To Protect Corporate Profits, U.S. Plans to Bully Mexico Into Buying GMO Corn

/by

Corporate money has always corrupted the political process in order to create laws and trade agreements that protect corporate profits at the expense of not just U.S. citizens, but citizens of the world.

We can find, perhaps, no better case in point than genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Developed over the decades by seed and chemical companies Monsanto, Calgene, Dow, DuPont, Bayer and others, genetically modified (GM) corn, soy, cotton and canola were touted as the solution to world hunger, the key to increased farm profitability, lower pesticide use and a better environment.

It all sounded good, but none of it was true.

The real truth was — and this was never mentioned — that these commodity crops were designed to produce vast corporate profit as they helped usher in a wave of corporate consolidation, loss of small farms, declining rural economies and a foisting of untested GM food on unknowing consumers.

While these GM crops dominate the fields of North America, the seed and chemical companies saw the world as their target for even more profit.

KEEP READING ON ORGANIC CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION

La Aurora: El principio del camino

/by

Son seiscientas cincuenta hectáreas “rebeldes”, en una región dominada por transgénicos y agroquímicos. En Benito Juarez, provincia de Buenos Aires, Juan hace ganadería, trigo y pasturas, sin veneno, desde hace 30 años. ¿Cómo inició este camino de transformación? ¿Cómo lo mantuvo? ¿Qué le regala hoy al mundo?

En este documental repasamos su historia, la de un territorio que en los noventas se opuso al nuevo paquete tecnológico, resistió bajo los principios de la agroecología y renació como ejemplo de otro campo, otra posibilidad. No se trata solo de contar un caso de éxito. Tan holística como la agroecología, esta historia habla de un coraje nacido del amor por la tierra, persistencia aprendida de la observación de la naturaleza, sencillez de quien vive en solidaridad con el entorno, respeto por el trabajo colectivo.

SEGUIR LEYENDO EN EL CAMINO ES LA AGROECOLOGÍA

The Hope of Regeneration: Together

/by

As I write this little note, Western Zimbabwe is in a dry and hot spell at an absolutely wrong time of the year. As agro-pastoral farmers, we are facing a bit of panic for the lagging crops that still needed a bit of rain, the crops that were ripened had to take an early drying. It’s a bit of a dilemma, as any rainfall now will cause sprouting of the drying grains and other root crops like peanuts and bambara nuts.

We are, on the other hand facing really hard times with Cyclone Freddy causing loss, of lives and properties in the Southern African region. Cyclone Freddy, having come in through Madagascar, is now in Malawi and making its way to Zambia and my home country Zimbabwe is under threat of this raging storm. The uneasiness that these moments stimulate, tends to bring a huge wave of hopelessness.

However, the potential of regenerative agriculture, stories of farmers, and many different humans of earth in regeneration have stimulated most of us to keep going. We now more than ever, need the hope of working TOGETHER, humans and nature to bring Team humanity out of the vicious cycles degeneration.

Photo credit: IGugu Trust-Zimbabwe

Photo from Kachechete Ward in Hwange, Zimbabwe, Leaders and community standing Together for regeneration.

Here’s a quote from Ronnie Cummins, one of The Founding Directors at Regeneration International that inspired me recently;

“Never underestimated the power of one individual; yourself. But please understand, at the same time, that what we do as individuals will never be enough. We’ve got to get organized and we’ve got to help others, in our region, in our nation, and everywhere…”

This quote spoke deeply to me and I suppose it may resonate with most of us. Keeping the connections alive, keeps us inspired, hopeful and on track.  The idea is not to only dream, but to see it coming to pass by taking the smallest actions in a bigger collective! Thankfully, we have a lot of networks that are bringing to life this network building around regeneration, and agro-ecology, seed and food movements, Holistic Management and many more.

To digress a little; our efforts of potential impact are consistently watered down by individualism, scarcity mindsets and comparisons in the movement. Yet, if we are to regenerate this world, we have to embrace the depth, and complexity of the connectedness of all pieces in this global puzzle. It is a messy dance, but a dance anyways.  We are all re-learning how to design with living patterns at the core.

If we agree that regeneration and regenerative actions are a cure to ecological disasters, social decay, and economic struggles, then we must embrace that this work is established in chaos. That is, an acceptance that each of us have a localized wisdom on how to bring back the essence of our communities at all levels of life. We are learning again what made us and our ecosystems thrive, and how do we bring that to manifestation in the current times. Looking ahead, we are all building the beautiful story of regenerating our world.  There’s no singling out champions, because in the end, we either win or sink as Team Humanity. Which one will it be?

