faulty policies are put into practice to appease a handul rich.
When countries world over have banned organo-phosphates and chlorines, pesticides like DDT, Aldrin, Endosulphan and more, there still exists this sad belief that high yielding varieties are still the solution to save the millions. Let me clarify, these so called high yielding varieties are designed to yield only provided corresponding high pesticide/ chemical fertiliser are applied which are expensive. It literally costs an arm and a leg of not only humans but depletes our environment of all its rich reserves. Yet, the educated continue to pledge that this revolution brought with it saving technologies.
Worse still, we continue wearing blinkers not wishing to see the wood for the trees, the open ploys of Biotech proponents who wish for a 100% genetically modified world, with only one giant Monsanto owning 91% of GM seeds globally. Whether in the US, India or South America, it is almost impossible to find a non-transgenic seed because Monsanto first bought the main seed companies and then imposed its patented seeds. Monsanto has a control agency called the “gene police”. It’s an outrageous system: these are private investigative agencies who go on to farmers’ fields and take samples, they ask farmers to show their invoices for purchases of seed and herbicide from Monsanto and if they are not forthcoming, the farmers get sued. The company always wins in court, because not respecting a contract is considered a breach of Monsanto’s intellectual property rights. They not only win when a farmer has intentionally saved part of the harvest, but even when GM seeds from a neighbor's property, or through chance, are found in the fields of a farmer who doesn't grow transgenic seeds. This happened to Hendrik Hartkamp, a Dutchman who bought a farm in Oklahoma: he was sued and forced to pay a big fine which led to him having to sell his property. The judge’s justification? It's irrelevant how the seeds got there, the farmer is responsible for what is in his fields. So he is guilty … It’s incredible.
These trans-national companies (TNC's) have come into our country claiming to revolutionise Third World Agriculture. Research labs are being set up at enormous costs. With tall yarns and show biz, they publicise how they are there to improve crop yields, protect crops from pest attacks and help farmers. TNC's only concern is to fill their coffers by producing Hybrid seeds now GM seeds along with plant protection chemicals to make herbidice -resistant seeds that respond only to fertilisers and pesticides manufactured by them. Under these cirucmstances, a farmer is forced to buy the entire package of seeds, chemical fetilisers and plant protection chemicals from the same company without a choice even if it is exorbitantly priced.
With the intellectual property laws being strengthened to bring more control in the hands of the these TNC's, the effort is to monopolise the entire food chain. He who controls seeds, will control agriculture. Then the Swiss multinational seed giant Syngenta, have mapped the rice genome. Syngenta has already announced that it will not be sharing the rice genome freely. In fact, Syngenta has already applied for bulk patents on 30,000 genes of rice (from a total of 37,500 genes in rice). The patent applications are pending. Once Syngenta gets the patents, the rice plant will for all practical purposes go into the private domain of Syngenta. How is that?
What this would mean for India, the place of origin of rice, is quite obvious. Rice plant which was a mankind’s heritage all these years will now become the private property of Syngenta. Now you know market for seeds is huge: don't forget that everything we eat exists because a farmer planted a seed in the earth. Once these companies get control over these genes the entire farming community and consumers will be at the mercy of the multinational seed companies.
So, where is the question of sustainability from this so called cancerous Gene Revolution???
GM crops are being pushed into India for reasons not of urgent need or requirement but for purely reasons of commerce. Knowing that the Indian policy makers and the laws of the land can be easily circumvented, the biotechnology industry has launched a multi-pronged attack to ensure that India accepts GM crops. This assault comes at a time when world out there, is growing huge resistance against GM crops. If small countries like Eygpt, Mexico can stand up and say NO to GM foods, even chickens more wise than us human lot are not fooled by GM for they refuse to eat it, then we Indians are nothing more than walking robotic corpses.
13th Oct 2009 If you do not believe me, the recent views of Jeffrey Smith, author of Genetic Roulette on Bt Brinjal :
"We know that Bt is indeed active on humans and animals, in spite of the baseless claims made by the industry and regulators. In fact, hundreds of people in the US and Canada exhibited allergic reactions and flu-like symptoms when they were sprayed with Bt from planes. The Bt in GM crops is thousands of times more concentrated than the natural spray form, and is designed to be more toxic. It is therefore no surprise to find that cotton workers throughout India are experiencing the exact same allergic symptoms--particularly itching--after touching Bt cotton. And thousands of sheep, buffalo, cows, and goats also died after grazing on Bt cotton plants after harvest--but not on natural cotton.
