Press Release for International Seed Day, 26 April 2014 - Call for Seed Sovereignty: Protect Farmers’ Rights

 Bharat Beej Swaraj Manch (India Seed Sovereignty Alliance) – a nationwide network for conserving and regenerating seed diversity and self-reliance – celebrates the International Seed Day on 26^th April.  Newly formed, with about 100 present members from 17 states, including many outstanding seed-savers and farmer-breeders of thousands of crop varieties, it urges the great need to embrace, adopt, conserve, promote and exchange traditional seeds. Such seeds, evolved over millennia, offer immense possibilities to adapt to climate change without compromising farmers’ rights and seed sovereignty.

 

Seed is integral to agricultural progress and the survival and well-being of humanity. Our amazing heritage of seed diversity, adapted to diverse conditions and needs, has the boundless potential to sustain farming and allied rural communities in independence, health and dignity for generations to come! Founded on unique region-specific landraces bred by farmers, these seeds can meet local nutritional needs and adapt to changing climatic conditions.

 

As an indication of India’s enormous agro-diversity, the National Gene Bank of the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) boasts that its base collections total 4,02,894 accessions of 1,586 crop species! These include 1,59,569 cereals, 57,523 millets, 58,756 pulses/grain legumes, 58,477 oilseeds, 25,330 vegetables, 6,872 medicinal and aromatic plants, and 3,847 spices and condiments.  Many of these varieties have disappeared from farmers’ fields under the onslaught of the so-called ‘Green Revolution’.

It was reported in the Wall Steet Journal that the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) is offering Multinational Corporations (MNCs) these thousands of rare varieties of crop germplasm for “a small share of the profit!”  The Bharat Beej Swaraj Manch condemns all such naked abetment of bio-piracy, and calls upon all national/international agencies to desist from transfers of genetic material that will end up in private/corporate IPR claims over seed varieties that rightfully belong to the farming communities of India. It further urges all institutions and farmers/communities to keep away from involvement in privatizing community/collective genetic resources and knowledge that are an integral part of our biological, cultural and intellectual commons.

 

India’s rich heritage of traditional seed varieties in national and international germplasm collections are a vital resource collected from Indian farmers that must be returned to them to safeguard their livelihoods and the people they feed. This is now urgently needed in a scenario of rapidly depleting and increasingly expensive fossil fuels and chemical inputs, together with soil degradation, climate change, water scarcity and erratic weather conditions. 

We thus demand the return of our traditional seeds to our farming communities; and we call upon our government to facilitate and simplify such access to our heritage varieties from national and international germplasm collections; and to support their decentralized conservation in the croplands/regions of origin. Unless our farmers can adopt bio-diverse ecological agriculture with their own locally adapted seeds, severe food scarcity looms ahead.

 

Two emerging great threats to Indian agriculture and crop diversity are: (i) the granting of private/commercial Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) over our heritage seed/plant varieties; and (ii) the release or field trials of Genetically Modified (GM) crops that can widely contaminate our traditional varieties; and such damage would be unstoppable and irreversible. We thus call for an urgent halt to any such releases or field trials of GM crops. Our priority must be to have in place a cautionary National Bio-safety Law and an effective implementation mechanism to comprehensively guard against the hazards that GM crops pose to human, animal, soil and eco-system health.

The attached ‘India Seed Sovereignty Declaration’ of the national seed savers’ alliance calls for the wide support of all for the urgent demands contained therein! It concludes with a united pledge to protect Mother Earth, the source and sustenance of humanity and myriad species; and it urges all to integrate stewardship and compassion in our education, culture and lifestyle.

 

We earnestly request all, including media friends and opinion makers, to endorse, publicize and encourage this collective initiative.

 

-          Bharat Beej Swaraj Manch (India Seed Sovereignty Alliance)

 

Contact:

G. Krishna Prasad, Convener, Bharat Beej Swaraj Manch, Ph: 9880862058;

Soumik Banerjee, Co-convener, Bharat Beej Swaraj Manch, Ph: 8294062742;

Sanjay Patil, Co-convener, Bharat Beej Swaraj Manch, Ph: 9623931855

INDIA SEED SOVEREIGNTY DECLARATION

We, the undersigned, associated with Bharat Beej Swaraj Manch (India Seed Sovereignty Alliance), united to achieve self-reliance and revival of diversity with regard to Seed, hereby declare:

1. Like the earth and the sky, the immense biodiversity of seeds, plants and life forms is our collective heritage. Gifted by Nature, and evolved through the cumulative innovations, adaptations and selections of many generations of indigenous farming communities, these seeds and life forms are sacred. They belong to all as an inviolable birthright, essential for survival and well-being; and it is our duty to preserve them for future generations.  They cannot be seen as mere commodities or ‘proprietary intellectual resources’ for corporate profiteering.

