Achieving Food and Nutrition SecurityWithout Monsanto ... · Page 1 of 6 Achieving Food and...
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Page 1 of 6 Achieving Food and Nutrition Security…Without Monsanto By Kristof and Stacia Nordin, www.NeverEndingFood.org, 2017 April Today’s Dietitian Magazine is an American publication which bills itself as being “the leading news source for dietitians and nutritionists” and as “the trade publication registered dietitians and other nutrition professionals have come to trust each month as an independent voice on the issues and subjects that affect their profession, their clients, and their career development.” 1 They recently ran a 17-page Monsanto-sponsored ‘advertorial’ entitled ‘Let’s Dish!,” 2 which attempted to portray the use of genetic engineering as safe, sustainable, nutritious, and necessary for feeding a growing global population. Many of the claims made in this pro-Monsanto supplement were misleading and designed to bias the opinions of dietitians and other nutritional professionals who may have limited experience in agriculture and in the implementation of sustainable and highly-nutritious food production systems. My wife and I want to share a different perspective; a perspective based upon two decades of experience and empirical evidence gathered from the hands-on implementation of natural, sustainable, and highly-nutritious food production systems. Stacia and I are the Co-Founders of ‘Never Ending Food’ 3 , a community-based initiative in Malawi, Africa which implements, teaches, and demonstrates sustainable solutions to food and nutrition security. Originally from the United States, we have been living, working, and farming in Malawi for the past two decades. Stacia has been a member of the United States’ Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) since 1989, (formerly known as the American Dietetic Association [ADA]). In 1997, she joined AND’s international affiliate, the American Overseas Dietetic Association (AODA), of which she served on several committees and as President from 2008-2009. In 2001 Stacia won the International Dietetic Network ‘Star Award,’ in 2005 she was given the ‘Service Award’ which recognizes valuable contributions to the AODA, and in 2009 she was honored as the ‘Outstanding Dietitian of the Year’ –the highest award given by the American Overseas Dietetic Association. She has also been active on several of AND’s special interest groups, including the Hunger and Environmental Working Group (HEN), of which she received the 2011 award for ‘Excellence in Hunger and Environmental Nutrition’. In 2013, she co-authored the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ peer-reviewed Position Paper entitled “Nutrition Security in Developing Nations: Sustainable Food, Water and Health”. 4 Also in 2013, Stacia was selected by Today’s Dietitian Magazine as one of the top-10 “Incredible RDs Who Are Making a Difference” in the world. 5 I am a writer, a farmer, and an advocate for sustainable living systems. I hold a degree in Social Work, and both Stacia and I hold Diplomas in Permaculture Design. Together, our work has received international recognition by such publications and organizations as the Guardian Newspaper 6 , the Huffington Post 7 , the American Bar Association’s ‘Human Rights Magazine’ 8 , the UK’s Permaculture Magazine 9 , USAID 10 , Food Tank 11 , the Green Economics Institute, 12 , and the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (winner of the 2016 Food Sovereignty Prize) 13 . Monsanto promotes itself as a ‘sustainable agriculture company’. In environmental terms, ‘sustainability’ refers to “the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long- 1 http://www.todaysdietitian.com/ 2 http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/9130b46e#/9130b46e/1 3 http://www.neverendingfood.org/ 4 http://www.eatrightpro.org/resource/practice/position-and-practice-papers/position-papers/nutrition-security-in-developing-nations-sustainable-food-water-and-health 5 http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/030413p32.shtml 6 https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/dec/17/hungry-ate-water-lilies-southern-africa-food-crisis-dozen-dishes-crop-failure-drought-john-vidal 7 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/danielle-nierenberg/malawis-real-miracle_b_428171.html 8 http://www.americanbar.org/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/human_rights_vol37_2010/winter2010/the_politics_of_stigma_starving_in_a_land_of_plenty.html 9 https://www.permaculture.co.uk/issue/winter-2014 10 https://aidsfree.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/permaculture_design_ovc.pdf 11 https://foodtank.com/news/2015/07/sixteen-successful-projects-highlighting-permaculture-use/ 12 http://www.worldcat.org/title/greening-of-food-farming-and-agriculture-greening-the-food-on-your-plate/oclc/830354211 13 http://afsafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Never-Ending-Food-in-Malawi.pdf
Transcript of Achieving Food and Nutrition SecurityWithout Monsanto ... · Page 1 of 6 Achieving Food and...
