Zambia reverses anti-GM policy, allows its people to eat
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Mongoloid Cow
Great Khan
Geez, is this opinionated or what? It makes the entire article ridiculous IMO. Here in South Australia they've had to destroy GM crops (I think it was peas) because it was discovered they were dangerous.
bathsheba666
Fast 'n Bulbous
Obviously, it is good that people will not starve.
On the other hand, since everyone in the US administration is paid for...
(
I know, they're not stinkingly corrupt, they've simply been "lobbied"
{as in, oy - lobby that cash into my campaign group's bank account}
and this distinction is simply too subtle to be believed by anyone who has no inducement to see it
)
...it is always amusing to hear accounts of their moral outrage.
(after all, it's the finest money can buy)
"Trials" of GM crops in the UK have already found that weeds next to the crops have acquired their weed-killer resistant properties.
Admittedly, it was too difficult to anticipate this happening, as it involves both the wind and nature , apparently....
On the other hand, since everyone in the US administration is paid for...
(
I know, they're not stinkingly corrupt, they've simply been "lobbied"
{as in, oy - lobby that cash into my campaign group's bank account}
and this distinction is simply too subtle to be believed by anyone who has no inducement to see it
)
...it is always amusing to hear accounts of their moral outrage.
(after all, it's the finest money can buy)
"Trials" of GM crops in the UK have already found that weeds next to the crops have acquired their weed-killer resistant properties.
Admittedly, it was too difficult to anticipate this happening, as it involves both the wind and nature , apparently....
article said:
I agree with Mongoloid Cow: this is an opiniated (and lying) piece of BS!
First of all, GM fod can cause significanlty higher rates of lung cancer in mice and rats (those peas MC mentioned).
Second, Zambia now will hav e a serious problem: they will not be able to export food to Europe, as some of the grian htey receive will invariably be used as seed, thus polluting their export crops.
Oops!
So maybe, they cna eat now, but next year they will again need help, even if their crops are good, because their economy will take a beating.
Rambuchan
The Funky President
Good points Mongoloid Cow and CarlosMM. 
This article is heavily biased. In fact, as a piece of journalism, its worth nothing. There is no presentation of the other side of the political argument, no reference to any studies to support its case and no quoting of what Zambian farmers make of the decision (political or plain practical). Now I don't know much about this consumerfreedom.com 'thing' but a cursory look over their home page leads me to believe it is an arm of the GM lobby.
Let's emphasis the points which the article doesn't bring up, even if they've been raised before:
1) Zambia will have real trouble exporting its farming goods, for much of the world will not allow GM crops in - and this is a heavily agricultural economy.*
2) Many GM crops ARE dangerous and many studies have proven this.
3) GM crops in the Zambian ecosystem mean that many other crops will be detrimentally affected. I hope the more scientific among us will expand on this.
4) Zambian farmers will be forever in the palm of American GM companies if they continue down this course.
5) Can anyone say "Paul Wolfowitz"? I knew his management of the World Bank would lead to this kind of 'we'll help you out as long as you forever become our economic slaves'.
THIS IS BAD NEWS FOR ZAMBIA.
* When I was growing up in this country I remember there being only about 4 hours of TV a day. 1 hour of cartoons (american ones), 1 hour of documentaries, 1 hour of news (a lot of it farming news) and 1 hour of farming programming. That was back in the late-70s, I'll admit but it's telling of how agricultural the country is.
This article is heavily biased. In fact, as a piece of journalism, its worth nothing. There is no presentation of the other side of the political argument, no reference to any studies to support its case and no quoting of what Zambian farmers make of the decision (political or plain practical). Now I don't know much about this consumerfreedom.com 'thing' but a cursory look over their home page leads me to believe it is an arm of the GM lobby.
Let's emphasis the points which the article doesn't bring up, even if they've been raised before:
1) Zambia will have real trouble exporting its farming goods, for much of the world will not allow GM crops in - and this is a heavily agricultural economy.*
2) Many GM crops ARE dangerous and many studies have proven this.
3) GM crops in the Zambian ecosystem mean that many other crops will be detrimentally affected. I hope the more scientific among us will expand on this.
4) Zambian farmers will be forever in the palm of American GM companies if they continue down this course.
5) Can anyone say "Paul Wolfowitz"? I knew his management of the World Bank would lead to this kind of 'we'll help you out as long as you forever become our economic slaves'.
THIS IS BAD NEWS FOR ZAMBIA.
* When I was growing up in this country I remember there being only about 4 hours of TV a day. 1 hour of cartoons (american ones), 1 hour of documentaries, 1 hour of news (a lot of it farming news) and 1 hour of farming programming. That was back in the late-70s, I'll admit but it's telling of how agricultural the country is.
The Last Conformist
Irresistibly Attractive
I'm in favour of GM crops, but this "reporting" is pretty disgraceful.
I don't think this is bad news for Zambia. Avoiding starvation or undernutrition is obviously a good thing, and maize exports don't seem to be particularly important to the Zambian economy.
Not knowing how the maize is modified, I can't say whether it's likely to affect other crops adversely. The most obvious scenario would be herbicide-resistance spreading to weeds that then invade other fields.