 

2. We refuse to let our genetic commons and bio-cultural heritage be privatized and monopolized by a few; and we assert our sovereign rights to freely plant, use, reproduce, select, improve, adapt, save, share, exchange or sell our seeds – without restriction or hindrance – as we have done for past millennia.

 

3. India has an enormous wealth of crop diversity. It is a global centre of origin and diversity of rice, with over 90,000 distinct rice varieties collected by Indian agricultural research and germplasm centres. (Some estimates mention over 150,000 varieties!) These grew in farmers’ fields, adapted to diverse conditions. About 19,000 rice varieties were collected by Dr Richharia from just two states, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, of which 1600 varieties were found to be high-yielding. Each variety had distinct nutritional, medicinal, taste/flavour, fragrance, color, shape, size, stress tolerance, productivity-related or other qualities, as well as socio-cultural significance.

 

4. We have a rich diversity too of wheat, millets, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables, tubers, fruits, spices, medicinal plants; and thousands of uncultivated forest foods. Over 25,000 Indian varieties of dry-land crops are held by ICRISAT alone. India’s ‘National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources’ states that the base collections in its ‘National Gene Bank’ total 4,02,894 accessions of 1,586 crop species! These include 1,59,569 cereals, 57,523 millets, 58,756 pulses/grain legumes, 58,477 oilseeds, 25,330 vegetables, 6,872 medicinal and aromatic plants, and 3,847 spices and condiments.  Many of these varieties have disappeared from farmers’ fields under the onslaught of the so-called ‘Green Revolution’.

 

5. In 2012, the Wall Street Journal broke news on what may be called ‘The Great Gene Bazaar’. It reported that the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) is offering Multinational Corporations (MNCs) 400,000 seed varieties for “a small share of the profit!”  The ICAR Deputy Director General, Mr. Swapan  Datta, is quoted saying, "We have crops that are being grown and adapted very naturally to different geographies. So we have drought tolerant rice, terminal-heat tolerant wheat and salinity-tolerant crop varieties."

It is well known that MNCs are eager to establish exclusive patent/proprietary rights over our heritage seed varieties handed down over millennia. We condemn all such naked abetment of bio-piracy, as reported in the Wall Street Journal or elsewhere, and we call upon all national/international agencies to desist from transfers of genetic material that will end up in private/corporate IPR claims over seed varieties that rightfully belong to the farming communities of India. We further urge all institutions and farmers/communities to keep away from involvement in privatizing community/collective genetic resources and knowledge that are an integral part of our biological, cultural and intellectual commons.

 

6. We unitedly resolve to work for the decentralized in situ conservation, regeneration and unhindered use and sharing of biodiversity by farmers, gardeners, indigenous communities, and people at large; and we urge the support of all, including our governments, for such work.

 

7. Many thousands of our crop seeds have ended up in distant gene banks like the IRRI in Philippines, CIMMYT in Mexico, or Fort Collins in the USA. These seeds represent the collective bio-cultural heritage – including biodiversity, food culture, ecological knowledge and value systems – of local communities that freely shared and passed them down from generation to generation. Such seeds are a vital resource that must be reclaimed to safeguard farm livelihoods and the people they feed, especially in a scenario of rapidly depleting and increasingly expensive fossil fuels and chemical inputs, together with soil degradation, climate change, water scarcity and erratic weather conditions. Unless farmers can adopt bio-diverse ecological agriculture with their own locally adapted seeds, severe food scarcity looms ahead.

We thus demand the return of our traditional seeds to our farming communities; and we call upon our government to facilitate and simplify such access to our heritage varieties from national and international germplasm collections; and to support their decentralized conservation in the croplands/regions of origin.  