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AchievingFoodandNutritionSecurity…WithoutMonsantoByKristofandStaciaNordin,www.NeverEndingFood.org,2017April
Today’sDietitianMagazineisanAmericanpublicationwhichbillsitselfasbeing“theleadingnewssourcefordietitiansandnutritionists”andas“thetradepublicationregistereddietitiansandothernutritionprofessionalshavecometotrusteachmonthasanindependentvoiceontheissuesandsubjectsthataffecttheirprofession,theirclients,andtheircareerdevelopment.”1Theyrecentlyrana17-pageMonsanto-sponsored‘advertorial’entitled‘Let’sDish!,”2whichattemptedtoportraytheuseofgeneticengineeringassafe,sustainable,nutritious,andnecessaryforfeedingagrowingglobalpopulation.Manyoftheclaimsmadeinthispro-Monsantosupplementweremisleadinganddesignedtobiastheopinionsofdietitiansandothernutritionalprofessionalswhomayhavelimitedexperienceinagricultureandintheimplementationofsustainableandhighly-nutritiousfoodproductionsystems.MywifeandIwanttoshareadifferentperspective;aperspectivebasedupontwodecadesofexperienceandempiricalevidencegatheredfromthehands-onimplementationofnatural,sustainable,andhighly-nutritiousfoodproductionsystems.
StaciaandIaretheCo-Foundersof‘NeverEndingFood’3,acommunity-basedinitiativeinMalawi,Africawhichimplements,teaches,anddemonstratessustainablesolutionstofoodandnutritionsecurity.OriginallyfromtheUnitedStates,wehavebeenliving,working,andfarminginMalawiforthepasttwodecades.StaciahasbeenamemberoftheUnitedStates’AcademyofNutritionandDietetics(AND)since1989,(formerlyknownastheAmericanDieteticAssociation[ADA]).In1997,shejoinedAND’sinternationalaffiliate,theAmericanOverseasDieteticAssociation(AODA),ofwhichsheservedonseveral
committeesandasPresidentfrom2008-2009.In2001StaciawontheInternationalDieteticNetwork‘StarAward,’in2005shewasgiventhe‘ServiceAward’whichrecognizesvaluablecontributionstotheAODA,andin2009shewashonoredasthe‘OutstandingDietitianoftheYear’–thehighestawardgivenbytheAmericanOverseasDieteticAssociation.ShehasalsobeenactiveonseveralofAND’sspecialinterestgroups,includingtheHungerandEnvironmentalWorkingGroup(HEN),ofwhichshereceivedthe2011awardfor‘ExcellenceinHungerandEnvironmentalNutrition’.In2013,sheco-authoredtheAcademyofNutritionandDietetics’peer-reviewedPositionPaperentitled“NutritionSecurityinDevelopingNations:SustainableFood,WaterandHealth”.4Alsoin2013,StaciawasselectedbyToday’sDietitianMagazineasoneofthetop-10“IncredibleRDsWhoAreMakingaDifference”intheworld.5Iamawriter,afarmer,andanadvocateforsustainablelivingsystems.IholdadegreeinSocialWork,andbothStaciaandIholdDiplomasinPermacultureDesign.Together,ourworkhasreceivedinternationalrecognitionbysuchpublicationsandorganizationsastheGuardianNewspaper6,theHuffingtonPost7,theAmericanBarAssociation’s‘HumanRightsMagazine’8,theUK’sPermacultureMagazine9,USAID10,FoodTank11,theGreenEconomicsInstitute,12,andtheAllianceforFoodSovereigntyinAfrica(winnerofthe2016FoodSovereigntyPrize)13.