If Bt brinjal produces allergic or toxic symptoms in the population, it could be years or decades before authorities are able to track the cause. The brinjal is not labeled, so some may get reactions to some meals with brinjal, and not to others. isolating the cause is difficult. By the time it is discovered, the brinjal will have contaminated so many varieties, abandoning brinjal altogether may be the only recourse. This could be a disaster in the making, on so many levels."
This is no longer shocking to me. You may wonder why i am so crazed constantly raising alarm bells, time and again to all of you, when all i could do is sit pretty tight and enjoy the bountiful harvest of my farm. The truth is that i have no desire to see a further sick society. I am outraged that so reckless are we with our lives that we fail to consider the lives of our children, whose future is at stake. Innocent victims eating GM Corn widely available in shopping malls only to suffer the consequences of infertility. I quote only one such disaster. Why complain when hospital bills escalate, more spends in the pharma thats what they want, and you offer them your "taken for granted life" and that of your loved ones for further dissection and speculation.
Good, continue to be lazy, selfish and accept what comes to you lying low. Watch out, its not far when your rights of free choice will no longer be with you.
In solidarity
Sangita Sharma
http://myrighttosafefood.blogspot.com/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://towardfreedom.com/home/content/view/1710/1/
Assessing the Legacy of Norman Borlaug: Did the Green Revolution Prevent Famines?
Written by Alexis Lathem Thursday, 08 October 2009
Just taken a few excerpts from the above article, you may click the link to view the whole piece.
The persistence of the belief that so- called high yielding seeds (they produce high yields only because they are tolerant of large doses of chemical fertilizers) saved millions of people from famine, is all the more remarkable given that the scholarship has thoroughly discredited it. What is implied here is that industrial methods produce more food than small farms that integrate a diversity of crops and rely on natural fertilizers and hand labor – which has been disproved by innumerable scientific studies.[1]
What is also implied by the argument is the Malthusian logic, which holds that famines are a consequence of a lack of food, and a lack a food is a consequence of the failure of agricultural systems to produce enough to keep up with population growth. Naturally where there is hunger, we assume that there is a lack of food. Historians and economists – most notably Amartya Sen, another Nobel laureate, who has examined the causes of hunger and famine in dozens of scholarly books – have found that famine and hunger have historically been unrelated to food availability.[2] Malthus, in other words, is thoroughly irrelevant to any understanding of the causes of hunger in the world. What was true in Ireland during the potato famine of 1845-1852 was also true in Bengal in 1943, and it remains true today– which is that millions died of starvation in the midst of agricultural abundance.
In the year 1880 the Commission found that: The effect of drought is to diminish greatly and at last to stop, all field labor, and to throw out of employment the great mass of people who live on the wages of such labor …distress arises, not so much from an actual want of food, as from a loss of wages – in other words, money to buy food…as a general rule, there is an abundance of food procurable, even in the worst districts and the worst time; but when men who at their best, live from hand to mouth, are deprived of their means of earning wages, they starve, not from the impossibility of getting food, but for want of the necessary money to buy it.[3]
Later, in its report on the Bengal famine of 1943 – the last major famine to occur in India, which claimed one and a half a million lives, the Commission also attributed other factors – namely greed and opportunism, as causes of the disaster: “Enormous profits were made out of this calamity, and in the circumstances, profits for some meant death for others. A large part of the community lived in plenty while others starved, and there was much indifference in the face of suffering.”[4]
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Blue Planet – Wrecked by Modern Lifestyles
Greetings from " MY Right to Safe Food"
I was recently invited by Saint Aloysius College to address the M.S.W students on the above topic Blue Planet – Wrecked by Modern Lifestyles. I felt privileged to have a “birds eye view” of the challenges and opportunities lurking out there on the horizon.
After a long time, i had the pleasure of witnessing perfect co-ordination and communications skills where each teacher, student played a part so crucial that every fine attention to detail made the event even more outstanding. Bat an eyelid and a student emerged out of nowhere to fulfill a request. Deeply touching was the warmth and hospitality for it spoke volumes of an institute operating with a kindred team spirit. This could only happen when the team of faculty and students are steered by the heads who encourage, motivate standards of excellence to make an event a roaring success. Mine was only a small contribution of sharing to the already well defined objectives. Perhaps a lesson or two needs to be drawn from these students on self motivation and understanding the nuances of a guest. Saint Aloysius College did it with much ease, full credits. The first impression was a memorable lasting one. I share the outcome of events as it concerns us all.
