argylesock says… Who controls the seeds?
Here is an important article from the Guardian concerning deteriorating seed sovereignty in the face of corporate agendas to genetically modify, patent and control the use of the world’s seed supply.
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Vandana Shiva: ‘Seeds must be in the hands of farmers’
Biodiversity campaigner accuses corporate giants of trying to take over the world’s seed supply through genetic engineering
By Mark Tran
Monday 25 February 2013 02.00 EST
Vandana Shiva shows no sign of fatigue despite an overnight flight from Delhi and an hour’s audience with Prince Charles before arriving at the Guardian, where she launches into her views on agriculture, food, biodiversity and “seed freedom”.
The Indian founder of Navdanya, which campaigns for biodiversity and against corporate control of food and seeds, says Africa is the battleground for two very different approaches to agriculture. One is the agroecological approach, based on the use of traditional seeds, diverse…
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Genetic engineering is going to a partial cause of corporations taking over control of the world’s seed supply at best. Certainly with some crops, notably corn, it has already reduced biodiversity in Mexico where the bulk of the world’s corn varieties have been grown for centuries. The larger issue, is large corporations buying up all the seed companies, and phasing out less popular varieties, which leaves home gardeners and small landholders as some of the few sources of new genetic material in the event of major crop failures amoung the few varieties generally grown commercially.
Yes indeed. There’s not enough awareness of genetic resources being important – it’s not just about picturesque rare breeds – it’s about food security.