Monsantopromotesitselfasa‘sustainableagriculturecompany’.Inenvironmentalterms,‘sustainability’refersto“thequalityofnotbeingharmfultotheenvironmentordepletingnaturalresources,andtherebysupportinglong-
1http://www.todaysdietitian.com/2http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/9130b46e#/9130b46e/13http://www.neverendingfood.org/4http://www.eatrightpro.org/resource/practice/position-and-practice-papers/position-papers/nutrition-security-in-developing-nations-sustainable-food-water-and-health5http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/030413p32.shtml6https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/dec/17/hungry-ate-water-lilies-southern-africa-food-crisis-dozen-dishes-crop-failure-drought-john-vidal7http://www.huffingtonpost.com/danielle-nierenberg/malawis-real-miracle_b_428171.html8http://www.americanbar.org/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/human_rights_vol37_2010/winter2010/the_politics_of_stigma_starving_in_a_land_of_plenty.html9https://www.permaculture.co.uk/issue/winter-201410https://aidsfree.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/permaculture_design_ovc.pdf11https://foodtank.com/news/2015/07/sixteen-successful-projects-highlighting-permaculture-use/12http://www.worldcat.org/title/greening-of-food-farming-and-agriculture-greening-the-food-on-your-plate/oclc/83035421113http://afsafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Never-Ending-Food-in-Malawi.pdf
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termecologicalbalance”.14Large-scaleindustrializedagriculture,whichbegantobeheavilypromotedduringthepost-WorldWarII‘GreenRevolution’,hasservedtopushusfurtherandfurtherawayfromnutritionaldiversity.Theuseofmonoculturalpractices(incrops,orchards,forests,livestockandfisheries),alongwiththeexpandeduseoftoxicchemicals(e.g.pesticides,herbicides,fungicides,syntheticfertilizers,etc.),aswellasgrowingconcernsoverthemassoutbreaksofdiseasesandtheover-useofantibiotics,areallsymptomscausedbythedisruptionof‘ecologicalbalance’,butthediseaseisthesystemitself.
Monsantoclaimsthatweneedtoscaleuptheuseofchemicalsandtechnologiessuchasgeneticengineeringtofeedagrowingglobalpopulation,claimingthat“800million”peopleintheworldarechronicallyhungry.However,whenonelooksatthecurrentnutritionalchallenges,weoftenfindthatitisalackofdiversity—ratherthanalackof‘food’—whichiscausingthemajorityofproblemswithinhumanandenvironmentalhealth.Hungerandmalnutritionaretwoverydifferentthings.Wecancontinuetotryto'fillpeopleup'onhigh-carbohydrate,low-nutrientfoodslikemaizeandrice(calculatingonly'caloriesperhectare'),orwecanbegintoworktowardsthediversificationofagricultureanddiets,whichfollowtherecommendednutritionalguidelinesforwell-balanceddiets.
Accordingtoa2016reportfromtheFoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations(FAO),entitled“FamilyFarminginSub-SaharanAfrica,”itstatesthat:“InMalawi,familyfarmspossessabout1.2hectaresperhousehold.”15ThefarmthatmywifeandImanage(NeverEndingFood)isalso1.2hectaresinsize.ThismeansthatoureffortstodemonstratetheincrediblepotentialthatMalawihastobringanendtoproblemsoffoodandnutrtionsecurityisverymuchinlinewiththeamountoflandthatthemajorityofpeopleinMalawiarecurrentlyworkingwith.
Ourfarmoperatesonagroecologicalprinciples.Werelyupontheuseof‘IntegratedPestManagement’(IPM)strategiestoeliminatetheneedfortoxicchemicals,wehealthesoiltoeliminatetheneedforsyntheticfertilizers,wemanageandharvestourwatertomitigatetheeffectsoffloodsanddrought,andwegrowover200highly-nutritiousanddiversifiedfoodsprovidingseasonal,perennial,andlocalsolutionstofoodandnutritionsecurity.Wehavebeenabletoshow,first-hand,howlow-input—oftenfree—sustainablesolutionsmaybeachieved.