 

8. Today, the danger to our heritage of agro-biodiversity – from commercial, proprietary hybrid seeds and GM (genetically modified) crops – is graver than ever. GM crops pose a severe threat of unstoppable and irreversible contamination of our local crop varieties through cross-pollination, as witnessed extensively in the case of corn (maize) in Mexico. The aggressive marketing of GM crops also drives local varieties out of circulation, as seen in the near total erosion of cotton varieties in India. The serious hazards posed by GM crops to human, animal, soil and eco-system health are widely recognized.

 We thus demand a ban on GM seeds and species, and strict enforcement of liability for any contamination of seeds/plants, and any damage to the health of farmers, consumers, animals, croplands and eco-systems from the use, release or field trials of GM seeds and species. A National Bio-safety law and implementation mechanism must be immediately put in place to comprehensively guard against the hazards of GMOs.

 

9. We reject the existing patent and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regime on life forms, including plant varieties, seeds, and related traditional knowledge; and we demand that all information and material in gene banks be declared as ‘prior art’ to prevent bio-piracy. Such information and material must remain as our collective, open-source heritage, which the governments – as trustees of/for the people – must safeguard from privatization, IPRs, or any kind of exclusive proprietary control/rights.

 

10. We call upon the Central and State Governments to promote and support diversity-based, holistic ecological agriculture, forestry and related livelihoods – to meet our basic, priority needs in a sustainable manner. Bio-diverse ecological agriculture/gardening should be integrated in the curriculum of schools and educational institutions, which should utilize a part of their premises for such purpose. We call for phasing out agro-chemicals which destroy biodiversity directly and in various pathways. We further call for the promotion of ecologically appropriate and nutritive food crops for local needs over cash crops for distant markets.

 

11. We are alarmed that the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) – a promising international treaty for the conservation, sustainable use and fair and equitable sharing of biodiversity –has not only failed to meet its objectives, but seems to have degenerated into an international arrangement to facilitate corporate control of our biodiversity. We decry such abdication of original purpose and responsibility; and we reject the narrow definition of “access and benefit”, as a commodity to be traded via monetary payment. We uphold the world-view of Adivasis and local communities, who see “access and benefit” as the unhindered and continuous right over their territories, lands, forests, waters, air, livelihoods, knowledge systems, spirituality, culture and biodiversity. In any event, all ‘Access and Benefit Sharing’ agreements under the CBD must categorically debar the creation of any exclusive rights of ownership, use or control of any biological resources and related knowledge.

 

12. Biological diversity is intrinsically linked to the rights of Adivasis, farmers, pastoralists, fisher-folk, craftspeople and others to their land and natural resources, and is embedded in the ecological and cultural habitats of communities. We deplore the plunder of such habitats by short-sighted economic expansionism, fuelled by the commoditization and privatization of our biological diversity, natural wealth and ecological commons. Big dams, hazardous nuclear and thermal plants, all kinds of mining, SEZs, mono-culture plantations, land-grabbing, the rise of real-estate speculators, and reckless urban-industrial-consumerist expansion are a massive assault on our biological diversity, trampling the fundamental rights of local inhabitants to a healthy life and sustainable livelihood. We call for an urgent halt to all anti-people, anti-nature, destructive development based on unsound science that also endangers future generations, and the survival of other species.

 

We pledge to protect Mother Earth, the source and sustenance of humanity and myriad species, and we urge all to integrate stewardship and compassion in our education, culture and lifestyle.

 

[Note: The above India Seed Sovereignty Declaration (New Delhi, 2014) has been created by Bharat Beej Swaraj Manch (India Seed Sovereignty Alliance), consisting of seed savers, breeders, farmers, gardeners and biodiversity/organic farming activists from all over India. Suggestions for further improvement remain welcome, and will be considered before the national seed alliance adopts a finalized ‘statement of vision’ in its next meeting. Such suggestions may please be sent with copies marked to: 1) Kavitha Kuruganti, Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA): kavitha.kuruganti@gmail.com; 2) Shamika Mone, Organic Farming Association of India (OFAI): myofai@gmail.com; 3) Krishna Prasad (Sahaja Samruddha): prasadgk12@gmail.com; 4) Jacob Nellithanam: farmersrights@gmail.com;  and 5) Bharat Mansata: bharatmansata@yahoo.com. ]

 

The Local CASE AGAINST GMO FARMING

USE NO PESTICIDE - HELP BIRDS

Seed Festival on 27th April 2014 at AP

Kitchen Gardening 26 - 28 April 2014 at 7 places of Punjab

Microbes Will Feed the World, or Why Real Farmers Grow Soil, Not Crops

By Brian Barth on April 22, 2014

Out on the horizon of agriculture’s future, an army 40,000 strong is marching towards a shimmering goal. They see the potential for a global food system where pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers are but relics of a faded age.

