The Politics of Food (We've got huge problems), page 1

I've got some keywords for you and they all have one thing in common......Destruction........

Biotechnology, gmo's, third world countries, wto, corporate farming, food chain, fda, shareholder's, patent inventions of plants and/or animals (TRIPS), the list goes on.

Destruction of society, culture, the ecosystem, the environment ,original farming techniques, and our health.

Production of food begins with the seed. The seed can be planted and grown organically using traditional and sustainable growing methods. The food grown from the seed can go to feed the people and animals on the farm. If there is a surplus the food can also be distributed to the rest of the community and outlying areas. Seeds from the crops are saved by the farmer for planting during the next growing season. Within this type of system the production of the food is less centralized and more control rests with the farmers and ranch�ers who produce the food.

The underlying myths that hunger is the result of scarcity, that small countries simply can�t feed themselves, and that only market driven, chemically based, industrial agriculture can feed the world, is false.

India is losing their way of life because their government made a deal with the wto and international banks.... But because they sold theirselves, look what the wto is now saying about them even though society there is now on the un list for aid...
see article

Take for instance coca cola.........According to the recent Report on A Press Clipping on the Withdrawal of Ground Water by Coca-Cola Factory at Kaladera, by scientists from the Central Ground Water Board, Western Region, and the Rajasthan Pollution Control Board, among others, the Coca-Cola plant extracted 1,37,694 cubic meters of water in 2002-03, and 1,74,301 cubic meters in just nine months to December 2003. A news report in The Hindu published earlier had similar figures. Quoting a hydrologist of the Central Ground Water Board, Western Region, it said that shallow aquifers in the Kaladera region had already dried up and deeper aquifers were now threatened by the Coca-Cola plant's activities (The Hindu, 16 June 2004). Coca-Cola gets the water free except for a tiny cess it pays the government, little over Rs 5,000 (USD 110) a year in the three years 2000-02, and Rs 24,246 (USD 525) in 2003 (Report, 2004). Falling Water Tables, Sinking Hearts

Bean farmers in India.... Are told by their government to grow chili peppers, because they signed on with the wto and the international bank, this pepper will make the farmer money... BUT it won't feed the community and their families... They can't eat chili peppers for meals, they need to eat beans....

The old wheat crops turned into tulip farms... This is what has deteriorated India... Their culture is going down the drain as it becomes more and more like our MONOCULTURE....(thats not a good thing)....
Third world countries have problems because of this, it's not because people are stupid, these people have their way of life, it's not materialistic, it's simple, and their simple ways of life are being destroyed.

Back on topic.......

Or, the seed can be a product of advanced technol�ogy controlled by a corporation. These seeds require large inputs of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and fungicides to produce high yields. This system gives the large land owners and corporate farms the competitive ad�vantage over smaller, less market driven farms. The chemical inputs pollute the environment, use more energy, expose the people who work the farms to cancer causing substances and pose health risks to the people eating the food.. Under this system, the corporations have the vast majority, if not all, of the control.

Distribution of food in this country ranges from the simplicity of a farmer driving into town with a truck, to a complex, computerized truck, rail and warehouse delivery system which moves food from coast to coast. These sys�tems can overlap as the small farmer turns their food over to a corporation for distribution. In this instance, the farmer has little to no say as to what price they will get for their food. Another aspect of distribution is importation and exportation of food. In many countries the exported food is a cash crop that is not eaten by the farmers who produce it. They sell the crop so they can buy food. The corporations that own the land the farmers work, sell them food which has been imported to their country. The key question of who is benefit�ing from this system needs to be considered.

Again, read the above instances you will get a good idea of who is benefiting from this type of system...

For most people in this country, the question of where their food came from is not a priority. The super grocery stores where most Americans do their shopping for food remove people from the issues surrounding the food's pro�duction and distribution. The food is ready to go and the people who have touched it when it was planted, picked and prepared are hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles away. By educating themselves as to how food reaches their plate, the consumer can then make very powerful choices. By buying locally produced, unionized labor, organic and sustainable foods the consumer is supporting systems which give control back to the farmer, which in turn gives control back to the consumer.

Whether consciously or not, you as a consumer make choices when you spend your money. Where your money is spent and what is bought are very important decisions. The more information that you as a consumer have, the more powerful your decisions make you and the people who produce your food.

More

biotech companies can now patent plants and animals, so if your a farmer in ghana there will be problems for you even if you've grown certain plants in the past, if that bio tech co has a patent on that plant or food, youg oing down...

See here

GM foods fall into three categories: environmental hazards, human health risks, and economic concerns. Read about them here

The Politics of Food

[edit on 6-12-2004 by TrueLies]