Monsanto has already infiltrated India which has lead to thousands and thousands of farmers committing suicide. Monsanto promises genetically modified crops with higher yields; it also promises farmers that they do not have to use insecticide/pesticide/etc because of the GM crops. The exact opposite is true. Those GM crops, being non-native, fail miserably, especially to pests and insects. For that farmers need to use not only huge quantities of pesticide/insecticide chemicals, but they need to use those that are produced by Monsanto; other chemicals do not work. Also, use of such huge quantities of chemicals lead to more watering of the plants. All these lead to not only huge economic burden for the farmers but also the land and soil become dry and plants fail because of lack of enough water. Result: huge number of suicides by farmers. More details here
Monsanto has created a wave of terror for the small farmers and organic farmers in both the USA and Canada, "In 1996, when Monsanto sold its first patented genetically modified (GMO) seed to farmers, this radically changed the idea of how farmers planted and saved seed. Less than two decades later, Monsanto's aggressive patent infringement lawsuits have created a climate of fear in rural America among farmers." 300,000 (THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND -- that should give you some ideas about how bad Monsanto is; otherwise not so many groups were going to come together) plaintiff groups that include organic farms, farmers, ordinary citizens have come together to pre-emptively sue Monsanto from patenting every seeds on earth and creating a reign of terror. The case has been filed in NY's Federal Court in Manhattan. The preliminary hearing took place on January 31st, 2012. More details can be found here.
We the ordinary people CAN STOP these giant corporations like Monsanto who are trying to rule the world by infringing and patenting the world's natural resources. All we have to do is make some promises:
1. Educate public and especially the farmers of third world countries
2. Do not buy any seeds from companies like Monsanto
3. Do not buy anything from any companies that do business with Monsanto
4. Do not buy any products that are made with genetically modified crops
5. Help and Support the local small-farmers and the organic farmers.
6. Grow one's own at least some vegetables and fruits, in whatever small scale possible.
If the mass population does not buy, then obviously these corporations will not make any profit and will fail.
THE WORLD WITH ALL ITS MYSTERIES AND BEAUTIES AND NATURAL RESOURCES BELONGS TO ALL OF US.
Frightening. What is happening in India is really sad. Farming is a tough enough living at the best of times without companies like Monsanto making it so much worse.
ReplyDeleteIt's scary how much power Monsanto has with their patent laws in the US. The movie Food Inc has a good part that shows what they do to farmers that don't use GMOs.
ReplyDeleteHi KL,
ReplyDeleteI have watched the movie about this company and their scare tactics against seed savers in Canada. I hope the Organic groups have enough power to win the law suit and send Monsato packing.
More importantly, I think the tide has turned against the Genetically Modified products and labels have helped. People DO like to know what they are eating. WEIRD stuff like plants that can't be killed by toxic poisons seems like a poor choice for human diets.
I've not used poisons for over 25 years (and then it was a very mild one) so the hold idea of poisons is so foreign to me. Still, I know that as long as farmers are wholesale for the idea of monoculture field crops, their fields are open targets for vast numbers of infestations. The boll weevil is one prime example. Corn ear worms is a second.
David/:0)
What an eye opening post. I did not realize their worldwide ramifications. I never thought that suicides in India could be attributed to the use of their products like this. I did know of Agent Orange though. I do your recommendations 1 through 6 and it is more from a person reason than to boycott a company, but that is also a something to seriously consider.
ReplyDeletehttp://in.reuters.com/article/2012/02/13/france-pesticides-monsanto-idINDEE81C0FQ20120213
ReplyDeleteA French court on Monday declared U.S. biotech giant Monsanto(MON.N) guilty of chemical poisoning of a French farmer, a judgment that could lend weight to other health claims against pesticides.
In the first such case heard in court in France, grain grower Paul Francois says he suffered neurological problems including memory loss, headaches and stammering after inhaling Monsanto's (MON.N) Lasso weedkiller in 2004.
Monsanto and the power they have been given in America is really scary. As for the India situation, that is just wrong. There used to be hundreds of varieties of rice, that's now been destroyed by Monsanto's greed. Here in Ireland we are luckily still GM free as regards growing. Of course it's in the processed food so one has to be careful.
ReplyDeleteLiz: yes, all these are really frightening. And, it's happening not only in India, but everywhere. So many small farmers who have been farmers for generations have been driven out of their profession.
ReplyDeleteJulie, yes I saw that movie. It's a real powerful movie.
David: I know. Isn't it scary. But the most scary part was that when that farmer took Monsanto to court because Monsanto's GMO seeds flew into his field and corrupted his field (forgetting his name) but he lost because the court decided it was his fault and not Monsanto's!!!!
Donna - it's so nice to know that you already do 1 to 6. I am new into all these and have started doing all these slowly.
Sray: I am glad at least someone is winning against Monsanto.
Bridget: Great news about Ireland. I also heart that Monsanto usually can't do much in the UK because whenever they try to do anything, local people and farmers try to burn those farms that has GMO seeds.