They are not farmers, but they are working in the name of farmers everywhere. Under their white lab coats their hearts beat with a mission to unlock the secrets of the soil — making the work of farmers a little lighter, increasing the productivity of every field and reducing the costly inputs that stretch farmers’ profits as thin as a wire.

‘Producing more food with fewer resources may seem too good to be true, but the world’s farmers have trillions of potential partners that can help achieve that ambitious goal. Those partners are microbes.’

The American Society of Microbiologists (ASM) recently released a treasure trove of their latest research and is eager to get it into the hands of farmers. Acknowledging that farmers will need to produce 70 to 100 percent more food to feed the projected 9 billion humans that will inhabit the earth by 2050, they remain refreshingly optimistic in their work. The introduction to their latest report states:

“Producing more food with fewer resources may seem too good to be true, but the world’s farmers have trillions of potential partners that can help achieve that ambitious goal. Those partners are microbes.”

Mingling with Microbes

Linda Kinkel of the University of Minnesota’s Department of Plant Pathology was one of the delegates at ASM’s colloquium in December 2012, where innovators from science, agribusiness and the USDA spent two days sharing their research and discussing solutions to the most pressing problems in agriculture.

“We understand only a fraction of what microbes do to aid in plant growth,” she says. “But the technical capacity to categorize the vast unknown community [of microorganisms] has improved rapidly in the last couple of years.”

Microbiologists have thoroughly documented instances where bacteria, fungi, nematodes — even viruses — have formed mutually beneficial associations with food plants, improving their ability to absorb nutrients and resist drought, disease and pests. Microbes can enable plants to better tolerate extreme temperature fluctuations, saline soils and other challenges of a changing climate. There is even evidence that microbes contribute to the finely-tuned flavors of top-quality produce, a phenomenon observed in strawberries in particular.

“But we’re only at the tip of the iceberg,” says Kinkel.

In the Field

Statements such as, “There are 10 to the 6th fungal organisms in a gram of soil!” and, “This bacterialbiofilm has tremendous communication properties!” are breakroom banter among microbiologists, but what does it all mean for farmers? The answers reach back into the millennial past of agriculture, back to the dawn of life on earth.

Whenever a seed germinates in the wild or a crop is planted by a farmer, the microbial community that helps that species to grow and thrive is mobilized. Chemical signals enter the soil via the exudates of the plant and a symphony of underground activity commences. Genetic information is exchanged; the various microbial players assume their positions on the tissues of the plant; often, one microbe colonizes another, providing a service that helps the first microbe to assist the plant whose roots it is embedded in.

Though this elaborate dance takes place without any input from humans, we have been tinkering with it for a long time.

For example, the process of nitrogen fixation in plants of the legume family (which includes beans, peas, peanuts and many other crop plants) is one of the little bacterial miracles that makes our planet habitable. Anyone who has ever observed the roots of a legume knows that they are covered in strange white or pinkish growths, about the size of ants, which appear to be an infection of some sort. Undoubtedly, ancient farmers had an intuitive understanding that these warty protuberances had something to do with the noticeable ability of legumes to improve the soil, but it wasn’t until the late 19th century that the mystery began to unfold.

While Louis Pasteur was discovering how to preserve milk and becoming famous as the father of microbiology, a relatively unknown colleague of his with a penchant for plants was making another discovery, of perhaps even greater historical importance. In 1888, Martinus Beijerinck, discovered that tiny bacteria called Rhizobia infect the roots of legumes, causing the swollen nodules. Rather than an infection that weakens the plant, the nodules are the fertilizer factories of the plant kingdom, disassembling atmospheric nitrogen — which plants are unable to use — and refashioning it in a soluble, plant-friendly form.

Rhizobia are key ingredients of the earth’s verdancy and harnessing the bacteria to improve soil fertility has long been one of the cornerstones of sustainable agriculture. Yet, modern day microbiologists are now aware of scores of other equally profound plant-microbe interactions, discoveries they believe will have a big impact as human populations continue to soar on a planet of finite resources.

