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Who benefits from GM crops?
Lopez Villar, Juan Freese, Bill Holder, Helen Chandrasekaran, Kirtana
Lopez Villar, Juan
Freese, Bill
Holder, Helen
Chandrasekaran, Kirtana
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Abstract
"We are facing an unprecedented crisis in the global food system with rising numbers of hungry people in the world, even though we produce more than enough food to feed the world. Meanwhile, increasing control of the world’s seed supply by biotech companies enables them to garner record profits, even as millions are starving. Clearly, we need a fundamental shift in food and agriculture policy. Our goals should be to ensure fair access to land, credit and training to help the world’s small farmers (who comprise more than 2/3 of the world’s most poor and hungry) produce more to feed themselves and their communities, and to ensure that the world’s urban poor have access to affordable food. The GM farming model will not achieve these goals. GM crops mean extremely costly seeds and increasing use of expensive chemicals, both of which are well beyond the means of most small farmers in developing countries. The model of GM farming favors larger, wealthier farmers, and will deepen their dependence on high energy and resource use at a time of rising climate emissions and resource depletion. This is not how poverty, hunger and the food crisis are going to be solved. The approaches favoured by IAASTD included agro-ecological farming techniques, looking at the wider benefits of agriculture in terms of ecosystems, landscapes and culture. Local knowledge was promoted as crucial for developing appropriate farming methods. The report also urged a reduction in agricultural subsidies in rich nations and reform of unfair trade rules. Together, these could provide a way of developing sustainable agriculture, including wider employment opportunities, enhanced rural livelihoods and ultimately greater yields, reducing hunger and poverty." (p. 6)
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2009-02
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With permission of the license/copyright holder