Re: [ba-unrev-talk] Starving nation rejects bio-tech crops
Yay!! (01)
And in related news, the dangers of trans fats made front page
headlines (above the fold!) in the SF Chronicle a couple of
weeks ago (I've been meaning to type up excerpts, but it's
more difficult one-handed.) (02)
Jack Park wrote: (03)
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23728-2002Jul30.html
>
> "Thousands of tons of U.S. emergency food aid destined for crisis-stricken
> Zimbabwe has been diverted to other countries, and a new shipload may be
> diverted within days, because the donations include genetically modified
> corn that the Zimbabwean government does not want to accept.
> The image of a nation on the brink of starvation turning down food because
> it has been genetically engineered has reignited a long-smoldering
> scientific and political controversy over the risks and benefits of
> gene-altered food."
>
> "The Zimbabwean government, which for decades has supported the development
> of corn varieties suited to local ecosystems, is concerned not only about
> genetic contamination, but also about intellectual property issues. Pending
> changes in international trade rules, backed by the United States, could
> preclude farmers from saving the patented seeds from biotech harvests for
> replanting in following years, a practice vital to many subsistence farmers
> who cannot afford to buy new seed every year.
> "If these crops get in, then farmers basically lose their rights to their
> own agricultural resources," said Carole Collins, senior policy analyst for
> the Washington-based Africa Faith and Justice Network." (04)