GENET-news
To stay informed you can subscribe to the GENET-news list.
2007-01-25 | permalink
Seeds of life - looking for alternatives to the dominant agrobusiness model
Why have an alarming number of Indian farmers taken their lives over the last years? Why are people in the rural Jang Seong county near Kwangju, South Korea, getting involved in organic farming? Why are church-sponsored organizations in Brazil working to recover native seeds? The answer to these questions has a lot to do with the impact of economic globalization on agriculture, where two models are currently locked in a life-and-death contest. In the case of India, the story starts with the introduction, some 15 years ago, of genetically modified cotton seeds. With the government subsidizing cotton production, high profits persuaded farmers to move into monoculture, eventually taking out loans to rent more land to cultivate. Along the way, they also gave up sowing food crops.
Overview
News
2007-01-25 | permalink
Seeds of life - looking for alternatives to the dominant agrobusiness model
Why have an alarming number of Indian farmers taken their lives over the last years? Why are people in the rural Jang Seong county near Kwangju, South Korea, getting involved in organic farming? Why are church-sponsored organizations in Brazil working to recover native seeds? The answer to these questions has a lot to do with the impact of economic globalization on agriculture, where two models are currently locked in a life-and-death contest. In the case of India, the story starts with the introduction, some 15 years ago, of genetically modified cotton seeds. With the government subsidizing cotton production, high profits persuaded farmers to move into monoculture, eventually taking out loans to rent more land to cultivate. Along the way, they also gave up sowing food crops.
GENET-news & GENET-forum
GENET-news is providing a daily news service on a range of topics regarding genetic engineering. We are screening the worldwide English news, press releases and other publications to provide you with a strategic selection of information. GENET-news enables you to stay informed about all aspects of the global controversy around GE technologies and GE organisms. You can subscribe by 
email.
The GENET-forum list provides you with additional background information and more voluminous reports. It is only open for GENET members. Please contact the coordinator for membership and subscription.