Good Food is First Food. It is not junk food. It is the food that connects nature and nutrition with livelihoods. This food is good for our health; it comes from the rich biodiversity of our regions; it provides employment to people. Most importantly, cooking and eating give us pleasure. …
Approximately 80 per cent of all calories consumed in the world come from genomes that are similar to rice. The fact that the rice genome is relatively small, and the availability of modern efficient genetic transformation techniques, have enabled rice scientists to explore this grass in depth. An essential aspect …
Sri Lanka becomes the first country to ban genetically modified foods from May 1, 2002. The environment ministry has issued a list of 21 items, including a range of soya and tomato foods, to be banned unless proved they are not GM foods. The move receives the support of environment …
Their harvest having tested positive for the presence of genetically modified (gm) soya, the farmers of nine fields in southern Brazil may face trial by the public prosecutor's office. They may be charged with illegal planting and sale of gmf soyabeans. This was revealed by Paulo Borges, the agriculture ministry's …
PUSHPA M BHARGAVA Former director, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology Manipulating research is not a new phenomenon. Earlier, the reason for manoeuvring the results of scientific research was professional rivalry. But for the last four decades, it has been economic gain and power, which could be personal, corporate or …
Clive James, president of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (isaaa), says that Argentine crop area planted with genetically modified (gm) seeds will rise 1.5 million hectares to 11.44 million hectares in the 2001-02 season. Argentina is the second largest user of gm products. The area planted …
in an apparent knee-jerk reaction to the farmers' demand to cultivate Bt cotton, the Union government plans to commercialise several genetically modified crops by the end of 2002. The government can meet this deadline only if it flouts its own procedures. Manju Sharma, secretary in the department of biotechnology, has …
The Argentine Movement for Organic Production (mapo), a group of 300 organic farmers, has recently filed a complaint against the Agriculture Department demanding that it should stop approving the use of and suspend all past authorisations of Bt corn, modified to resist insects. They are concerned over the potential long-term …
The entire transgenic cotton episode has exposed the weak underbelly of the government. Dragging its feet on a crucial issue has now landed the authorities in an inextricable mess. And has brought the world crashing around the poor farmers. It simply shows that not only can the powers that be …
Some 300 farmers recently ravaged a test field of genetically modified (gm) corn in the Mindanao islands. The tests are being conducted by the biotechnology giant Monsanto. Charles Martin, corporate communications official of Monsanto, alleged that the farmers were paid for the attack by communist farmers and labour unions.
genetically modified maize can restrain the growth of caterpillars in the fields, shows recent studies conducted in North America's grain belt. The studies are the first to show damaging ecological effects of Bt maize in and around the fields. Diane Stanley-Horn of the University of Guelph, Ontario, found that monarch …
a veil of secrecy has marred the credibility of experiments conducted in the uk for ascertaining the possible adverse effects of genetically modified (gm) crops on wildlife. This allegation was made by the country's Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission, according to which residents and farmers living close to the trial …
a wide range of opinion continues to exist on whether genetically modified (gm) crops pose a significant risk to human health. But there is a growing consensus on one important aspect of the debate: greater public investment is needed in the research used to justify claims that such crops are …
new crops that help constrain industrial contamination could be a part of the future ways of controlling pollution. The genes that allow plants to accumulate large amounts of metal in their tissues have been identified and cloned at Purdue University, usa . The finding is expected to lead to new …
New regulations in China regarding the import of genetically modified (gm) products have created a furore in the us trade and political circles. According to the us department of agriculture, 68 per cent of us soybean falls under the gm category. "It is critical to our soybean exports that China …
the much-awaited Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Bill 1999 was recently passed by the Lok Sabha. The bill, which is the first attempt to protect the rights of farmers, has been termed as
The UN world food body has reached a landmark agreement for saving the diversity of agricultural crops. Members of the body, including the US, have decided to make it mandatory for plant breeders and geneticists developing new crop varieties to pay for having access to public seed banks. The agreement, …
A study sponsored by the biotech giant Monsanto and Zeneca's Ag products Inc., conducted over a 10 year period, has shown that genetically modified crops do not survive for longer periods than their conventional partners. The study had a narrow focus
The administrative tribunal of Paris has ordered the French government to publish a list of sites in the country where genetically modified (GM) crops are being grown on a trial basis. The court has directed the government to disclose the list on the basis that it is public information. The …
