Guest guest Posted August 12, 2004 Report Share Posted August 12, 2004 > GM_breakdown_in_the_Americas > " GM_WATCH " <info > Thu, 12 Aug 2004 11:53:40 +0100 > > GM WATCH daily > http://www.gmwatch.org > --- > FOCUS ON THE AMERICAS > > " The rural poor lose an ecosystem which can provide > them with numerous goods such as food, medicines, > raw material for handicrafts or products that they > can trade. Like the Green Revolution, Genetic > Engineering has failed to feed the world. For the > biotech industry, it has been always all about > money. " (item 1) > > 1.Argentina's agricultural breakdown > 2.Brazil's biosafety breakdown > 3.US's weed control breakdown > --- > 1.Slash and burn agriulture breeds hunger and > deforestation > > Argentina: Genetic Engineering Causes Deforestation > Based on information from: " Record harvest-record > hunger " , Greenpeace > http://archive.greenpeace.org/~geneng/reports/food/record_harvestembargo.pdf > > Genetic engineering is the state of the art output > of the Green Revolution. It has deepened a pattern > where monoculture, land concentration, and > dependence -- on the technology, on the seed -- are > the rule. > > GE has been heralded by the same promises of the > Green Revolution: that it will feed the starving. > Promoters of GE have even tried to make its critics > feel guilty: " The day you look into the eyes of a > starving person, your opinion over transgenic crops > changes. Today, 24,000 people a day die because of > malnutrition. So when the North Europe decides not > to use this technology, this is morally > unacceptable " , said Dr Clive James, biotech > specialist at International Service for the > Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA). > > In 1996, the Argentinean government eagerly approved > the introduction of transgenic soy and became a > major global producer of Monsanto's Roundup Ready > (RR) soy, mainly for export. Meanwhile, hunger keeps > on increasing. > > In spite of record-breaking harvests, nearly half of > Argentineans are living in poverty. As of May 2002, > 18 million people -- almost 50% out of a population > of approximately 37 million -- cannot afford to meet > their basic needs. > > More than 20 years ago, the Nobel Laureate economist > Amartya Sen demonstrated that hunger and famine can > and often do occur in situations where there is no > overall shortage of food. Sen explained that when, > even in situations of overall food abundance, a > household's 'entitlement' (that is, its ability to > acquire food through legal means) is eroded because > of a fall in ownership of assets (crops, livestock, > property, jobs and so on), households will face > hunger and starvation, unless there is some form of > social security to protect them. > > Also, the arguments of the biotech group has been > that GE crops will help protect the environment by > increasing yields on land that is already > cultivated, and so reduce the need to clear forest > or other precious habitats for agriculture. However, > the huge increase in Argentinean soybean > production -- from around 10 million tonnes in 1991 > to nearly 27 million tonnes in 2001-- is a result of > increasing acreage, not increasing yields. > The increase in acreage has come about both through > the replacement of other crops -- not least on what > were once small and medium sized family farms > growing food for local and national consumption -- > and by deforestation. > > A Greenpeace study reveals how GE soybean has > contributed to the accelerated destruction of the > Yungas forest, in the northern province of Salta > --one of the economically poorest but biologically > richest in Argentina. The Yungas mountain > rainforest, or 'cloudforest', is probably the most > biodiverse area of Argentina. The forest can be > divided into four zones according to altitude, which > ranges from 300m (950ft) to more than 4000m > (14,000ft). The first zone, the Selva Pedemontana > (forest at the foot of the mountain), is the most > threatened. This zone harbours 30% of all > biodiversity of this valuable ecosystem. But less > than 20% of the Yungas remains in good condition for > either conservation or sustainable development > activities. > > The Selva Pedemontana is the zone at highest risk > and has traditionally suffered conversion to sugar > cane and orange plantations. More recently, beans > and tobacco monocultures have contributed even > further to forest destruction. But now Roundup Ready > Soy threatens to strike a final blow to this unique > and wonderful ecosystem. " At this pace we can forget > about the Selva Pedemontana in 5 years " says Dr > Alejandro Brown, founder of the Ecological Research > Yungas Laboratory at the National University of > Tucumn. According to Dr Brown's report,1000 hectares > (2500 acres) a year of Selva Pedemontana are > transformed to GE Soy in the areas of Orn and > Tartagal in the province of Salta. > > The rural poor lose an ecosystem which