I am eternally grateful for all the incredible minds and human spirits (too many to count, but I hold you in my heart with lots of gratitude) that charted the path of thinking differently. I believe sharing our small victories, thoughts and lessons creates beautiful waves of learning, action and support. In my head, I’m reminded of the Mexican wave, in a huge soccer stadium, in a place of unlikely order or form, yet supporters and spectators in a game they love and wish for a win – achieve a metachronal rhythm to express their support and create a winning environment in the stadium.  The supporters don’t move from their seats –but their actions, create a ripple, and enhance a movement of the wave to the next community of people in the stadium. The catch-  they do it faithfully when it’s their turn, the wave continues to travel around the stadium. There is no particular order, within those disconnected seating arrangements, back and forth as others would have had a little much to drink- the idea is to win- Together!

Agricultura regenerativa: ¿el futuro?

/by

Cultivar sin arar, usando flores en lugar de pesticidas y ahorrando trabajo y gasto en agroquímicos, secuestrando carbono y creando vida.

Citizens of Humanity Group and Kiss the Ground partner to create “Kiss The Ground Cotton,” taking a fresh approach to promoting Regenerative Agriculture

/by

Los Angeles, CA, Jan. 11, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Los Angeles, CA (January 11, 2022) – Citizens of Humanity Group and Kiss the Ground announce their strategic partnership to establish “Kiss the Ground Cotton,” a fresh approach for promoting regenerative agriculture and a pathway to regenerative cotton. The trademark will let consumers know that the products they purchase are made with cotton grown on farms engaged in regenerative agriculture practices. This partnership will benefit Kiss the Ground with endowments for each pound of cotton produced in efforts to support the broader regenerative agriculture movement as a viable solution to combat climate, water, and health crises.

Regenerative agriculture is one of the greatest tools and opportunities for reversing the effects of climate change while increasing soil fertility, replenishing fresh water, and improving human health.

KEEP READING ON GLOBE NEWSWIRE

Open Letter from Diverse Women for Diversity to World Leaders

/by

We, the women of the world, meeting together in Dehradun, India as the ¨Diverse of Women for Diversity¨, and representing 17 nationalities and multiple cultures, welcome and support the decision of the Mexican government through the presidential decree to phase out the use of GMOs and glyphosate.

We are outraged and dismayed that the Government of the United States is trying to pressure the government of Mexico to impose GMO transgenic Corn in violation of Mexico´s sovereignty and its sovereign rights enshrined in international agreements.

We as diverse women of the world working for protection of Biodiversity and resisting the imposition of GMOs which destroy our biodiversity and our food sovereignty support the Mexican government, condemn the bullying by United States and the biotechnology industry to force GMOs on Mexico and the world violating   the Convention of Biological Diversity and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety which enshrine sovereignty and the precautionary principle. We also ask the European Commission to stand by the decisions they have made under the precautionary principle.

We call on the government to:

  • Stop this strategy of pressuring the Government of Mexico to accept GMO corn. Mexico is the genetic reservoir of maize globally, which we must preserve.
  • Recognize and accept the policy decisions democratically adopted by a sovereign country
  • Acknowledge that the policies of Mexico are based on solid international scientific evidence demonstrating the harmful impacts of GMOs and glyphosate on human and environmental health.
  • Recognize that the biodiversity of maize in Mexico is essential to food sovereignty not only in Mexico, but globally. No GMO should be introduced in a country which is a centre of diversity.

We as diverse women were born as movement in the defense of biocultural diversity and resist GMOs everywhere since GMOs, pesticides and the industrial food system are the single biggest reason for the disappearance of biodiversity. We will continue our struggle in defense of life, diversity and freedom.

Carta abierta de Mujeres Diversas por la Diversidad a los líderes mundiales

/by

Nosotras, las mujeres del mundo, reunidas en Dehradun, India como ¨Diversas Mujeres por la Diversidad¨, y representando 17 nacionalidades y múltiples culturas, damos la bienvenida y apoyamos la decisión del gobierno mexicano a través del decreto presidencial de eliminar gradualmente el uso de OGMs y glifosato.

Estamos indignadas y consternadas de que el Gobierno de los Estados Unidos esté tratando de presionar al gobierno de México para imponer el Maíz transgénico OGM en violación de la soberanía de México y sus derechos soberanos consagrados en los acuerdos internacionales.

Nosotras como mujeres diversas del mundo que trabajamos por la protección de la Biodiversidad y resistimos la imposición de OGMs que destruyen nuestra biodiversidad y nuestra soberanía alimentaria apoyamos al gobierno mexicano, condenamos la intimidación de Estados Unidos y de la industria biotecnológica para imponer los OGMs a México y al mundo violando el Convenio de Diversidad Biológica y el Protocolo de Cartagena sobre Bioseguridad que consagran la soberanía y el principio de precaución. También pedimos a la Comisión Europea que mantenga las decisiones que han tomado bajo el principio de precaución.