(Honestly, herbicide-resistance always struck me as a daft thing to add to crops. Why not modify it so as to require less herbicide instead?)
Whether Zambian farmers end up dependent on GM seeds from American companies is up to their own choices. My guess? "Pirate" strains of GM crops you don't need to buy new seeds over and over again.
I don't think this is bad news for Zambia. Avoiding starvation or undernutrition is obviously a good thing, and maize exports don't seem to be particularly important to the Zambian economy.
Not knowing how the maize is modified, I can't say whether it's likely to affect other crops adversely. The most obvious scenario would be herbicide-resistance spreading to weeds that then invade other fields.
(Honestly, herbicide-resistance always struck me as a daft thing to add to crops. Why not modify it so as to require less herbicide instead?)
Whether Zambian farmers end up dependent on GM seeds from American companies is up to their own choices. My guess? "Pirate" strains of GM crops you don't need to buy new seeds over and over again.
Rambuchan
The Funky President
Fair points there TLC. It may be of short term benefit to feed people but what of the long term.....?
Rambuchan
The Funky President
Here's more info, seeing as the OP doesn't give much:
IMF - Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper - Zambia. The actual report is a PDF, link at bottom of page. (Up-to-date till 2004.)
FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission to Zambia (FAO = Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) (June 1998).
Check this PDF out for more of a breakdown of Zambia's Agriculture, compared to the rest of sub-Saharan Africa and the World's (about 4 years old). http://earthtrends.wri.org/pdf_library/country_profiles/agr_cou_894.pdf
You'll see from the second one that Maize is a significant crop, for food ('inshima' is the equivalent of daily bread for Zambians) and beer (a large export commodity for Zambia). Maize having a broad definition here.
IMF - Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper - Zambia. The actual report is a PDF, link at bottom of page. (Up-to-date till 2004.)
FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission to Zambia (FAO = Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) (June 1998).
Check this PDF out for more of a breakdown of Zambia's Agriculture, compared to the rest of sub-Saharan Africa and the World's (about 4 years old). http://earthtrends.wri.org/pdf_library/country_profiles/agr_cou_894.pdf
You'll see from the second one that Maize is a significant crop, for food ('inshima' is the equivalent of daily bread for Zambians) and beer (a large export commodity for Zambia). Maize having a broad definition here.
FAO said:
Enkidu Warrior
Ultramagnetic
While GM crops are not necessarily bad, and could indeed do much to help the continent of Africa, the companies that sell them are indeed enormously dangerous and evil and I wouldn't trust them selling anything to anybody. The seeds will presumably not be reusable, which is the most evil corporate thing I've ever come across. Crops that are engineered to die out after one generation so that the farmers have to go back to the biotech companies for more - this has man-made famine written all over it.
Kayak
Partisan
Good point. They may end up enslaving themselves to companies like Monsanto for a very short term gain. Although hunger is a hugh motivator I'll admit.Enkidu Warrior said:
Gabryel Karolin
Gammelgädda
Can't really blame them. I'd eat GM-crops too if it was either that or starve.
amadeus
Serenity now
Good for Zambia. Let them decide what they want.
The article is heavily biased, that's for sure. But let's not forget the main point here.
The real evil people here are those disgraceful "activists"(we all know who pays them, there's no need to point out and make people angry) that pressured Zambia to ban GM food in the first place.
There is nothing inherentyly bad about GM food. I eat it all the time, and coutless scientfic studies have proven again and again that the most common GM varieties are 100% safe. RoundupReady soybeans are consumed for 2 decades in the US and there are dozens if not hundreds of studies on it's effects, and the conclusion is that it is harmless.
The real evil people here are those disgraceful "activists"(we all know who pays them, there's no need to point out and make people angry) that pressured Zambia to ban GM food in the first place.
There is nothing inherentyly bad about GM food. I eat it all the time, and coutless scientfic studies have proven again and again that the most common GM varieties are 100% safe. RoundupReady soybeans are consumed for 2 decades in the US and there are dozens if not hundreds of studies on it's effects, and the conclusion is that it is harmless.
I remember reading about how the patent owners of some GM crops were suing farmers that were growing GM crops without a license. Some of the seed had blown in from neighboring fields or got into their plant seed mistakenly, and they were being held liable for that!
The fact that someone can patent a breed of plant seems downright silly to me.
The fact that someone can patent a breed of plant seems downright silly to me.
The Last Conformist
Irresistibly Attractive
Pressured? What pressure can Greenpeace et al. bring to bear on the Zambian gov't?luiz said:
The title "Zambia reverses anti-GM policy, allows its people to eat" can be improved to "Human tragedy; hunger forces Zambia to bow to US-companies. Genetically Manipulated (Mutilated ?) food pushed down the throats of its citizens."
The Last Conformist
Irresistibly Attractive
On want grounds do you exclude the possibility that the Zambian leadership honestly believes that GM food is bad?
Bozo Erectus
Master Baker
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2003
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- 22,389
The Zambian leadership was holding out for the highest bribes and assorted treats. Looks like the US outbid the EU.