Agroecologystrivestodesignagriculturalsystemswhichworkinharmonywithnaturalecologicalsystems.In2011,theUnitedNationsreleasedareportonthebenefitsofAgroecology,statingthat:“Basedonanextensivereviewofrecentscientificliterature,thereportdemonstratesthatagroecology,ifsufficientlysupported,candoublefoodproductioninentireregionswithin10yearswhilemitigatingclimatechangeandalleviatingruralpoverty."16
InMalawi,wheremonocroppedagriculturehasbeenpushedpredominantlytowardstheover-productionofmaize(corn),wefindthatpeopleoftenequate‘foodsecurity’to‘maizesecurity’.Malawicurrentlysuffersfromunacceptablelevelsofnutritional‘stunting’.In2015aUnitedNationsreport,“TheCostofHungerinMalawi’,estimatedthetotalannualcostsassociatedwithchildundernutritiontobeUS$597million,equalto10.3%ofMalawi’sGrossDomesticProduct.17Manypeoplebelievethatcountries,likeMalawi,arecontinuallyfacinghunger14http://www.dictionary.com/browse/sustainability15http://www.fao.org/3/a-i6056e.pdf16http://www.srfood.org/en/report-agroecology-and-the-right-to-food17https://www.wfp.org/content/cost-hunger-malawi
Figure1:AnAgroecologyCaseStudyonNeverEndingFoodinMalawi,fromtheAllianceforFoodSovereigntyinAfrica(AFSA),winnerofthe2016
FoodSovereigntyPrize(http://afsafrica.org/case-studies/)
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andfamine,butjusttheoppositeistrue.In2005,thegovernmentofMalawilaunchedthe‘FarmInputSubsidyProgram(FISP)’whichhasspentmillionsofdollarstosubsidizethehighcostsofsyntheticfertilizers.Thisprogramworked.From2006to2014,Malawiover-produced‘food’,butonefood,fromonefoodgroup,givingthenationonelimitedsetofnutrients.Despitehavingmaizesurpluses(someyearsclosetoamillionmetrictonsinexcessofthenation’sstaple-foodrequirements),therewaslittle-to-nocorrespondingreductionofthenutritional‘stunting’rates.Throughouttheworld,governmentsarenowspendingbillionsofdollarstosubsidizemonocroppedagriculture,butasagricultureisfailingnutritionally,thesesamegovernmentsareforcedintospendingbillionsofdollarstosubsidizenutritionaltreatments(throughfortification,supplementation,andmedicinalprograms).In2012,theMalawiangovernmentreceiveda$5milliondollardonationfromIrishAid,UNICEF,andUSAIDtofortifysugarwithvitaminA18.Malawifacesdeficienciesinmostmicronutrients(suchasvitaminAandiron),oftenresortingtohealthcentersandfortificationprogramstoprovidethesenutrientsinmedicinalform,yetthecountryisrichinnaturalsourcesofthesenutrientswhicharebeingoverlooked,over-shadowed,andignoredbythepushtoonlyproduceandeatalimitedhandfulofcrops.
Monsantomakestheclaimin‘Let’sDish!’thatgeneticengineeringisneededtomitigatetheeffectsofclimatechange.Theyclearlystatethat:“Thereisabroadconsensusinthescientificcommunitythatclimatechangeishappening,”buttheyfailtomentionthatthecurrentindustrializedfoodproductionsystemisestimatedtoberesponsibleforupwardsof50%ofallgreenhousegasemissions,asreportedbytheWallStreetJournal.19Suggestingthatanincreaseinmonocroppingandgeneticengineeringisthecure,whenitisactuallythedisease,isabitliketryingtotreatalcoholismwithalcohol.Theyalsostatethat,“drought-tolerantmaizeisalreadyimprovinglivesinAfrica”.Engineeringdrought-tolerantseeds,whileignoringsustainablesolutionstomitigatetheeffectsofclimatechange(suchasusingtraditionalopen-pollinatedandnaturallydrought-tolerantseeds,healingthesoil,harvestingwater,mulching,usingcover-crops,diversifyingproductionsystems,etc.)isshort-sightedandmisguided.Lastyear(2016)Malawiexperiencedadrought,whichsawlonggapsofuptotwoweeksbetweenperiodsofrainfall.Farmerswhocaredfortheirsoil,managedtheirwater,anddiversifiedtheircropsdidverywell,despitetheso-calleddrought.ThepicturebelowshowstwofieldsinourareaofMalawi.Bothpicturesweretakenonthesameday,thefieldsareabout100metersapartfromeachother,andbothfieldsreceivedthesameamountofrainfall.Thepictureontheleftshowsoneofourinternsstandinginhisneighbor’smonocroppedmaizefield,wherethesoilhasbeenneglectedandthehybridizedmaizehasbecomedependentupontheapplicationofsyntheticfertilizers.Thepictureontherightisthatofourintern’sownfield,whichis100%organic,mulched,integratedwithdiversecrops,andplantedwithfreeopen-pollinatedseeds(hismonetaryproductioncostswerezero).Newspapersarereportingthatupto6millionMalawiansarenowfacingfoodinsecuritythisyearbecauseoftheover-reliance(andfailure)ofonecrop—maize(corn)—whichwasintroducedtotheAfricancontinentandhasservedtomarginalizemanywell-adaptedandhighly-nutritioustraditionalcrops.Theimagesspeakforthemselves:
Figure2:AnnualMaizeHarvestinMalawi Figure3:NeverEndingFoodIntern,ChikuZamula,standingintwodifferentagricultural
productionsystemsduringMalawi's2016drought.