Making the Translation

In her lab at the university, Kinkel experiments with antibiotic bacteria that suppress plant pathogens and tests various soil management strategies to see their effects on microbial communities. In Colombia, microbiologists have learned to propagate a fungus that colonizes cassava plants and increases yields up to 20 percent. Its hyphae — the tiny tentacles of fungi — extend far beyond the roots of the cassava to unlock phosphorus, nitrogen and sulfur in the soil and siphon it back to their host, like an IV of liquid fertilizer.

In Colombia, microbiologists have learned to propagate a fungus that colonizes cassava plants and increases yields up to 20 percent

Though microbiologists can coerce soil to produce extraordinary plant growth in their labs and test plots, transferring the results to everyday agricultural practices is not a straightforward process.

“Connections to farmers are a weak link,” Kinkel laments, alluding to a “snake oil effect” where farmers have become leery of salesmen hawking microbial growth enhancers that don’t pan out in the field. “The challenge of [these] inoculants,” she says, “is they may not translate in all environments.”

Though researchers continue to develop promising new microbial cocktails, there is an increased focus on guiding farmers to better steward the populations that already exist in their soil. Kinkel is working on an approach she believes will help farmers sustain optimal microbial communities by ensuring they have the food they need — carbon — at all times. She calls it ‘slow release carbon’, but it’s not something farmers will see in supply catalogs anytime soon. Kinkel says she has access to resources for her academic research, but lacks a “deliberate pipeline for product development.”

It Takes a Global Village

The 26 experts from around the world convened at the ASM colloquium concluded their discussions with a bold goal for the future of agriculture: They’ve challenged themselves to bring about a 20 percent increase in global food production and a 20 percent decrease in fertilizer and pesticide use over the next 20 years.

With an indomitable belief that science will do its part to make this dream a reality, the scientists are looking to their corporate and regulatory counterparts to build a pipeline of information to farmers. They’re hoping that top-down investments in research and technology will meet directly with grassroots changes in the culture of farming — without all the snake oil-vending agribusiness interests in the middle. Ultimately, they envision a future where farmers again trust in the unseen forces of the soil — instead of the fertilizer shed — for answers to their challenges.

Seeds of Change

http://leisaindia.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/LEISA-India-March-2014-Pages-34-36.pdf

http://leisaindia.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/LEISA-India-Dec-2013-Pages-1-36.pdf

French Parliament Votes to Prohibit all Strains of GMO Corn

Erin Trauth 
April 18, 2014  66 Comments

Way to go, France! The country moved this week to approve a law which will prohibit the cultivation of GMO corn. Reuters reports: “Now, no variety of GM corn can be cultivated because of its toxic threats to the soil, insects and human health.” Hurray!

Last month, France banned the sale, use, and cultivation of Monsanto’s MON810 variety, which was the only GMO crop that was allowed in the European Union. Now, even if the EU allows for them, all future strains of any kind will be banned from France.

“It is essential today to renew a widely shared desire to maintain the French ban,” said Jean-Marie Le Guen, a minister in charge of Parliament relations. “This bill strengthens the decree passed last March by preventing the immediate cultivation of GMO and extending their reach to all transgenic maize varieties.”

This ban will extend beyond Monsanto, prohibiting companies like DuPont and Dow Chemical from infiltrating the French food system. Take that, chemicals!

According to Reuters, the vote now moves forward, even in the face of a prior rejection: “The ban on GM maize will head back to the Senate for approval, but even if it is rejected again, the National Assembly would have the final say.”

In other words, there is a good chance of this passing for good – we sure hope it does! This sort of move sets precedent for other countries across the globe. While the United States has a long way to go in terms of banning GMO crops, especially corn, lawmakers will eventually have to take note that country after country elsewhere is banning this type of food – or at least properly labeling it so as to allow consumers to have a transparent choice at all times.

Source: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/french-parliament-votes-to-prohibit-all-strains-of-gmo-corn/

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Teach Gaderning as food is important

SANJEEVINI SEED FESTIVAL 27th April 2014 at AP

SANJEEVINI SEED FESTIVAL 27th April 2014 at Malivalasa Sovva panchayat Dumbiguda mandal Visakha Dt AP. Please Welcome. Contact : 09440119789

German federal states push for opt-out clause on EU GMO rulings

BERLIN, April 11 Fri Apr 11, 2014 9:31pm IST

Reuters) - Germany's federal states, who oppose the cultivation of crops with genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), voted on Friday to urge the national government to seek an opt-out clause for individual European Union states.

