Comments (0)
Despite its year-long sunshine and favourable climate, Senegal is a big importer of food – 2/3 of the rice its population consumes is brought in from Asia.
This makes the country extremely vulnerable to fluctuations in global food prices.
Land grabbing has been going on for centuries. One has only to think of Columbus “discovering” America and the brutal expulsion of indigenous communities that this unleashed, or white colonialists taking over territories occupied by the Maori in New Zealand and by the Zulu in South Africa. It is a violent process very much alive today, from China to Peru. Hardly a day goes by without reports in the press about struggles over land, as mining companies such as Barrick Gold invade the highlands of South America or food corporations such as Dole or San Miguel swindle farmers out of their land entitlements in the Philippines. In many countries, private investors are buying up huge areas to be run as natural parks or conservation areas. And wherever you look, the new biofuels industry, promoted as an answer to climate change, seems to rely on throwing people off their land.
<<Click for more>>
Cambodia is in talks with several Asian and Middle Eastern governments to receive as much as $3bn in agricultural investment in return for millions of hectares in land concessions, according to a senior government official.
Some of the deals would be finalised “in coming months”, said Suos Yara, under-secretary of state responsible for economic co-operation. Continue reading 'Cambodia holds land deal talks'»
Hawaii bans genetically modified taro, coffee
The Hawaii County Council has voted to uphold a ban on growing genetically modified taro and coffee on the island. The council voted 7-0 on Thursday to override Mayor Harry Kim’s veto of the measure.
<<read more>>
Will Genetically Modified Foods Make You Sick?
Two new government studies, published within days of each other, point to disturbing health hazards of genetically modified (GM) foods.
On November 13th, a study by the Italian National Institute of Research on Food and Nutrition showed how GM corn caused significant immune system changes in mice, related to allergic and inflammatory responses. The corn, sold by Monsanto, contains a gene that produces the toxic “Bt” pesticide in every cell–and in every bite. The results raise the question whether this toxin (or some other unpredictable change in the GM corn) might be contributing to the rise in allergies or other immune disorders in North America.
<<read more on Huffington Post>>
Genetically Modified Crops Proven to Cause Infertility in Fourth Generation
A book by author Jeffrey M. Smith, Genetic Roulette, distributed to members of congress last year, documents 65 serious health risks of GM products, including similar fertility problems with GM soy and GM corn: Offspring of rats fed GM soy showed a five-fold increase in mortality, lower birth weights, and the inability to reproduce. Male mice fed GM soy had damaged young sperm cells. The embryo offspring of GM soy-fed mice had altered DNA functioning. Several US farmers reported sterility or fertility problems among pigs and cows fed on GM corn varieties. Additionally, over the last two months, investigators in India have documented fertility problems, abortions, premature births, and other serious health issues, including deaths, among buffaloes fed GM cottonseed products…
<<read more>>
Anti-GM campaigners monitoring crops
Anti-genetically modified crops campaigners are looking to ensure there is no contamination of canola and other brassica species around the Lubeck receival site in Victoria’s Wimmera, which will be handling GM canola this season.
GM Cropwatch volunteer Jessica Harrison, who is involved with the Network of Concerned Farmers (NCF) said she hoped farmers would get hold of the simple and cheap testing kits if they had concerns about unwanted GM material.
The kits can be used on the spot to test for the presence of GM.
<<read more>>
GM maize found to have health hazard
FRESH evidence of health hazards from genetically-modified maize, approved in Europe for consumption by both people and animals, has brought calls for a recall of GM food and a change in approach by UK Government.
The environmental group Greenpeace said all GM food crops should be withdrawn after a feeding trial for the Austrian government found GM corn damaged the fertility of laboratory mice.
And the campaign group GM Free Cymru challenged UK Environment Secretary Hilary Benn to revise his Commons statement earlier this month that “scientific evidence clearly demonstrates the safety of GM foods”.
The results of the new study were presented last week by Jurgen Zentek, Professor for Veterinary Medicine at the University of Vienna, to a conference organised by the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety.
The work involved a GM maize hybrid line called NK603 x MON810, which was approved for use in human and livestock food by the European Commission in October last year.
GEAC clears limited field trials of GM corn
Bio-safety trials to be carried out in select State farm varsities.
The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has permitted Monsanto India Ltd to conduct limited field trials of corn hybrids that are genetically modified (GM) to confer resistance to the corn borer insect pest and application of its ‘Roundup’ herbicide, according to highly placed sources.
The sources said the clearance for ‘bio-safety research level-1 field trials under confined conditions’ of the GM corn (maize) hybrids was granted at GEAC’s meeting last week.
<<read more>>
New Plan to Grow Genetically-Modified Crops in Secret Military Locations
UK officials are hoping to protect genetically-modified crops from the actions of anti-gm extremists. Opponents have targeted almost all of the 54 GM crop trials since 2000. For example, recently more than 400 potato plants were destroyed on a farm at the University of Leeds in June.
Officials also hope to prosecute the groups in the same manner as they do animal rights extremists — good. While I understand and agree with their position, the action is completely hypocritical. It’s like the anti-abortionists who protest the slaughtering of babies by slaughtering doctors.
<<read more>>
Meeting Food Security Needs, Addressing Climate Change Challenges
by Lim Li Ching
Agriculture is thus at a crossroads. It has to find ways to feed the world while being environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. Yet, it is increasingly clear that the path that agriculture has been on is not sustainable nor can it feed the world without destroying the planet (IAASTD, 2008). With the spotlight once more on agriculture, and with many critical issues that need resolving, finding the answer to the question of the nature of agricultural development required has never been more pressing.
Food Land Rights