In February of this year Parliament voted on Bill C-474. This bill was of special interest to those who have investments in our agricultural industry. The bill was designed to ensure that the government take our sustainable development into account with the passing of each new bill. It would force our politicians to take a look at the effects of GMOs on both our environment and our economy.
At first glance, GMOs seem to be a step in right direction. They increase production of all sorts of agriculture and we find ourselves in a good place economically when we start to export all the surplus food. We run into problems when confronted with the concept of biodiversity. Genetically modified organisms are made to withstand environmental factors that natural plants cannot. They may be pest and pesticide resistant, or they may grow fatter and juicer than the natural version. The problem is is that they are all the same! This is a direct threat to biodiversity, which is the principle that accounts for any thriving population. This means that if there is an unforeseen hazard, environmental or otherwise, that the modifiers didn’t think to prepare for, an entire population can go extinct in no time. This is because genetic diversity is what allows a certain percentage of a population to survive whatever disaster befalls it. By surviving and reproducing it sends the gene along, building a natural resistance while maintaining some diversity.
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| A Banana Tree |
This is happening right before our eyes in the case of the Cavendish Banana. Did you know there are over 1000 varieties of banana? The Cavendish variety accounts for 95% of global banana trade because we’ve decided we like the taste of them best. We didn’t always, but our number 1 pick has already gone extinct! It was infected with a virus called the Panama virus, the very virus that is now starting to infect our beloved Cavendish banana. Some experts believe the Cavendish will be gone within 10 years. Contributing to the problem are those who farm GMOs. The GMOs cannot yet be made resistant so an entire farm can be gone in one fell swoop. You may think these farmers are just getting a healthy dose of karma, when in reality this has become their only viable option. GMOs are designed by humans to be better than natural, organically grown bananas, so if a farmer wants to sell any bananas, they better be growing something that can compete in a market economy.
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| Cartoon from BreakTheMatrix.com |
GMOs are just another issue our modern world is facing. I think that when analyzing the issue we need to know something about the people supplying GMOs to the farmers. There’s one corporation who acts as the poster child for various biotech giants that supply farmers all over the world with GMOs. You may have heard the name Monsanto before. There’s a wonderful documentary on the company that can be seen here. If you don’t have time right now for a full-length movie then here’s a summary. The basic story is that they have a monopoly on the world's soybean inustry and they are ruining oppertunities for farmers across the globe. Yet another fascinating view into the world of agriculture can be seen in the movie Food Inc. It will make you think twice about the food you consume on a regular basis. I wish I could say more about the corporations but the issue is so vast and very complicated so instead I will encourage you to do your own research and take a look at the resources I’ve supplied.
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