Genetically Engineered Soil Microbes: Risks and Concerns

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Biotech companies are developing genetically engineered microbes for use in agriculture, including the largest agrichemical corporations — Bayer-Monsanto, Syngenta, and BASF. The first of these products are already being used across millions of acres of U.S. farmland.   

The release of live genetically engineered microbes in agriculture represents an unprecedented open-air genetic experiment. The scale of release is far larger and the odds of containment far smaller than for genetically engineered crops. 

This report provides historical context for this novel technology, insight into future trends, a summary of potential risks, and policy recommendations that would ensure robust assessment and oversight as more genetically engineered microbes move from the lab to the field.  

What types of microbes are being genetically engineered for agriculture?  

Bacteria, viruses and fungi are being genetically engineered for agricultural uses with bacteria being the most common.   

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La agricultura orgánica regenerativa mejora el sistema agroalimentario: especialista en la UAM

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La producción y el consumo de productos orgánicos son primordiales para la salud humana y el planeta

Ante la tendencia al uso creciente de fertilizantes y productos genéticamente modificados que ha invadido los campos del mundo, la Agricultura Orgánica Regenerativa (AOR) resulta imprescindible para mejorar el sistema agroalimentario, así como para restablecer y conservar el suelo, el agua y la biodiversidad, poniendo un freno al avance rápido del cambio climático, sostuvo el doctor Manuel David Sánchez Hermosillo.

Ese modelo rural incorpora los principios de la permacultura centrada en el diseño de técnicas integrales, al simular o utilizar patrones y características resilientes de los ecosisIteso naturales y las prácticas de cultivo de cobertura; rotación de siembras y pastoreos; composta, y refugios móviles de animales, todo lo cual aumenta la obtención de alimentos y la calidad de la capa superior de la superficie.

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Review 552: Glyphosate And Other Pesticides, Sustainable Alternatives

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Welcome to Review 552, which covers a lot of news and new research on glyphosate-based herbicides such as Roundup, as well as other GMO-related pesticides, and the sustainable alternatives to poisoning ourselves and our environment. Topics include Roundup cancer lawsuits, the European Food Safety Authority’s perverse decision to greenlight glyphosate’s re-approval in the EU, the concerns of health scientists about exposure to glyphosate and other pesticides, new studies on glyphosate and its commercial formulations, damage to ecosystems from the use of GMO-related pesticides, actions of citizens resisting pesticide spraying in their localities, and innovations that provide effective non-toxic alternatives to weedkilling chemicals.

Bayer: Weedkiller maker to take $2.8bn hit as sales fall

Bayer says it expects to take a €2.5bn ($2.8bn; £2.2bn) hit from a slower demand for its glyphosate-based products, including the controversial weedkiller Roundup. The announcement came as the company lowered its outlook for the year as it braces for a persistent fall in demand and lower prices.

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Corporaciones se adueñan de los sistemas alimentarios y de los recursos naturales de África

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Las empresas transnacionales son compañías que tienen su registro en países del Norte Global, pero también cuentan con subsidiarias o filiales en países del Sur Global. Estas empresas a menudo se benefician de la disponibilidad de recursos naturales y mano de obra económica en los países del Sur Global, así como también se aprovechan de las leyes laborales débiles que son comúnmente encontradas en las naciones en desarrollo.

África ha sido y continúa siendo afectada por las acciones negativas de las empresas transnacionales en relación con el trabajo, la alimentación, el medio ambiente y muchos otros aspectos. Estas consecuencias han tenido un impacto significativo en la región, generando problemas que persisten hasta el día de hoy. África se ha convertido en una nueva frontera para los negocios, lo cual se puede observar a través de la presencia de muchas empresas multinacionales que operan en el continente.

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Agroecological Practices Are Widely Used by African Farmers

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Agroecology is a body of knowledge, practices and political movements that aims to support transformation of food and agricultural systems to long-term social and environmental sustainability. African farmers face multiple challenges, and agroecology has been proposed as contributing to solutions and hence is being supported and promoted on the continent. However, the viability of agroecological practices for African farmers has been questioned.
The project that produced the results in this paper was set up to understand more about the viability of agroecological practices at farm and household level, identifying the lockins and drivers of use of agroecology and paying particular attention to labour and work. A case study approach was used, with 11 cases across eight countries from Tunisia to Madagascar contributing evidence. A common framework was used in all cases but with adaptation of details to local contexts. After two years collecting data, case-study and coordinating teams met in December 2022 to look at results and plan detailed analyses.

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Agricultura regenerativa para cultivos y suelos resilientes

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El problema local y regional de contaminación del Mar Menor debe buscar soluciones y visiones desde el exterior que resten sesgo y manipulación. Nuevas aproximaciones al sector primario triunfan mundialmente: la agricultura regenerativa.

