Filling Out the Big Picture of The Biotech Industry

Will Genetically Modified Foods provide the solution to so many of the world’s problems as were originally promised?
What studies have been done to ensure their safety?
What is the real impact of GMO crops on the environment?

It’s been a hot topic for many years now. The Biotech industry claims that it’s our only solution to the problems of feeding the world’s starving millions, with further benefits for health etc. etc…. It all sounds wonderful, till you start listening to the arguments against it. It’s message is positively chilling.

Let’s step back a little and take a look at the whole Biotech industry…. how it began, how it has performed so far, what safety measures are or are not in place.  

The following documentary, “FED UP! – Genetic Engineering, Industrial Agriculture and Sustainable Alternatives” won the Best of the Festival Award at the 2004 Berkeley Video and Film Festival.

It is presented here in THREE parts (approx 20 minutes each). It is packed with footage of interviews with representatives on both sides. and provides a “big picture” look at the background and impact of GM foods on our lives and the environment.

I feel that it provides an excellent first-introduction to the topic.

To follow is Part 1, (just click the image below and the video will load).

Parts 2 & 3 are already set up for your viewing.

If you have already watched Part 1, you would have noted the statement that farmers are technically liable if Genetically Modified plants are found on their property. This is regardless of whether the seed arrived by wind or by cross-pollination.

Check out the very high profile “David vs Goliath” struggle that involved Percy Schmeiser vs Monsanto. CLICK HERE for further details on this case. Schmeiser stuck it out in the courts for years (still paying off legal fees to this day) to eventually gain some resolution in the end. Unfortunately, hundreds of other farmers in the same situation were in no position to fight back had to bow to the corporate demands. 

To follow is Part 2:

“If the confidence is there in the safety
of these (GM) products,
then why is there so much objection to labeling?”    
Diane Joy Goodman … former chair of the California Organic Foods Advisory Board

Part 3:
- GM Foods and world hunger
- What you can do

Small farms are disappearing; so much so that there is no category of “Farmer” on the national census because this group represents less than1% of the population.

“The food processing system is really
owned by multinational corporations,
and we’ve lost control of our food supply;
and right now we are in a situation
of how do we get it back.”
…. Britt Bailey, Center For Ethics and Toxics 

Significant works co-authored by Britt Bailey, and Marc Lappe, Phd. include:
Against the Grain: Biotechnology and the Corporate Takeover of Your Food and
Engineering the Farm: The Social and Ethical Aspects of Agricultural Biotechnology 

If you don’t like the direction that the Biotech Industry and large corporations are taking us, then here are few simple things you can do to help turn things around

Simple Things You Can Do Now:

1. Get informed (check out the books listed above)

2. Support Organic Farmers in your local areas.

3. Support your local Farmer’s Market (great place to connect with others of like interest)

4. Get to know the growers personally, ask questions and visit their farm.

5. Take a more active interest in where your food comes from ….. intimate knowledge of your food source and what happens to it before you consume it, is becoming vital to maintaining good health

6. Plant something edible yourself on a regular basis.

7. Tell your neighbors and friends about this information

Even though there is a lot of negative stuff happening throughout the world, the upside is that it is really helping to cut through the thick illusions and ”BS” we’ve all grown up into. Have you noticed?
Things are changing …. FAST !!

The Vision Of Each Contributes To The Whole:

It is clear that effective solutions to the issues at hand can only come through an awake, informed and active population holding a clear vision of how things can be better, …. and then cooperating and working together towards that vision.

I’m not talking about a whole population holding exactly the same vision. though. I’m talking about each individual getting in touch with the fundamental goodness within him/herself and seeing his/her own vision and how it applies to where they are. Then living a life true to that.

Often I’ve felt totally overwhelmed as to how I could possibly make any scrap of difference. Yet, I am realizing more and more, that there is great power in doing simple things (just think about those times when something as simple as a smile or a kind word from a total stranger has caused you to make a major shift in how you felt or what you did next).

Even the smallest thing, done consistently with vision and intent, soon adds up to something quite significant.

In Support of Healthy Living.
Sven