Planting false hopes with patented seeds
16/05/2010
Source: desmoinesregister.com
Is it surprising corporations that sell genetically modified (GM) seeds are telling us they can save Africa with their patented seeds ("Biotech in Africa: High Hopes and High Stakes," May 9)? In the United States, one corporation, Monsanto, owns the genes of more than 90 percent of soybean and 80 percent of corn seeds.
That monopoly power in the seed market is causing sources of non-GM seeds to dry up. Already, some Iowa farmers are having difficulty finding non-GM seeds.
Now Monsanto is telling us with a straight face that it wants to give its patented GM seeds to African farmers, royalty free. That is reminiscent of the Nestle ploy of the 1970s, offering free breast-milk substitute to Third World mothers until their breast milk dried up, making the mothers dependent on Nestle.
A recent United Nations study came to conclusions strikingly different from Monsanto. In an analysis of 144 projects in 24 African countries, the study found that when limited-resource farmers adopted organic methods that took advantage of locally available technologies and resources, they were able to double their yields, improve soil fertility and increase drought resistance, without having to purchase expensive pesticides, fertilizers and GM seeds, which they could not afford anyway.
Is it surprising corporations that sell genetically modified (GM) seeds are telling us they can save Africa with their patented seeds ("Biotech in Africa: High Hopes and High Stakes," May 9)? In the United States, one corporation, Monsanto, owns the genes of more than 90 percent of soybean and 80 percent of corn seeds.
That monopoly power in the seed market is causing sources of non-GM seeds to dry up. Already, some Iowa farmers are having difficulty finding non-GM seeds.
Now Monsanto is telling us with a straight face that it wants to give its patented GM seeds to African farmers, royalty free. That is reminiscent of the Nestle ploy of the 1970s, offering free breast-milk substitute to Third World mothers until their breast milk dried up, making the mothers dependent on Nestle.
A recent United Nations study came to conclusions strikingly different from Monsanto. In an analysis of 144 projects in 24 African countries, the study found that when limited-resource farmers adopted organic methods that took advantage of locally available technologies and resources, they were able to double their yields, improve soil fertility and increase drought resistance, without having to purchase expensive pesticides, fertilizers and GM seeds, which they could not afford anyway.