18http://www.nyasatimes.com/malawi-spends-5m-for-vitamin-a-sugar-fortification-programme/19http://blogs.wsj.com/numbers/how-much-of-worlds-greenhouse-gas-emissions-come-from-agriculture-1782/
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Industrialagriculturesystemsareoftenreferredtoas‘conventional’agriculture,butamoreappropriatetermwouldbe‘compensation’agriculture,aswefindtheuseofchemicals,syntheticfertilizers,andgeneticengineeringbeingusedto‘compensate’forproblemsthatwe—ashumans—arecreating.Profit-drivenproponentsofgeneticengineeringliketomaketheclaimthattheirproductsaredesignedtouselesschemicals,wheninfact,justtheoppositeistrue.In2013,ForbesMagazinerananarticleentitled,‘GMOCropsMeanMoreHerbicide,NotLess’,inwhichtheywrote:“Food&WaterWatchfoundthatthe"totalvolumeofglyphosateappliedtothethreebiggestGEcrops—corn,cottonandsoybeans—increased10-foldfrom15millionpoundsin1996to159millionpoundsin2012."OverallpesticideusedecreasedonlyinthefirstfewyearsGEcropswereused(42percentbetween1998and2001)andhassincethenrisenby26percentfrom2001to2010.By2011therewerealsothreetimesasmanyherbicide-resistantweedsfoundinfarmer'sfieldsastherewerein2001.Thishasmeanthugeprofitsforagribusinessesdevelopingandsellinggeneticallyengineeredseeds,herbicidesandpesticides.Seedrevenueshaveseptupled(increasedsevenfold)since1998.”20
Asbio-diversityisincreasinglyremovedfromouragriculturalproductionsystems,problemsarise.Whenhabitatiseradicated,naturalpredatorsareeliminatedwhichleadstoimbalancesinpestpopulations.Monsantoattemptsto‘compensate’forthislossbygeneticallyengineeringplantswhichareinherentlytoxic.Hereagain,wefindtheclaimbeingmadethatgeneticallyengineeredcrops‘decrease’theuseofpesticides,wheninfact,theyarerelyingonthe‘outofsight,outofmind’mentality.Puttingthepesticideintotheplantdoesnoteliminatethepesticide,itsimplyhidesitbetter.ThemajorityofthesecropscontainBt(bacillusthuringiensis)proteincrystals.Btisanaturallyoccurringbacteriathathaslongbeenused,eveninorganicagriculture,tohelpwithpestcontrol.Themajordifferenceisthatwhenusedasanexternalapplication,BtisquicklybrokendownintheUVsunlightandwashesoffeasilywithrain,irrigation,andfoodpreparation,seldommakingittothelevelofhumanconsumption.Whenitisgeneticallyengineereddirectlyintotheplant,thisbreakdowndoesnotoccur,andnowwehavedirect-to-consumerGMOfoodswhichcarrytheBttoxin(mostcommonlyBt-cornandBt-soybeans).Btworksbyattackingthegutcellsofinsects,perforatingtheintestinalgutlining,andcausingtheeventualdeathoftheinsect.Notsurprisingly,weareseeingadrasticincreaseininflammatoryanddigestivediseasessincetheintroductionofGMOsinthelate1990s.Inonestudyjustonthehospitalizationofpeopleundertheageof20,theJournalofInvestigativeMedicinefounda65percentincreaseinIBD[inflammatoryboweldisease]hospitaldischargesfrom2000to2009.21
