Monsanto

There is a March Against Monsanto on May 24, and I wanted to write an essay about my feelings toward Monsanto and why it is important to oppose them. The march is a global day of action, and on that day I will be joining activists in Chicopee, Massachusetts. I went with some friends to the Chicopee march back in October and there was actually quite a good turn out, so here's hoping we can keep pushing the momentum forward.

But first thing is first: What is Monsanto?

Well this is their website:
http://www.monsanto.com/pages/default.aspx

And this is the wiki about them:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto

Basically, they are a publicly traded chemical and biotech company who's main products are Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) seeds and the herbicide called Round-up. So what is the problem? Honestly, Monsanto has pioneered some really great science, but we are now seeing a situation where the technology is causing more problems than it is solving.



Problem 1. Genetically Modified Organisms

Genetic Engineering is a fascinating science with a wide range of potential, and I don't think we should cease the development of genetic modification, however, letting it out of the lab is risky, and growing and feeding it to people on a massive scale is downright reckless. Genetic Engineering is when DNA from one creature is inserted into another, and the result is something that would not be found in nature. In some ways it is similar to genetic selection and crossbreeding/crosspollination, though crossbreeding and pollination occurs in nature, genetic engineering does not. Humans have bred things like bigger fruits and friendlier wolves (dogs) over time by selecting desirable traits in plants and animals and ensuring that those are the ones that get passed on. This kind of thing happens randomly in nature, and domestication occurs when humans oversee the process and steer it in the direction we want it to go. Probably the most significant difference between GMO and cross pollination/breeding is that in GMOs, the DNA is coming from two different species, and with crossing it is done within the same species. It's hard to predict exactly what impact a genetically modified creature will have on the world outside of the lab, especially when other creatures begin to consume them.

Problem 2. Eating GMO foods

The possible danger of eating GMO foods is typically the big issue among activists, and this has led to attempts to make laws requiring genetically modified foods to be labeled at the supermarket. (Vermont was recently successful with passing this legislation and a few other states look to be next in line.) This can be a complicated issue though; I can't find any peer reviewed scientific studies that prove GMO's are harmful, but there's also no way to really know how safe they are until enough time has passed to really understand potential long term effects. (The current GMO debate is very similar to the days when tobacco and leaded gasoline were thought to be safe.) Feel free to look for studies on your own, but you'll find that the data is all over the board.

Doctors have been finding success with clearing up certain conditions by prescribing a GMO free diet:
http://vitalitymagazine.com/article/dramatic-health-recoveries-reported/

Here is an article about the negative effects found on lab rats:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/27/1137174/-Genetically-Modified-GM-Corn-Causes-Cancer-in-Lab-Rats

And here is an article saying there is plenty of research out there that proves GMO is safe:
http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2013/10/08/with-2000-global-studies-confirming-safety-gm-foods-among-most-analyzed-subject-in-science/#.U2jurMfD-1s

Whether or not GMO is safe to eat seems to involve a lot of finger pointing and this is why I tend to ignore this aspect of the debate. All I can say for sure is more time needs to pass before we know they are safe, and like I mentioned about tobacco and leaded gasoline, these things have happened before.

Problem 3. Industrial Agriculture

This, to me, is by far the most important reason to oppose Monsanto. The truth is, even if GMO food is perfectly safe, and introducing GMO crops to the wild is harmless, GMO crops are still fundamental aspects of the unsustainable system of industrial agriculture our society needs to break away from. In other words, Monsanto is the opposite of organic farming and sustainable permaculture. In Monsanto's eyes, agriculture means planting acres and acres of the same genetically modified crop and then spraying them down with Round Up, and herbicide used to kill weeds but will leave genetically modified crops in tact. This form of agriculture is efficient, but it relies on specialized machinery powered by fossil fuels, inorganic fertilizers that lead to dead zones in the ocean, and long range shipping methods to move the food to the places where it will be eaten. Explaining the pros and cons of industrial and organic farming is a topic for a much larger essay, but they key to feeding the world's population AND climbing out of the environmental crisis we are in involves growing a diverse amount of food, keeping it local, and falling in line with nature as much as possible. Monsanto isn't solely responsible for the entire industrialized food system, but they are a key support to it all, and moving away from Monsanto means moving closer to a sustainable future for the environment and its people.

Hopefully that sums up why you too should join in the movement to oppose Monsanto, and if we're lucky we can ride this momentum all the way to a total overhaul of the food industry. One step at a time ;)

Thank you for reading,

                              ~Aaron Jensen