Peasant Leaders Stage Hunger Strike Against Genetically Modified Corn

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Common Dreams

Published on Wednesday, January 23, 2013 by Common Dreams

Peasant Leaders Stage Hunger Strike Against Genetically Modified Corn

Planting of genetically modified corn would be 'coup de grace to food sovereignty for the Mexican people.'

- Andrea Germanos, staff writer

The fight against genetically modified crops continues Wednesday as peasant leaders embark on a hunger strike and sit-in in Mexico City demanding their country be gmo-free, and slamming the economic model that favors multinational corporations over food sovereignty.

The National Union of Autonomous Regional Peasant Organizations (UNORCA), a network of Mexican farming organizations that advocates for small farmers’ livelihoods and rights, organized the protest ahead of the likely authorization of 2.4 million hectares (six million acres) to be planted with genetically modified (gm) corn by agricultural behemoths Monsanto, DuPont and Dow in Mexico.

In a letter explaining the day's actions, the group writes:

We want to reach the hearts and minds of the people of Mexico and the World to share our grave concern for the health, culture and economy of our nation, eroded by a development model that only benefits a tiny minority, a minority which includes the transnational corporations that today conspire to appropriate for themselves one of the greatest heritages of our peoples: MAIZE. [...]

We demand that the Mexican government place the interests of peasants and the majority of Mexican farmers above the interests of a few transnational corporations.

Read more: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/01/23-5

[Cirque du So-What]

1. It's the height of arrogance and stupidity

to introduce GMOs into the exact location where that organism was first cultivated into unique varieties. It's as though they're trying to screw up any chance of using 'heirloom' varieties that may possess useful characteristics for resistance to specific threats in the future. Is it any wonder that CT buffs wonder whether the NWO is trying to kill us all off?

[JEB]

2. Standing up to World Fascism.

"We demand that the Mexican government place the interests of peasants and the majority of Mexican farmers above the interests of a few transnational corporations."

The Corporations want it all, all the power, all the cheap labor, all access to capital, all control of Governments.

[Leopolds Ghost]

3. What would be the impact of gmo corn on the biodiversity of Mexican corn?

[AlecBGreen]

4. genetic contamination

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/02/24/2499950.htm

"A team led by Elena Alvarez-Buylla of the National Autonomous University in Mexico City looked at nearly 2000 samples from 100 fields in the region from 2001 and 2004, and found that around 1% of the samples had genes that had jumped from GM varieties.

"We confirmed that there was contamination in 2001 and also found contamination in 2004, which means that it either persisted in the local maize that we sampled or that it was reintroduced, which is less likely," says Alvarez-Buylla."

One could argue that a 1% contamination rate is nothing to get worked up about. In regards to this topic, I am a purist; ANY genetic contamination of heirloom stock is too much. Its like toothpaste - once it gets out, there's no putting it back