Advocatesfortrulysustainableagriculturalsystems,whoareopposedtotheuseofgeneticengineeringto‘compensate’fortheproblemsbeingcausedbyindustrializedagriculture,areoftenaccusedofbeing'anti-science';yetmostarecallingforfarmoreresearchtobedonebeforereleasingtheseartificially-createdgenetically-alteredspeciesintotheearth'secosystems.Thesuffix'-cide'(asinpesticide,herbicide,fungicide,etc.)comesfromtheLatin'-cida'whichmeans'death'or'killer'.Insteadoffosteringsystemsoflife,agriculturehaschosentotreadapathofdeathanddestruction.Thelatestendeavorbeingusedbygeneticresearchers,whichishighlightedin‘Let’sDish!’istheuseof‘CRISPR’technology.Thisisthetechnologybehindthecurrent‘genedrives’whicharebeingusedtosterilize—andtherefore—eradicateentirespeciesofmosquitoes22,andareevenbeinglookedattowipeouthighlynutritiousvegetables,suchasPalmeramaranth.Amaranthseedsarehighinproteinandfiber,andtheirleavesarehighinvitaminAandiron,aswellasbeinggoodsourcesofiron,calciumandniacin.23ThemainreasonthatresearchersarelookingatusingCRISPRtechnologytoeradicatethisfoodisbecauseithasbecomeresistanttotheuseofMonsanto’sglyphosate-basedRoundupherbicide24.Theuseofgeneticengineeringintheseexamplesamounttonothinglessthanaformofgenocide.InWillDurant's'TheStoryofPhilosophy'hewrites:“Sciencetellsushowtohealandhowtokill;itreducesthedeathrateinretailandthenkillsuswholesaleinwar;butonlywisdom—desirecoordinatedinthelightofallexperience—cantelluswhentohealandwhentokill.”
20https://www.forbes.com/sites/bethhoffman/2013/07/02/gmo-crops-mean-more-herbicide-not-less/#408a0e1a3cd521https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130625141208.htm22http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/03/14/genetically-modified-mosquitos-released-into-the-wild-to-wipe-ou/23http://www.aihd.ku.edu/foods/Pigweed.html24https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/09/science/national-academies-sciences-gene-drive-technology.html?_r=0
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Whencropsoranimalsareplacedtoocloselytogether,astheyareinmonocroppedfieldsandconfinedanimalfeedingoperations(CAFOs),thisencouragestheoutbreakofdisease.AMarch2017reportfromBloombergreportedthatanoutbreakofAvianfluonchickenandturkeyfarmsintheUnitedStates,“ledtothedeathofmorethan48millionbirdsthroughmid-2015,eitherfrominfectionorculling.”25In2014,anoutbreakofPorcineepidemicdiarrheavirus(PEDv)brokeoutacrossfactoryfarmsintheUnitedStates,leadingtothedeathofnearly10%ofthenation’spigpopulation,orapproximately7millionpigs.26Similaroutbreaksofdiseasearenowbeingexperiencedincrops,whereengineeringisbeingpromotedasthe‘cure’(e.g.papayas,bananas,cassava,sweetpotatoes,etc.).Hereagain,onefindsthattheworstoutbreaksareoccurringinmonocroppedproductionsystems.Insteadoflookingattheroot-causesoftheseoutbreaksofdisease,weseemtobeusinggeneticengineeringtoalterourplantsandanimalstocopewithunhealthysystemsofagriculture.Thiswouldn’tseemtobethemostprudent,norsustainable,pathtoabrighterfuture.