Currently the EU has the power to approve GMO crops for Europe-wide cultivation, but is moving towards an opt-out policy that would allow individual countries to ban GM crops.

Germany's national government has blocked this up to now, alongside Britain, France and Belgium, because of internal divisions over GM policy.

In a separate vote in February, 19 of 28 EU countries voted against granting approval for the cultivation of a GMO maize variety, Pioneer 1507, developed by DuPont and Dow Chemical.

But under the bloc's weighted voting system that was not enough to reject the crop, leaving the way open for the EU Commission to clear it.

Germany abstained from that vote.

The issue of GMO crops has divided Germany's right-left coalition, between Angela Merkel's conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD).

Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) favour GMOs, but the southern conservative party the Christian Social Union (CSU) and the SPD oppose biotechnology crops.

Although widely grown in the Americas and Asia, GM crops are generally unpopular in Europe, where public opposition is strong and environmentalists have raised concerns about the impact on biodiversity. (Reporting by Hans-Edzard Busemann; writing by Alexandra Hudson; editing by Jason Neel

Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/04/11/germany-gmo-idINL6N0N33LK20140411 

 

US farmers told to go back to traditional methods as GMO pest resistant crops fail

(10th April 2014, Pests in GMO farming) Crops genetically engineered to repel and kill pests are failing. Pest resistance is escalating at an unforeseen rate and so farmers are being told by GMO companies to reintroduce traditional crop rotations to fight pests.

A research team led by entomologist Aaron Gassmann at the Iowa State University has discovered that western corn rootworm- a major pest in maize (corn) crops - has developed resistance to 2 of the 3 types of genetically engineered traits.

Bt maize is a GMO crop designed to produce its own insecticide. Its introduction allowed US maize farmers to grow the crop in the same field year after year without a break.
It was supposed to repel and kill pests but within three and a half years the corn rootworm developed resistance.
The GMO industry answer was to produce more genetically engineered toxins and to “stack” them in combination of two or three in the maize plants.
Now the Iowa research team has found that pest resistance to the original toxin is being transferred to the newer engineered strain.
Pests are overcoming GMO technology with surprising speed
“That’s two of the three toxins on the market now,” says Gassmann. “It’s a substantial part of the available technology.”
It is not surprising that pests have developed resistance but the speed and extent is unexpected.
Genetically engineered maize producing the Bt toxin Cry3Bb1was first approved for use in the United States in 2003.
From the start 2% of the Corn Rootworms survived feeding on the toxic corn.
That 2% was enough to establish a healthy, resistant breeding population.
 Within 6 years rootworm damage was widespread across US GMO maize crops.
 In 2011, damage had spread to maize containing a second genetically engineered toxin mCry3A.
Gassmann’s research has shown that this is due to cross-resistance and that corn rootworms that had become resistant to Cry3Bb1 are also resistant to mCry3A.
It’s a vicious treadmill for farmers; we have previously covered it here. http://www.gmeducation.org/environment/p211426-gm-crops-outclassed-by-nature-as-insect-resistance-grows.html
Non-GMO maize grown to protect GMO maize
For some time the GMO seed companies have been urging farmers to plant ‘refuges’ of non-GMO maize within their fields to act as a breeding ground for susceptible root worms.
But as corn rootworm resistance has developed and spread recommendations on the size of “refuges” have come to verge on the ridiculous – up from 10-15% of the overall crop to closer to 40%.
So in order to prolong the effectiveness of genetically engineered maize plants and to make GMO cropping viable- you have to grow non-GMO maize.
Traditionally farmers throughout the world have used crop rotations; growing a range of different crops to keep soil healthy, prevent loss of nutrients and prevent plant diseases and pests from becoming established.
But the GMO companies and GMO researchers told them that with GMO crops they would no longer need crop rotations and in the US this has led to the widespread abandonment of sound farming practices
This has been the biggest driver behind the development of rootworm resistance.
Abandoning good farming practice
If maize is grown in the same field year after year, it applies the perfect selection pressure for pests to evolve resistance. Take away maize monocropping and the problem is controlled.
Typically the companies have been quick to blame farmers – even though they advised them that rotations were unnecessary.
Nicholas Storer, a global science-policy leader for biotechnology at Dow AgroSciences in Washington DC, says that the study illustrates that if GMO crops are not used as part of an integrated pest-management policy, resistance can develop quickly in an individual field.
But In response to the growing resistance Dow - working with Monsanto - is now adding more insecticide genes to its maize which can only make the problem worse.
Gassmann’s study shows that the combination of multiple toxins is less effective once resistance arises to one of the toxins.
Farmers should not rely on GMO technology to fight pests, and should instead periodically change the crop grown on a field to help disrupt the pest’s life cycle.
“The rootworm can’t survive if the corn’s not there,” Gassmann says.
Even the man from Dow acknowledges this; “crop rotation was the primary tool to combat rootworm before Bt came along,” he said in an honest moment, “We need to keep it up.”
So why would anyone need GMOs?
Meg Noble
Sources:
http://www.nature.com/news/pests-worm-their-way-into-genetically-modified-maize-1.14887?WT.ec_id=NEWS-20140318
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1317179111
http://www.gmeducation.org/environment/p211426-gm-crops-outclassed-by-nature-as-insect-resistance-grows.html

