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Prof Howieson is working with 30 scientists from 15 countries...to unravel the genetic secrets of rhizobia so researchers can exploit it.
``We do hope we can solve some of the problems in Africa using the outcome of this project and some problems in Australia,'' he said.
The annual GM industry-funded survey of global GM crops, by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agro-biotech Applications (ISAAA), shows 7 of the 25 GM countries grew less genetically manipulated (GM) crops in 2009. No more countries adopted GM and just 2.7% of global agricultural land was used for GM soy, corn, canola and cotton.
“GM is not a global industry. Just six countries dominate GM cropping, with the USA, Brazil, Argentina, India, Canada and China growing 95% of all GM crops. Though 20 other countries, including Australia, grow some GM they are just dabbling.
“The Cartagena Biosafety Protocol will be completed this year, giving countries more grounds for saying ‘no’ to GM crops. 156 countries are now members of the treaty but Australia is not among them.”
“There is not one commercial GM crop with increased yield, drought-tolerance, salt-tolerance, enhanced nutrition, a nitrogen-fixing grain or other beneficial trait promised by GM companies for over 25 years. Yet GM crops also hinder the development of real solutions to hunger and climate change by restricting funding and farmer access to seeds and knowledge.
“We need new, smarter GM-free farming systems that feed people without wrecking the planet,” Mr Phelps concludes.
Karembu says crops like South Africa’s insect-resistant cotton have reduced labor and harmful insecticides, increased yield, and registered farm income gains of about 24 percent.
“Is it really worth it to put tens of millions of dollars into developing a single trait that is not very resilient? Biotechnology only solves one problem and only one piece of a problem at a time.”
And in some cases, it creates new ones. There are reports of genetically modified organisms escaping and cross-pollinating native and non-GM plants. While this has provided some farmers with short-term benefits of running into less insects and using less insecticides, the drift appears to be occurring on a much larger scale, at least in the United States.
“Although 70 percent of Africans are engaged in farming, production is so low that nearly 250 million people, one-quarter of the population, are undernourished,” wrote Juma. “One-third of Sub-Saharan Africans are chronically hungry, while drought, soil degradation and disease appear endemic.”
Originally posted by matrix12
all of that preparation they for sure know something is going to happen.
Originally posted by BadBoYeed
that seed vault made me nervous from the first time i heard of it.
when are governments proactive for "no reason"...never
they can barely even be "active" in the face of sudden adversity
yeah....they know something allright...........
Originally posted by matrix12
all of that preparation they for sure know something is going to happen.
Originally posted by silo13
reply to post by Skywatcher2011
Great find.
So, they’re taking this ‘nitrogen bug’ (so to speak) to the ‘Vault’...
But, from what I read (?) they’re also of the mind this could ‘cure’ what ails Africa?
Somehow I find it hard to believe the fertilizer companies would allow this, (‘curing Africa’ without huge bucks for ’them’) - but we can hope can’t we?
peace
Originally posted by pityocamptes
Look at the weather and geo charts for the past 500 years - very wet when juxtaposed against time frames outside of this, meaning humans have had it good...