Monsanto’spropaganda-drivenadvertisement‘Let’sDish!,’highlightsoneoftheiremployees,aclinicaldietitiannamedMiltonStokes,who,whenaskedifgeneticallyengineeredfoodsshouldbelabeled,madetheclaimthat,“Theyaren’tdifferentnutritionallyfromconventionallygrownfoods,sonocauseforlabeling.”Thereareacoupleofthingswrongwiththisstatement.Firstofall,geneticengineeringisaverynewtechnologyanditsimpacts,safety-regulation,andlabelingconcernshavenotyetbeenfullyexplored.Noconsensushasbeenreachedregardingtheirsafety27,noone-size-fits-allregulationwillcoverthisrapidlytransformingscience,noonecansaywith100%certaintywhatthelong-termeffectsofreleasingthesenewlycreatedspeciesintoecosystemsthathaveevolvedovermillionsofyearswillbe,andtheargumentofGMOsbeing'substantiallyequivalent'toconventionalfoodsshouldhavebeendismissedthemomentthefirstpatentforageneticallyengineeredcropwasissued.Thegeneticallyengineeredplantsandanimalsthatarecurrentlyinagriculturalusehavehumanandenvironmentalhealthconcerns,andshouldbelabeledaccordingly.'RoundupReady'cropsareengineeredtowithstanddirectapplicationsofglyphosateherbicide,whichtheWorldHealthOrganizationclassifiedasa'probablecarcinogen'28.Rounduphasalsobeenfoundtodisruptecosystemstothepointthatsincethe1990’salmostabillionMonarchbutterflieshavevanished,resultinginalmosta90%declineinthisimportantpollinator’spopulation.29Consumersshouldhavearighttoknowwhattheyareputtingintotheirbodiesandwhattypesofsystemstheirmoneyisbeingusedtosupport.Labelingofgeneticallyengineeredcropscarrieshealth,environmental,economical,andethicalimplications—allofwhichneedtobetakenintoconsideration.
Thesecondproblemwiththeclaimthatgeneticallyengineeredfoods‘aren’tdifferentnutritionally’isthatnowgeneticengineeringisbeingusedto‘compensate’forthelossofnutritionaldiversificationwithinmonocroppedsystemsbyengineeringnutrients(suchasvitaminA)intocropswhereitdoesn’tnaturallyoccur.Thiswoulddefinitelyqualifyasbeing‘nutritionallydifferent,’anditdoesn’taddresstheentiretyofthenutritionalproblems.Whenmalnutritionarises,itseldomremainsisolatedtoasinglenutrientsuchasVitaminA,butaffectsawiderangeofnutrientssuchasiron,VitaminE,VitaminB12,selenium,magnesium,calcium,protein,etc.Thegeneticalterationfornutrition,alongwithnutritionalfortificationandsupplementationprogramsareveryoften‘Band-Aid’approaches.Theycoveruptheproblemwithoutaddressingtheroot-causes.Theseso-called‘emergencyresponses’havenowbecomelong-termstrategies,whichareoftenexpensive,donor-dependent,andunsustainable.Manyoftheseapproachescontinuetopromoteanover-relianceonthelimitedproductionandconsumptionofstaplefoods,wheretheproductionandconsumptionofnaturalandhighly-nutritiousfoodsaregreatlydiminished,andthentheselossesare‘compensated’forthroughtheuseofexpensiveartificialinterventions.OnestudyfromPhillips-McDougall,ananalyticalconsultingagencyfortheagrochemicalandbiotechindustry,showedthattheaveragecostassociatedwiththediscovery,development,andauthorizationofasinglebiotechnologyderivedcroptraitbetweentheyearsof2008-2012,was$136milliondollars.30
25https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-06/bird-flu-found-in-tennessee-flock-near-top-u-s-chicken-states26http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/05/140501-pigs-virus-meat-prices-food-science-health/27http://www.ensser.org/increasing-public-information/no-scientific-consensus-on-gmo-safety/28http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045%2815%2970134-8/abstract29http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/nearly-billion-monarch-butterflies-vanished-since-1990/30https://croplife.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Getting-a-Biotech-Crop-to-Market-Phillips-McDougall-Study.pdf
