News & Views

Mexico passes controversial law allowing GMOs

On February 15th, after heated debate and protests by numerous environmental groups, the Mexican congress's upper house (the Senate) approved a bill to allow for the growing and sale of genetically modified (GM) crops within the country. While the law, dubbed the "Monsanto Law" by anti-GM activists, (Monsanto holds most of the patents on GM corn and is reportedly the second largest advertiser in Mexico after Coca Cola) has raised deep concern with environmentalists, as they fear that it will compromise the integrity of traditional varieties of Maize (Corn) through genetic contamination and jeopardize the livelihood of indigenous farmers in the country.

Mexico is considered to be the center of diversity for maize and the pollen from the plant can drift many miles to cross-pollinate other maize varieties. Other concerns raised are that GM corn could be physically mixed with non-GM varieties. The new law calls for provisions to protect traditional corn growing areas and for labeling of all products containing genetically modified organisms. Anti-GM activists deem the measures inadequate and see the law as a threat to food security as they fear that numerous traditional corn varieties with traits that might be useful in breeding work will be lost or contaminated.

India wins "bio-piracy" case over plant-based pesticide.

After a ten year battle led by the European Union's Green Party, the India-based Research Foundation for Science and Ecology (RFSTE) and The International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM), a patent issued to the WR Grace corporation on agricultural products based on Neem tree seeds was revoked by the European Patent Office (EPO).

A challenge was first mounted against the patent when it was granted in 1995. In 2000, it was victorious, but the US-based multinational mounted an appeal. On March 8, that appeal was lost when the Indian government successfully argued that the medicinal Neem tree is part of traditional Indian knowledge. RFSTE's challenge to the patent was based on the fact that the fungicide qualities of the neem tree and its many traditional uses including insect repellents, cleansers, cosmetics, and dental care products have been known in India for over 2,000 years.

Vandana Shiva, the Director of RFSTE was quoted in by the BBC as saying "Denying the patent means upholding the value of 'traditional' for millions of [people] not only in India but throughout the South. The free tree will stay free,"

Test of Farm Workers in Washington Reveals Toxic levels of Pesticide Exposure

A court-ordered program to test farm workers who have handled pesticides has shown that over 20% of those tested showed significant drops in levels of cholinesterase—an enzyme essential to proper nervous system function. Twenty-six workers in the study, (over 4%) showed a significant enough drop in cholinesterase levels to be removed from the job. Symptoms of exposure include nausea, headaches, fatigue, and seizures, or in severe cases, long-term memory loss, paralysis, or even death. The pesticides most often cited in the study included chlorpyrifos (Lorsban), azinphos methyl (Guthion), carbaryl (Sevin) and formetanate (Carzol). The United Farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO (UFW) is now circulating an online petition asking EPA to implement a national cholinesterase monitoring program. To sign the petition visit: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/PesticideMonitoring

Want to Work on an Organic Farm this summer?

Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, USA (WWOOF - USA) is part of a world-wide effort to link volunteers with organic farmers, promote an educational exchange, and build a global community conscious of ecological farming practices.

The WWOOF program was started in the U.K. in 1971, under the name 'Working Weekends On Organic Farms.' Since then WWOOF programs have been started in over twenty-eight countries. WWOOF USA, an independent project of the Ecological Farming Association, helps provide the opportunity for anyone interested in organic farming and gardening to experience a life on a working organic farm. Their program is available to anyone over eighteen years of age, experienced or not. Volunteers work for half of each day, helping with farm work and projects as needed. In exchange, farmers provide volunteers with meals and accommodation.

The WWOOF USA Directory of Organic Host Farms contains descriptions of over 200 participating farms. For more information, or to list your farm as a destination, visit their website. http://www.wwoofusa.org/what.html