Pedimos al Gobierno lo siguiente:

– Detener esta estrategia de presionar al Gobierno de México para que acepte el maíz transgénico. México es el reservorio genético del maíz a nivel mundial, el cual debemos preservar.

– Reconocer y aceptar las decisiones políticas adoptadas democráticamente por un país soberano.

– Reconocer que las políticas de México se basan en sólidas evidencias científicas internacionales que demuestran los impactos nocivos de los transgénicos y el glifosato en la salud humana y ambiental.

– Reconocer que la biodiversidad del maíz en México es esencial para la soberanía alimentaria no sólo en México, sino a nivel mundial. Ningún transgénico debe ser introducido en un país que es centro de diversidad.

Nosotras como mujeres diversas nacimos como movimiento en defensa de la diversidad biocultural y nos resistimos a los transgénicos en todo el mundo, ya que los transgénicos, los pesticidas y el sistema alimentario industrial son la principal razón de la desaparición de la biodiversidad. Continuaremos nuestra lucha en defensa de la vida, la diversidad y la libertad.

8 de marzo de 2023. Dehradun, India

Oficina de Prensa de Navdanya International
info@navdanyainternational.org

How Regenerative Agriculture Can Enable Sustainable Nutrition

/by

At COP27 in November 2022, the food sector was recognised in all its complexity: a formidable producer of emissions, which is uniquely vulnerable to the extreme weather events caused by climate change. As global weather patterns become increasingly erratic, and population rises steadily, our current agri-food system is proving unviable world-over. There is a growing consensus that we cannot continue with farming practices that degrade soil while not sequestering carbon at scale.

Industrial farming techniques, which have largely prioritised yield over resilience, and the climate change impacts they contribute towards, have already left around a third of the world’s soils degraded. This puts our global food supply at serious risk. A recent FAO report found that up to 828 million people already face chronic hunger globally. With hunger comes malnutrition, and a host of dangerous deficiencies and health impacts. For the food system to provide nutrition and food security in a warming world with a ten billion-plus human population, agricultural transformation through regenerative and sustainable approaches is crucial.

KEEP READING ON INNOVATION FORUM

Agricultura regenerativa, la eco-revolución del campo

/by

En una parcela de agricultura regenerativa manda la naturaleza. Es una tierra que no se ha arado en años, en la que no se ha utilizado fertilizantes químicos, pesticidas o herbicidas. Y en ella, a pesar de ello o gracias a ello, la productividad se ha mantenido o ha subido, como muestra el estudio de la Universidad de Utrecht que comentamos al final de este artículo

Reteniendo todo en el suelo

El hecho de que las mal llamadas malas hierbas se queden en el suelo permite retener mayores cantidades de CO2 en la tierra. Y retener también más humedad y más agua. Ello aumenta la biodiversidad del ecosistema agrario, consolida una pirámide ecológica sana y le ahorra a agricultores como Ernest, gerente de Verdcamp Fruits, en Tarragona, una fortuna en agroquímicos y en combustible.

Verdcamp Fruits es una explotación agrícola basada en la agricultura regenerativa y en una extensión de 300 hectáreas. Produce más de 12 millones de kilos de verduras al año y está monitorizada para el seguimiento por ingenieros agrónomos de varias universidades.

SEGUIR LEYENDO EN BE ON LOOP

‘During Droughts, Pivot to Agroecology’: Q&A With Soil Expert at the World Agroforestry Centre

/by

WESTERN TURKANA, Kenya—Driving across Northern Kenya’s Turkana County, the seemingly boundless terrain of sand dunes, dusty brushes and hard, dry soil makes it hard to imagine anyone could farm and eke a living out here. As Kenya and the Horn of Africa are confronted by the fifth consecutive failed rainy season since September 2020—the region’s worst drought in four decades—around 22 million people (roughly the population of Taiwan or Sri Lanka) are food insecure, says a U.N. World Food Programme report released last month.

In Kenya, the number stands at 4.4 million as of December 2022, with children needing acute treatment for malnutrition on the rise.

The numbers and immense toll on pastoralists and agro-pastoralists, who rely on both crops and livestock, grow starker still: their animals have been dying en masse with, 2.5 million livestock deaths recorded by the Government of Kenya, and entire communities pushed to pursue different livelihoods as traditional means and resources fail.

KEEP READING ON MONGABAY