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‘Let’sDish!’attemptstomakesitsoundlikefarmershavebeenusinggeneticengineeringtoalterplantsforover10,000years.Thisisafalsenarrativethatthegeneticengineeringindustrylikestopromotetomakeitsoundlikegeneticengineeringisnodifferentthanconventionalbreeding.Whileit’struethatfarmershaveselectedseedswithdesiredgenetictraitsforthousandsofyears,therearenaturallimitationsonwhatcan—andcan’t—bedone.Forinstance,innature,aredbeanmaycrosswithawhitebean(similarspecies)tocreateared-and-whitespeckledbean,butthesamebeancannotcrosswithatomato(differentspecies).Geneticengineeringnowallowsforthecrossingofgeneticmaterialfromcompletelyunrelatedspecies,andinsomeinstancecompletelyunrelatedkingdoms,ofplantsandanimals.Nowhereinnaturalevolutionaryprocesseswouldalambevercrosswithajellyfish,butinFranceanexperimentallambwiththegeneticmaterialofajellyfishsomehowescapedalloftheregulatorysafeguards,andmadeitswayintothepublicfoodsystem.31
Theadvertorialalsotriestomakethecasethatgeneticallyengineeredcropsareleadingtoincreasedyields.Thisagain,isafalsehood.In2016,theNewYorkTimesreportedthat:“geneticmodificationintheUnitedStatesandCanadahasnotacceleratedincreasesincropyieldsorledtoanoverallreductionintheuseofchemicalpesticides.”32Whenonelooksatyields,therearemanywaysthatwecouldbeincreasingoverallfoodproduction.InMalawi,agoodharvestofmaizecurrentlystandsaround2,000-3,000kg/hectare,butintheincessantpushtoincreasemaizeyields,wehavebeenoverlookingextremelyhigh-yieldinglocalcrops.ThereisalocalyaminMalawi(Dioscoreaspecies)whichcommonlygrowstobe20kgorlarger.Ahectareoflandis100metersby100meters(or10,000squaremeters).Ifafarmerweretotake2metersby2metersofhisorherland(4squaremeters)andplantayaminthemiddleofit,thiswouldallowfor2,500yamswithinahectare.At20kgperyam,thisamountsto50,000kgoffoodperhectare,or47,000kgmorethanagoodharvestofmaize.Yamsvinesliketoclimbtrees,sofruitandnuttreescouldbeaddedtothissystem,whilestillleavingroomfortheincorporationofadditionalvegetables,legumes,staplesandoilcrops—allservingtoboostoverallyieldsevenhigher.
Ifwewanttoensurefoodandnutritionsecurity,weneedtobegintoprotecttheentiretyoftheecosystemsinwhichtheygrow.Wealsoneedtodoamuchbetterjobofre-connectingnutrition(andnutritionists)withwhereourfoodcomesfrom,howit’sproduced,andhowthesesystemscanbedesignedtoprovidesafe,toxin-free,diversified,highly-nutritious,low-cost,andeasily-accessiblefoodwhichisavailabletoeverysinglepersonontheplanet.Sustainable,healthy,natural,andagroecologicalsolutionsexist(which,ascitedearlier,can“doublefoodproductioninentireregionswithin10yearswhilemitigatingclimatechangeandalleviatingruralpoverty”),butinordertoachieveatrue'greenrevolution'weneedtolearnhowtoworkwithnature,notagainstit.Monsantoiscurrentlypushingmanycountriestowardstheadoptionoftheirthird-generationofgeneticallyengineeredcotton(knownasBollgardIII),whichhastriple-stackedthetoxicitywithinthecottonseedbecausethefirsttwogenerationshavebecomeineffectivetothepeststheywereengineeredtokill33.And,asMonsanto’sglyphosate-basedRoundupherbicideisbeginningtoloseitseffectivenesstoherbicide-resistantweeds,ithasledothercompanies(suchasDowChemical)tolaunchalineofcornandsoywhichhavebeengeneticallyengineeredtowithstandacombinationofglyphosateandtheevenmoretoxic2,4-D(whichwasanactiveingredientin‘AgentOrange’usedduringtheVietnamWar)34.Sothequestionbecomes:Howmuchtoxicityarewegoingtoallowtobeengineeredintoourproductionsystems,andhowmuchnutritionaldiversityarewegoingtoallowtobeeradicated,beforewecometotheconclusionthatperhapswearecareeningdownadead-endroadwithcompaniesliketheseinthedriver’sseat?
31http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11693029/Genetically-modified-jellyfish-lamb-accidentally-hits-French-dinner-plates.html32https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/30/business/gmo-promise-falls-short.html33http://news.agropages.com/News/NewsDetail---16886.htm34http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/press-releases/3536/epa-approves-new-24-d-herbicide-blend-paving-way-for-controversial-ge-crops#
Figure5:FormerNeverEndingFoodIntern,HardwellKaniye,standinginhisdiversified,organic,andhighly-nutritious
foodforest
Figure4:FormerNeverEndingFoodManager,
LuwayoBiswick,holdinga20kglocalyam
