News regarding the dangers of GMOs and biotech, and the advantages of organic sustainable agriculture.
Cuban Urban Sustainable Agriculture creates 300,000 jobs – lessons for US?
by Livable Future
I’ve just returned from eight days in Cuba studying their sustainable agricultural system — especially their urban agriculture sector — and I have several key take-aways.
One of the biggest insights was the untapped potential of urban agriculture as a creator of good jobs. The Cuban system was reported to have […]
Science under attack? Not exactly…
by GMWATCH
1.Science under attack? Not exactly…
2.Jonathan Jones – a profile
NOTE: Below’s an interesting critique by Dr Michael Brooks of last night’s BBC2 Horizon documentary “Science Under Attack” presented by the new President of the Royal Society, Sir Paul Nurse. Dr Michael Brooks notes the programme’s total failure to address the distorting influence on science and […]
GMOs: Myths, Falsehoods, Superstitions
by Vandana Shiva
In February, the Minister of Environment Mr. Jairam Ramesh put a moratorium on Bt. Brinjal. He is now pushing trials of GM rubber on Kerala which is a GMO free State. The Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and Kerala Agriculture Minister, Mullakkara Ratnakaran have both reiterated their commitment to keep Kerala GMO […]
Whole Foods Supports…GE Alfalfa?
by Sarah Parsons
Whole Foods boasts one of the most extensive selections of certified organic products, and the store earns many (many) of my hard-earned dollars by claiming to care about personal and environmental health. So you can imagine my surprise when I received an action alert e-mail from the grocer that actually supported the […]
Global Food and Farming Futures: the case for urgent action
by Nick Saltmarsh
Foresight, the Government’s futures thinktank, today published the final report of its Global Food and Farming Futures project to explore the increasing pressures on the global food system between now and 2050.
The report argues for fundamental change to the global food system and beyond, highlighting the decisions that policy makers need to take today, and in […]
China’s organic farms rooted in food-safety concerns
by Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY
BEIJING — It’s quite a shopping list — wine, mushrooms, bean curd, rice noodles, dairy drinks and cooking oil — but buyer beware. In recent months, fake or toxic batches of all these items have worried Chinese consumers nationwide and are a reminder that food safety is a major issue in […]
Karnatak farmers reiterate resolve to oppose GM
by Bosky Khanna
While the central government and environment minister Jairam Ramesh are mulling over the idea of promoting genetically modified (GM) crops, farmers in the state are strongly opposing it.
“We will not allow GM crops to be grown or even tested in the state. Land for such tests will not be given on lease, even […]
World hunger best cured by small-scale agriculture: report
by Nidhi Prakash
The key to alleviating world hunger, poverty and combating climate change may lie in fresh, small-scale approaches to agriculture, according to a report from the Worldwatch Institute.
The US-based institute’s annual State of the World report, published yesterday, calls for a move away from industrial agriculture and discusses small-scale initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa that work towards […]
USDA Sees the Danger of GMO Crops Tainting Pure Organics
by Sara Novak
Marion Nestle said in the Atlantic this week that it seems the USDA will again approve a genetically modified crop but this time they seem to realize the threat that GMOS will have in the future if mixed with pure organic crops. This is especially true of alfalfa, the latest crop up for approval, […]
GMOs Present Potential Unknown Risks to Children with Allergies
On January 24, 2011, the United States Department of Agriculture will consider the approval of the biotech industry’s newest product, a livestock feed given to our nation’s dairy cows – genetically engineered alfalfa. This livestock feed (alfalfa) will not only affect our nation’s milk supply, given the novel proteins and allergens […]
Top USDA bee researcher also found Bayer pesticide harmful to honeybees
by Tom Philpott.
Remember the case of the leaked document showing that the EPA’s own scientists are concerned about a pesticide it approved that might harm fragile honeybee populations?
Well, it turns that the EPA isn’t the only government agency whose researchers are worried about neonicotinoid pesticides. USDA researchers also have […]