Comments on: Welcome To The Bonzai Book Club’s First Discussion Group! “Just Food”, Chapters 1-3

By: Resa

Resa — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 20:21:00 +0000

Then he knows nothing about agriculture that works!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: Sayward Rebhal

Sayward Rebhal — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 21:15:00 +0000

Interesting article on GM crops! – http://www.grist.org/industrial-agriculture/2011-08-20-why-gmos-wont-save-world-nina-federoff-new-york-times

By: Sayward Rebhal

Sayward Rebhal — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 21:15:00 +0000

Interesting article on GM crops! – http://www.grist.org/industrial-agriculture/2011-08-20-why-gmos-wont-save-world-nina-federoff-new-york-times

By: Sayward Rebhal

Sayward Rebhal — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 20:42:00 +0000

The biggest issue I saw was his omission of monocropping. He wrote about the problems associated with interspecific monocropping – that is, only growing one kind of food crop at a time, not allowing for diversity of species which is much more sustainable. But he totally ignored the issue of INTRAspecific monocropping – that is, losing all the diversity *within* a single species, which is what tends to happen when you have GMO superseeds that overpower and overtake all of the heirloom varieties. Then suddenly all the corn in the world comes from a single strain of seed, so what happens when a virus comes along that is particlularly damaging to that one strain? You lose all the corn in the world, that’s what! This is why interspecific diversity is CRUCIAL for evolution and adaptability, and it is seriously threatened by GMO crops.

Just one example . . .

By: mark e

mark e — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 23:50:00 +0000

As someone who has no background in chemistry, biology, or science, I can only go with what sounds good to me. Which means it is easy to be swayed one way and then another when people who know more than me start talking about issues in depth. Which makes me curious, Sayward, what holes did you see when you were reading McWilliams’ defense for GM crops? Because I found his defense pretty convincing…

By: mark e

mark e — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 23:34:00 +0000

I find it a somewhat difficult read. Slow going.

By: Bliss Doubt

Bliss Doubt — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 18:49:00 +0000

The thing to realize is that organic farmers apply BT only when necessary. In GM crops it’s in every cell of every plant and in the plant waste, so it gets everything that takes a nip. This kind of overkill will increase the insects’ biological imperative to evolve with resistance to bt, rendering a time honored biological pest control completely useless. I’ve read of entire herds of sheep dying from grazing on cotton field waste after the cotton harvest, a traditional method in some places.

By: Bliss Doubt

Bliss Doubt — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:41:00 +0000

“Do we take away a culturally significant food because it’s resource intensive and provide a nutrient equivalent substitute and disregard the cultural history of a people?”

Case in point, quinoa in Bolivia, a traditional staple, the commercial farming of which is now subsidized by the Bolivian government. Farmers get so much more money for exporting quinoa that it has become unaffordable for Bolivians to eat.

I think the idea of “feeding the world” is a lot of hubris. It’s helpful for me to keep in mind that commercial farming has led to an overfed developed world and an underfed developing world. Commercial farming giants are able to move their crops to places with the most desperate work forces exist, so that those french fries everyone gets with their fast food meals are from overworked, underpaid, abused farm workers.

By: Bliss Doubt

Bliss Doubt — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:41:00 +0000

“Do we take away a culturally significant food because it’s resource intensive and provide a nutrient equivalent substitute and disregard the cultural history of a people?”

By: Sayward Rebhal

Sayward Rebhal — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 20:45:00 +0000

Um, yeah – SIGH!