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The Forum > Article Comments > GM crops deserve more reasoned debate > Comments

GM crops deserve more reasoned debate : Comments

By Albert Weale, published 6/11/2008

Debates around the potential benefits of GM crops for developing countries must be reasoned and evidence-based.

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Dickie, we have been over some of this ground before, but it is fair to say that BT cotton in India is not responsible for the problems described in those links. The problems that are leading to Indian farmers committing suicide are many and include land being split in to ever smaller holding and dowry creep as probably the greatest. Bt cotton in India has generally improved the lot of Indian farmers and arguably has reduced the number of suicides. Some reading to get you started.

http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/dp/IFPRIDP00808.pdf

http://www.iimahd.ernet.in/publications/public/FullTextRP.jsp?rpid=rp00268

http://www.iimahd.ernet.in/publications/data/2006-09-04_vgandhi.pdf

http://www.iisc.ernet.in/currsci/jun252004/1628.pdf

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118589801/abstract

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T5T-4DPYKNP-1&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=f06b3a08119a561f1888c4f047f74560

http://www.misereor.org/fileadmin/user_upload/misereor_org/englisch/BaumwollestudieWarangal-India.pdf

Likewise, BT cotton has greatly reduced the number of pesticide poisonings among small landholders in China. The usefulness of crops will depend very much on how crops are currently grown and what benefits (and downsides) the new crops provide. BT cotton has proved successful in one way or another just about everywhere it is grown. That is why the number of farmers growing the crop in India continues to grow. These farmers can generally make more money and apply less pesticide.

http://wwwdata.forestry.oregonstate.edu/orb/pdf/Pray.2002.pdf

http://www.einaudi.cornell.edu/conf/2003/gmopoverty/pdf/pray.pdf

http://www.ccap.org.cn/PDF/EJ-04-11.pdf

These are clear benefits. I would imagine that Roundup Ready canola would be a significant benefit in Australia because farmers could stop spraying atrazine, a herbicide know to be toxic to frogs.
Posted by Agronomist, Friday, 7 November 2008 9:30:07 PM
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watch the bee die off come to australia
when we go gm

this in-sect-acide food crop has caused infertility in cattle
but what happens to a dumb bee comming to the flower ?

it gets poisend [dies going home]
next thing the weakend secumb to the hive mite
and gm has earned its bitter fruits

the bible has laws for food purity
saying to sepperate the tares from the wheat etc

gm is a huge con

infertile seeds means genes for infertility goes into our bodies
[and adults all of a sudden cant breed]
google up gm fertility rates

and my satan [mon santo] will stand revealed
as the greedy deciever it has been revealed to be to many;
except to those holding shares or jobs serving satan

we shall learn in time hy-bred seed is mans greatest curse
built on greed

[they used their funding to buy up most of the regular seed stock suppliers] and other political and legal machinations owning genes [facilitated by traiterous [treasonous govts and sleeping watchdog's [public servants]
aided and abeted by bankers /lawyers , and scientists who were , media , and party politricks ,as well as decieved by their very educators.
Posted by one under god, Friday, 7 November 2008 10:10:53 PM
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Thank's for those links Agronomist

Unfortunately, with the exception of the survey on suicides, they are all potentially obsolete. You will note the oldest link I have provided is May 2007 and I have a preference for the most recent data on GM crops.

The link I provided on suicides is recent (November.) Furthermore, the author Andrew Malone, claims he visited India to arrive at his conclusions. This year he was awarded the Feature writer of the year. I am unable to find any links which dispute his claims.

In addition, Prince Charles has set up the charity, Bhumi Vardaan Foundation to address the plight of India's suicide farmers and to encourage farmers to adopt organic farming practices.

One of the links I provided is written by the African Centre for Biosafety. I am afraid they do not share your enthusiasm for GM crops.

Mark Curtis is currently an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Strathclyde and has been Visiting Research Fellow at the Institut Francais des Relations Internationales, Paris and the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Auswaertige Politik, Bonn. He had this to say:

“Agricultural aid directly promotes agribusiness by donors pressing for ‘high-tech’ solutions to global hunger in their policy advice to developing countries. The increased use of fertilizer, chemicals and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) is seen by most donors as part of the ‘solution’ to global hunger; behind this, lies an industry of manufacturers, scientists linked to corporations and foundations.

"USAID is leading the push for countries to adopt GMOs in their farming while the World Bank is strongly supportive, despite evidence that biotechnology companies have yet to introduce a single GM crop that actually increases yield.”

http://74.125.95.104/search?q=cache:HN0JQ6NEWwgJ:markcurtis.wordpress.com/+IFPRI+captured+by+rockefeller+monsanto&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9&gl=au&lr=lang_en

Agronomist. Many countries in Europe have banned atrazine. Australia has no valid excuse to continue with the use of this hazardous chemical. Nor do they have any excuse to continue using endosulfan a chlorinated compound – banned in 55 countries. We in this nation should be asking “who is regulating the regulators!”