can provide > them with numerous goods such as food, medicines, > raw material for handicrafts or products that they > can trade. Like the Green Revolution, Genetic > Engineering has failed to feed the world. For the > biotech industry, it has been always all about > money. > --- > 2.Survey reveals inadequate soybean segregation in > Brazil > Food Chemical News, USA, 9 August 2004 > http://www.genet-info.org/genet/2004/Aug/msg00028.html > > Weaknesses in Brazilian soybean segregation were > recently brought to light when the agriculture > ministry released a report revealing that a > high number of samples testing positive as biotech > varieties came from farmers who were not supposed to > be growing them. Survey findings were based on > laboratory analyses of 7,374 samples taken in > various growing regions of the country. Some 296 > samples tested positive as biotech varieties, of > which only 88 were from farms of registered biotech > soybean growers. The remaining samples that tested > positive were traced back to farmers who had not > signed the biotech registry. Although the > unregistered biotech samples amounted to less than > 3% of the total, they represented over 70% of the > biotech samples. The report underscored inadequacies > in the biotech soybean registry program and the > resulting risk of biotech soybeans making their way > into supposedly non-biotech > shipments. It suggested that farmer noncompliance > with the biotech registry requirement makes it > impossible to ensure that non-biotech soybean > shipments will meet the strict transgenic content > limitations of premium export markets such as the > European Union. Nevertheless, farmers claim the > situation is beyond their control, because an > agriculture ministry investigation of seed companies > conducted at the outset of the 2003-04 growing > season demonstrated that numerous samples of > purportedly non-biotech seeds sold to farmers were > in fact bioengineered varieties. > --- > 3.Weed control could be circle of truths > by Eva Ann Dorris > Delta Farm Press, 29 Jul 2004 > http://deltafarmpress.com/news/072904-weed-control-technology/ > > ORANGE BEACH, Ala. - Controlling weeds in > Mississippi's row crops is definitely more > scientifically approached now than even 10 years > ago. Transgenic technology and the resulting concept > and application of herbicide resistant varieties > changed the lineup when it comes to problem weeds. > According to the state's top weed control > researchers and educators, the spectrum will > continue to change. > > When asked what should growers expect in weed > control in the next five to 10 years, participants > of the 12th annual Mississippi Weed Science > Roundtable in Orange Beach, wouldn't offer specific > predictions but all seemed in agreement that > " resistant " was fast becoming a word growers > would tire of hearing. The meeting was held just > prior to the opening of the concurrent summer > meetings of the Mississippi Agricultural Industry > Council and the Mississippi Seedmen's Association > yesterday. > > A variety resistant to damage from certain > herbicides is a good definition of " resistant. " A > weed resistant to that same herbicide is a > bad definition of " resistant. " > > Marestail, also called horseweed, which first > developed resistance in Tennessee, but is now in > other Mid-South states including Mississippi, is > the most notable " resistant " weed. While > over-the-top applications of glyphosate are > suppressing and killing weeds such as cocklebur and > teaweed that once could only be controlled with > multiple herbicide applications and cultivation, > other weeds such as the horseweed are emerging and > thriving despite the direct contact with glyphosate. > > Horseweed isn't widespread, but for the growers > lucky enough to get it, it means additional > herbicides and probably some plowing are now part of > their weed control program. For decades the plow and > the hoe kept Mississippi fields clean. While the > tools may have been pushed to the back of the shed, > the experts agree, plowing may be the only defense > to weeds that develop resistance to available > herbicides. > > If so, it will be the completion of a full circle in > search for the best weed management. However, within > the circle will be the huge advancements > of herbicide resistant varieties, variable rate > applications, species-specific herbicides and > precise application methods. > > Charles Snipes, MSU cotton specialist for the Delta, > says before growers could plant herbicide resistant > cotton, their four main weeds of concern > were morningglory, hemp sesbania, teaweed and > cocklebur. Today, with several years of experience > with herbicide resistant cotton and having > observed the millions of acres of it planted in the > past five years, the priorities for control have > shifted. > > " Post transgenic, or today, our top four weeds of > concern are morningglories, hemp sesbania, pigweed > and annual grasses, " says Snipes. > > Discussions about pigweed were directed at concerns > that it might be headed to glyphosate-resistant > status. > > Mark Kurtz, a weed control researcher at the Delta > Research and Extension Center in Leland, says rice > growers know the threat they have is of out > crossing of red rice. Stewardship to keep red rice > out of fields is perhaps the most manual weed > control method left. There are places where > growers and their workers are walking fields and > manually pulling up red rice to keep it out of the > fields. > > Dan Reynolds, professor of weed science at MSU, says > the future will bring more technology and more > stacked traits varieties. > > " If anything scares me, it's discovering the > herbicides designed for the various transgenic > varieties do leave room for other weeds to thrive, " > he says. > > " We have old chemicals now that we know will kill > our weeds, but companies can't keep them on the > shelves forever just in case we might need a > specific chemical for a specific weed. > > " When a weed gets resistant to glyphosate, I'm > worried we will not have the chemical we need to use > it. Companies are dropping chemicals, and > they are putting money into research for specific > weeds. They now bring forth products that will work > on a number of weeds at one time or will work in an > herbicide resistant program. " > > David Shaw, weed scientist and director of the > GeoResources Institute at MSU, says " one of the big > threats is if we have a big blowup with a weed > that just won't go away, we may not have access to > the alternative chemistry. If that happens, we will > see years of conservation tillage be abandoned > because growers will have to put the plows back into > the field to control weeds. " > > The weed specialists say the farmers don't want to > get the plows back out, but that could the only > option on some weeds. Snipes said this year was a > good example of when plowing could have made a big > difference. > > " Our crop suffocated, first from water and then from > the crusted soil - a good old plow did a world of > good in the fields I saw them cultivate, " he > says. > > Snipes says it would be difficult for producers to > go back to tillage and make any money with 50-cent > cotton. > > " We can still produce a crop without transgenic > cotton, but not at the same costs. Herbicide > resistant varieties have rapidly been adopted and > used, and growers have in some cases sold their > cultivation equipment and laid off their tractor > drivers. > > Alan Blaine, MSU Extension soybean specialist, says > even though growers rapidly adopted Roundup Ready > soybeans, he personally believes " given a > dry spring and half an opportunity that many > producers would go back to growing soybeans the old > way " if for no other reason than " as a statement. " > > " We've been talking about resistant management for a > number of years, " says MSU weed scientist John Byrd. > " We are concerned because we are losing so many of > our conventional products and getting very few new > products brought to the market. If we have a break > out of resistant weeds, it may be a bigger problem > to deal with than we realize. > > " I read out of an old book this morning that was > written in 1939. The author said Kudzu was not going > to be a problem to control. I don't think > any of us would make that statement about any weed. > We see areas where we are concerned that resistance > will become a problem, but those problems may never > materialize. We have to keep a close watch on what > weeds survive beyond a farmer's weed management > program " says Byrd. > > Reynolds was not surprised the first cases of > resistant horseweed were in Tennessee because of > that area's wide spread adoption of conservation > tillage. Glyphosate didn't kill it; producers > weren't plowing; and at first, they weren't using a > residual or herbicide combination that suppresses > the horseweed. > > " That started the resistance in the horseweed and > from there it's gone through its own selection > process, " says Reynolds. " And, we are concerned > other weeds will go through a similar selection > process and our list of resistant weeds will grow. " > > Representatives of industry attending the session > admitted research dollars were not heavily allocated > for the development of new herbicides, > but had shifted to other areas such as fungicides, > insecticides and resistant variety development. > > " Many of these concerns with resistant weeds are > realistic, " says Eric Palmer with Syngenta. " But > with good product stewardship, we will have > the products it takes to control these weeds. The > question will be if the grower is willing to spend > $20 to $25 an acre for that control. " > > Eva Ann Dorris is a freelance writer based in > Pontotoc, Miss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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