The huge damage done by mankind to the assaulted, ailing planet was a shocking eye opener literally jolting me, taking me into the realms of despair. Whilst my visual presentation gave startling revelations unfolding factors that induced climate change from global warming, desertification, deforestation, water scarcity, the impact of green revolution and its erosive farming methods to Genetic manipulation touted as the solution to eradicate hunger. I presented live examples of sustainable integrated farming practices as the solution to the huge mounting concerns on the symptoms of a world that is out of balance and very seriously ill, bringing with it the economic disparity, educational inequities, geopolitical tensions that we are being witnessed today.
When you get into the core problems, whether in Washington, Delhi or Tokyo, you keep seeing the same moral deficiencies: self-indulgence, irresponsibility and imprudence. Consuming less may be the single biggest thing you can do to save carbon emissions, and yet no one dares to mention it. Because if we did, it would threaten economic growth, the very thing that is causing the problem in the first place.
Climate change is affecting people and nature in countless ways, and it often increases existing threats that have already put pressure on the environment. Our districts/villages in North Karnataka are marooned by wrath of floods, small islands around the globe are soon to disappear with sea levels rising at such a fast pace. But it is not a problem which has appeared overnight – it's 40 years since scientists first alerted the world to the dangers of climate change. How much longer are we going to allow it to continue?
The cause of climate change is the unlimited burning of fossil fuels – coal, oil and natural gas to satisfy our hunger for energy. In addition to the almost 1 billion food-insecure people, many more in developing countries are facing food insecurity with deserts spreading, thanks to monocultures of intensive corrosive farming as soils are eroded, our Asian monsoon system is substantively changed, the freshwater supply from melting mountain glaciers such as those in the Himalayas have become increasingly erratic.
Our wrecked lifestyles are our own creations. Recycling and changing our light bulbs is not enough. Climate crisis is a crisis of lifestyle and of character, we truly see the connection between our behavior and the planet’s problems, we are simply deceiving ourselves to go on living as we have been. This crisis is the sum total of every one of our choices, and those choices made in our name. Everything we do, every choice we make, makes a difference –good, bad, or neutral. We have to rethink our lifestyles, to make the changes that will allow us to stop contributing to this problem. The growth-driven path is not viable, and in all likelihood no longer even economic.
Consumption of resources is rising rapidly, biodiversity is plummeting and just about every measure shows humans affecting Earth on a vast scale. The one piece of advice you will not see on a government list is "buy less stuff". Buying an energy-efficient TV is to be applauded; not buying one at all is a crime against society. Nobody is held responsible for the fact that we are spending our natural capital like there is no tomorrow.. When the planet’s life support systems are trashed, no one can bail it out. With vested faulty policies and politicians spending time and throwing trillions of dollars at a solution to the financial crisis, they have yet to truly address the still more serious crisis of a crashing climate system.
Unless this failure is put right at the United Nations Copenhagen Climate Conference, 2009 will come to be seen as the year of one of the greatest political failures the world has ever seen.
And unless, we reduce the amount we consume, and change the sources of the things we use in our daily lives. The issues you will see are not just about the environment or wildlife; these issues are about children, families, and communities. This is about people—the cultural survival of an entire people, which, of course, are connected to the survival of the planet as a whole. For it is our children who will pay the highest price for how we treat the earth. As the ancient Native American proverb says, “the earth does not belong to us; we merely borrow it from our children”. And only when we have learned to walk more lightly on the earth, will we truly come to revere the web of life. And ourselves.
250 years ago Adam Smith warned about the “ endless pursuit of unnecessary things” that can emerge in a growth-focused economy, consumers have to redefine the good life.
8 years ago, i asked myself this question whilst making shifts from the corporate "how much do i need to live sustainably without compromising on standards?" Believe me, its a question we fear asking ourselves. But when you do. You need very little! Provided you are honest without having to appease a society or an ego.
A hundred years ago, there were one and a half billion people on Earth. Now, over six billion crowd our fragile planet. So it is up to us to be conscious of the choices made in every moment shaping our lives. We need to globalize environmental management to protect the planet’s life support system. Thanks to human ingenuity there are now smarter ways to make energy as well strive to revive sustainable farming methods that are low cost, a practice long forgotten. Organic agriculture is an integrated production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic systems can capture more than 420 kg Carbon per acre, or 1 ton per hectare. That means 1700 kg of CO2 per acre per year.
Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved. Together we can shift consciousness by co-creating and restoring ecological balance to nourish all life, and mitigate the effects of climate change.
I could see my talk had the desired impact despite electricity failure, the fiery interactions continued with probing questions hoping to make that difference. Fortunately, i work on solutions of sustainable farming livelihoods, now I am further convinced that many more, including government/policymakers need to adopt and practice such safe methods to combat or overcome this ravaging current crisis. Being an optimist to the core, I live in the hope that together we can salvage and heal our planet to make that difference. A vote of thanks amidst applause and flowers concluded my session. Warm emails poured thereafter expressing gratitude " The life you brought with you is fascinating. Its possible only for a very few people to give life to others" says Ida D' Souza.
Heartening indeed, but my mission will be more rewarding, when a suggestion put forth to Aloysius College given their strength, to make space available and have an inhouse garden to grow varieties of vegetable crops and herbs. This could be an education project on diversity for students as well. The fresh produce all year round could be used in the kitchen for the staff or for canteens if any. If such a lead was taken, it would be unique and refreshing thereby avoid handing out of so many bouquets to guests. You will agree flowers are often wasted and expensive. The kind of pesticides sprayed on these beautiful flowers sap the ground water tables unknown to consumers. If colleges can make conscious choices and handed guests with a biodiversity pack grown in house( yellow, pink, orange and more varieties of tomatoes, peppers, brinjals and more) It revives an ancient tradition of adding value, educating visitors on biodiversity that exists.
The future is not what happens to us, but rather what we create.
To quote an American poet named Louise Bogan whose words speak to me in the work I do.
“In a time lacking in truth and certainty and filled with anguish and despair, no woman should be shamefaced in attempting to give back to the world through her work, a portion of its lost heart”
In solidarity
Sangita Sharma
http://myrighttosafefood.blogspot.com/
I was recently invited by Saint Aloysius College to address the M.S.W students on the above topic Blue Planet – Wrecked by Modern Lifestyles. I felt privileged to have a “birds eye view” of the challenges and opportunities lurking out there on the horizon.
After a long time, i had the pleasure of witnessing perfect co-ordination and communications skills where each teacher, student played a part so crucial that every fine attention to detail made the event even more outstanding. Bat an eyelid and a student emerged out of nowhere to fulfill a request. Deeply touching was the warmth and hospitality for it spoke volumes of an institute operating with a kindred team spirit. This could only happen when the team of faculty and students are steered by the heads who encourage, motivate standards of excellence to make an event a roaring success. Mine was only a small contribution of sharing to the already well defined objectives. Perhaps a lesson or two needs to be drawn from these students on self motivation and understanding the nuances of a guest. Saint Aloysius College did it with much ease, full credits. The first impression was a memorable lasting one. I share the outcome of events as it concerns us all.
The huge damage done by mankind to the assaulted, ailing planet was a shocking eye opener literally jolting me, taking me into the realms of despair. Whilst my visual presentation gave startling revelations unfolding factors that induced climate change from global warming, desertification, deforestation, water scarcity, the impact of green revolution and its erosive farming methods to Genetic manipulation touted as the solution to eradicate hunger. I presented live examples of sustainable integrated farming practices as the solution to the huge mounting concerns on the symptoms of a world that is out of balance and very seriously ill, bringing with it the economic disparity, educational inequities, geopolitical tensions that we are being witnessed today.
When you get into the core problems, whether in Washington, Delhi or Tokyo, you keep seeing the same moral deficiencies: self-indulgence, irresponsibility and imprudence. Consuming less may be the single biggest thing you can do to save carbon emissions, and yet no one dares to mention it. Because if we did, it would threaten economic growth, the very thing that is causing the problem in the first place.
Climate change is affecting people and nature in countless ways, and it often increases existing threats that have already put pressure on the environment. Our districts/villages in North Karnataka are marooned by wrath of floods, small islands around the globe are soon to disappear with sea levels rising at such a fast pace. But it is not a problem which has appeared overnight – it's 40 years since scientists first alerted the world to the dangers of climate change. How much longer are we going to allow it to continue?
The cause of climate change is the unlimited burning of fossil fuels – coal, oil and natural gas to satisfy our hunger for energy. In addition to the almost 1 billion food-insecure people, many more in developing countries are facing food insecurity with deserts spreading, thanks to monocultures of intensive corrosive farming as soils are eroded, our Asian monsoon system is substantively changed, the freshwater supply from melting mountain glaciers such as those in the Himalayas have become increasingly erratic.