Recent analytical testing has revealed pesticides in and on Australian fresh produce far exceed the recommended safe levels.
Posted by dickie, Saturday, 8 November 2008 1:10:30 AM
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Informed comment on dickies link-
" It is sad that someone who has visited rural India for just four days can claim to understand all the complexities of the problems of our farmers and attribute their plight to modern biotechnology. Mr. Malone, being an idiologist presents a completely inaccurate view on the situation. Had spent a few more days to understand the massive social benefits that have accrued to farmers in India due to the introduction of GM cotton seeds, would he realize that income of Indian cotton farmers has increased dramatically over the last 5 years, the education level of GM cotton farmer families has risen faster, their health and nutrition has improved vis - a - vis non GM farmers and the country has doubled cotton production to 30 million bales of cotton making it self sufficient and an exporter from an importer five years ago. This has a single leading reason why the 5 million odd people working in textiles still have jobs today.
- Shirish, India, 03/11/2008 14:16 "

The simple facts are that Indian farmers have increased production by growing Bt cotton, seed price is closer to $8 per kg (not the $250 dickies link suggests) which can create $200+ worth of extra yield. All while using less chemical, which presumably isn't free. When you see farmers in India apply insecticides with no protective gear, and see them literally coated in it, it makes Bt seem a godsend for farmers. Anyone critical of Bt in this light has got rocks in their head.
Unfortunately drought is a destructive force to any farmer, in any part of the world, and that extra profit from Bt will not eventuate under such conditions. It no doubt would be very tough if your first couple of years growing the crop were a failure.
Posted by rojo, Saturday, 8 November 2008 9:11:29 AM
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ho ho rojo
quote<<understand the massive social benefits that have accrued to farmers in India due to the introduction of GM cotton seeds, would he realize that income of Indian cotton farmers has increased dramatically over the last 5 years, ,>>

ARE YOU CLAIMING EVERY FARMER CONVERTED OVER TO GM?
or is this just convenient PR

<<the education level of GM cotton farmer families has risen faster,>>

BY WHAT MEASURE IS THIS LONG TERM EFFECT ATTRIBUTABLE TO GM?

<< their health and nutrition has improved vis - a - vis non GM farmers ..>>
READ THAT BRO
NON GM FARMERS
GOT IT?
if health has improved how did mon-santano physiclly cure people

beware of believing those who decieve

those who's very profits depend on mutating
undigestable rubbish as food

who want to controle their monetory franchise by use of terminator teqnology
[ie patents expire
but death genes dosnt ]

for the rest of time mon satano will controle seed
get it
for ever

patrent expires
[ownership dont
get it
Posted by one under god, Saturday, 8 November 2008 12:12:22 PM
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dickie, no the African Centre for Biosafety do not share my enthusiasm, because of course they are an activist group set up solely to oppose GM crops. Even if a crop were totally benign and was to provide massive benefits to third world farmers, ACB would still oppose it.

Mark Curtis is a British author who writes articles for the Guardian and books opposing UK foreign policy. I doubt he is that knowledgeable about BT crops in India.

Some more on benefits of BT cotton in India.

http://www.cbd.int/doc/external/mop-04/fbae-cotton-en.doc

http://precedings.nature.com/documents/1812/version/1/files/npre20081812-1.pdf

http://www.botanischergarten.ch/Cotton/Quaim-Economic-Cotton-India-2006.pdf

http://wcrc.confex.com/wcrc/2007/techprogram/P1987.HTM

one under god, you can spout a lot of rubbish. Farm incomes of cotton farmers in India have on average risen, because some 3.8 million Indian cotton growers are using BT cotton. This decreases their pesticide costs and increases their yield. Both contribute to higher farm income even with the higher costs of seed. Over 60% of the cotton are in India is now BT. Increased farm incomes allows farmers to improve their lives including training and sending their children to school. They also save time by not having to spray insecticides more than a dozen times a year. In both China and India, OH&S for pesticide use by small farmers is non-existent. They frequently poison themselves. Back in the early 1990s more than 400 Chinese farmers a year died through accidental pesticide poisoning.

It is also funny how myths perpetuate. Terminator technology was never more than a name given by activists to a patent. The patent was never developed. Yet the anti-GM activists won’t let go of this fiction.
Posted by Agronomist, Saturday, 8 November 2008 5:14:20 PM
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