La ‘Transición Ecológica’ es el proceso de adaptación y resiliencia de las comunidades frente a crisis económicas y/o ecológicas, cada vez más complejas y problemáticas, derivadas de la dependencia de combustibles fósiles y del cambio climático.

Ante sucesivas crisis, vislumbramos dos opciones: seguir mintiéndonos creyéndonos la mejor Región del mundo con la mejor agricultura y ganadería, o anticiparnos a la adversidad con preparación y soluciones.

El Campo de Cartagena tiene cuatro contraindicaciones importantes para la agricultura intensiva monocultivo: (1) un acuífero saturado de contaminación, (2) un territorio en pendiente para escorrentías y lluvias torrenciales, (3) un Mar Menor en la desembocadura con graves desequilibrios, y (4) el foco mediático constante de Europa y el mundo.

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‘This Way of Farming Is Really Sexy’: The Rise of Regenerative Agriculture

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Hollie Fallick looks over Brading on the Isle of Wight, at a patchwork of fields bordered by ancient oaks, which stretches to the Solent. “We still have to pinch ourselves every day,” says the 30-year-old, as she surveys the 50 hectares (125 acres) she farms with her best friend, Francesca Cooper, 34.

The friends – who have five young children between them, were both vegan for a period, and are lifelong environmental activists – are not typical livestock farmers. And they don’t practise typical farming: instead they are part of a growing global movement practising regenerative agriculture – or regen ag for short.

“Really simply, regenerative agriculture is nature-friendly farming,” says Fallick, who says she stopped being vegan when her health suffered. “It’s thinking about the health of soil, animals, humans and how they all link together.”

On Nunwell home farm, which sits alongside land the pair manage for the Wildlife Trust…

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Us Escalates Mexico Corn Trade Spat With Dispute Panel Request

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The United States on Thursday escalated its objections to Mexico’s curbs on genetically modified corn imports, requesting a dispute settlement panel under the North American trade pact, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office said.

The request to send the dispute to arbitrators was announced after formal consultations failed to resolve deep divisions between the two close trading partners over use of genetically modified (GM) corn, widely produced by U.S. farmers.

Mexico’s Economy Ministry said it would defend its GM corn policies before the dispute panel, saying on the social media platform X that they “are consistent with trade obligations.”

Washington alleges that Mexico’s decree banning imports of GM corn used in dough and tortillas for human consumption is not based on science and violates its commitments under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade launched in 2020.

If the panel rules in favor of the U.S. and Mexico fails to comply with its directives, USTR could ultimately win the right to impose punitive tariffs on Mexican goods, which could spark a rare North American trade war.

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Soil Carbon Sequestration Accelerated by Restoration of Grassland Biodiversity

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Soils store climatically significant amounts of carbon (C) as soil organic matter, globally about 2.3 times greater than the C in atmospheric CO2 and 3.5 times greater than the C in all living terrestrial plants1. However, prolonged cultivation accelerates the decomposition of soil organic matter and can cause the loss of 20–67% of the soil C in an agricultural field2,3,4. Between 1850 and 1998, global agricultural cultivation led to the release of ~78 Gt of C from soil as CO2 to the atmosphere4, with ~133 Gt of soil C so released since the beginning of agriculture5. Since the current global annual CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and all other sources are ~10 Gt of C6, soil C sequestration has thus been proposed as a plausible partial climate mitigation strategy that might buy time while low-carbon technologies are being developed and adopted7. Indeed, a recent international initiative has set a target of increasing global soil organic matter by 0.4% per year to help negate some greenhouse gas emissions8.

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La agricultura sostenible también es parte de la solución en la Amazonia

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La Cumbre de la Amazonia celebrada recientemente en la ciudad de Belém, en el estado brasileño de Pará, tuvo el gran mérito de reunir, además de presidentes y ministras y ministros de Medio Ambiente y Relaciones Exteriores, a centenares de representantes de la sociedad civil —entre ellos pueblos indígenas, comunidades tradicionales y pobladores amazónicos, además de la cooperación internacional y el financiamiento multilateral—, todos juntos por primera vez en una mesa de debate sobre los desafíos y las posibilidades existentes para el desarrollo sostenible de una región estratégica para el mundo, que debe contemplar junto a la protección de un bioma imprescindible, la reducción de las desigualdades y la promoción de la inclusión social.

El encuentro tuvo como base dos premisas consensuadas, resumidas por la Ministra de Medio Ambiente y Cambio Climático de Brasil, Marina Silva: la comprensión de que la Amazonia no puede alcanzar un punto de no retorno…

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