Our wrecked lifestyles are our own creations. Recycling and changing our light bulbs is not enough. Climate crisis is a crisis of lifestyle and of character, we truly see the connection between our behavior and the planet’s problems, we are simply deceiving ourselves to go on living as we have been. This crisis is the sum total of every one of our choices, and those choices made in our name. Everything we do, every choice we make, makes a difference –good, bad, or neutral. We have to rethink our lifestyles, to make the changes that will allow us to stop contributing to this problem. The growth-driven path is not viable, and in all likelihood no longer even economic.
Consumption of resources is rising rapidly, biodiversity is plummeting and just about every measure shows humans affecting Earth on a vast scale. The one piece of advice you will not see on a government list is "buy less stuff". Buying an energy-efficient TV is to be applauded; not buying one at all is a crime against society. Nobody is held responsible for the fact that we are spending our natural capital like there is no tomorrow.. When the planet’s life support systems are trashed, no one can bail it out. With vested faulty policies and politicians spending time and throwing trillions of dollars at a solution to the financial crisis, they have yet to truly address the still more serious crisis of a crashing climate system.
Unless this failure is put right at the United Nations Copenhagen Climate Conference, 2009 will come to be seen as the year of one of the greatest political failures the world has ever seen.
And unless, we reduce the amount we consume, and change the sources of the things we use in our daily lives. The issues you will see are not just about the environment or wildlife; these issues are about children, families, and communities. This is about people—the cultural survival of an entire people, which, of course, are connected to the survival of the planet as a whole. For it is our children who will pay the highest price for how we treat the earth. As the ancient Native American proverb says, “the earth does not belong to us; we merely borrow it from our children”. And only when we have learned to walk more lightly on the earth, will we truly come to revere the web of life. And ourselves.
250 years ago Adam Smith warned about the “ endless pursuit of unnecessary things” that can emerge in a growth-focused economy, consumers have to redefine the good life.
8 years ago, i asked myself this question whilst making shifts from the corporate "how much do i need to live sustainably without compromising on standards?" Believe me, its a question we fear asking ourselves. But when you do. You need very little! Provided you are honest without having to appease a society or an ego.
A hundred years ago, there were one and a half billion people on Earth. Now, over six billion crowd our fragile planet. So it is up to us to be conscious of the choices made in every moment shaping our lives. We need to globalize environmental management to protect the planet’s life support system. Thanks to human ingenuity there are now smarter ways to make energy as well strive to revive sustainable farming methods that are low cost, a practice long forgotten. Organic agriculture is an integrated production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic systems can capture more than 420 kg Carbon per acre, or 1 ton per hectare. That means 1700 kg of CO2 per acre per year.
Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved. Together we can shift consciousness by co-creating and restoring ecological balance to nourish all life, and mitigate the effects of climate change.
I could see my talk had the desired impact despite electricity failure, the fiery interactions continued with probing questions hoping to make that difference. Fortunately, i work on solutions of sustainable farming livelihoods, now I am further convinced that many more, including government/policymakers need to adopt and practice such safe methods to combat or overcome this ravaging current crisis. Being an optimist to the core, I live in the hope that together we can salvage and heal our planet to make that difference. A vote of thanks amidst applause and flowers concluded my session. Warm emails poured thereafter expressing gratitude " The life you brought with you is fascinating. Its possible only for a very few people to give life to others" says Ida D' Souza.
Heartening indeed, but my mission will be more rewarding, when a suggestion put forth to Aloysius College given their strength, to make space available and have an inhouse garden to grow varieties of vegetable crops and herbs. This could be an education project on diversity for students as well. The fresh produce all year round could be used in the kitchen for the staff or for canteens if any. If such a lead was taken, it would be unique and refreshing thereby avoid handing out of so many bouquets to guests. You will agree flowers are often wasted and expensive. The kind of pesticides sprayed on these beautiful flowers sap the ground water tables unknown to consumers. If colleges can make conscious choices and handed guests with a biodiversity pack grown in house( yellow, pink, orange and more varieties of tomatoes, peppers, brinjals and more) It revives an ancient tradition of adding value, educating visitors on biodiversity that exists.
The future is not what happens to us, but rather what we create.
To quote an American poet named Louise Bogan whose words speak to me in the work I do.
“In a time lacking in truth and certainty and filled with anguish and despair, no woman should be shamefaced in attempting to give back to the world through her work, a portion of its lost heart”
In solidarity
Sangita Sharma
http://myrighttosafefood.blogspot.com/
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