Asin, one more in the list of celebrities doing organic farming

The Hindu | April 10, 2014

Asin unwinds with water sports on Bali vacation

Asin, who is quite fond of adventure sports, recently had a blast while on a vacation to Bali.

A source said while in Bali, Asin indulged in water sports like jet skiing, snorkeling and sea walking.

Asin added, “Bali is one of my favourite travel destinations. I am a complete water baby so it is an ideal place to unwind.”

The actor also has a farmhouse in Vagamon in Kerala and personally looks into its maintenance. It is her family property and where she spends most of her summer holidays when she was in school. Many of Asin’s friends from the industry have also visited the farmhouse.

Director Rohit Shetty commented on seeing her farmhouse, “If I ever had such a beautiful house, I would never feel like returning to Mumbai.”

Apparently all food is grown organically and there are cattle for fresh milk and swans on the property. Asin paints and loves reading and whenever she is at the farmhouse, that is exactly what she does.

Source : http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/water-baby/article5893311.ece

Sallu’s organic outing

By Ankur Pathak, Mumbai Mirror | Apr 8, 2014, 12.00 AM IST

he superstar has been quietly growing vegetables and fruits at his Panvel farmhouse.

Mirror recently reported how Salman Khan is off alcohol and cigarettes for the past three years (March 29, 2014). Now, it seems that the star has taken another step towards healthy living. 

A regular at Salman's Panvel retreat informed us how impressed he was after getting a tour of the farm. Revealed the source, "Salman has been growing potatoes, tomatoes and pumpkins without using any kind of artificial fertilizers. He proudly feeds his guests dishes cooked with the vegetables grown in his kitchen garden." 

The star has turned to gardening as he believes that the vegetables in the market today are laced with chemicals and can trigger serious health problems. Healthy eating is the way to a healthy lifestyle, according to the new and improved Salman Khan. 

But if you are thinking that the actor intends to make a quick buck out of his fresh produce, then you are mistaken. The veggies are strictly for domestic use. 

"Much of what he grows is consumed at his Bandra home and in the farmhouse, with the surplus going to guests and other close friends," the source said. 

When contacted, Salman's father, Salim Khan confirmed the news. 

He said, "I've never seen Salman so passionate about anything. He's really given his heart and soul to the farm," while adding, "He loves spending time there, being at one with nature. And yes, we have no plans to sell the output commercially. It's just an initiative towards a healthy life."

Source: http://www.mumbaimirror.com/entertainment/bollywood/Sallus-organic-outing/articleshow/33406640.cms

6th April 2014, Kitchen Gardening Workshop by Green Souls

Transform your balcony, terrace, backyard and window grills into a food garden!

Hosted on a rooftop space, we will explore simple and sustainable ways of growing food naturally through hands-on practical sessions, giving you the confidence to start your own kitchen garden.

WORKSHOP INCLUDES ...
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Growing Healthy Vegetables & Herbs
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➢ Basics of soil ecology : An introduction to living soil, natural farming, mulching, seasonal vegetables and fruits, harvesting, keeping plants healthy and more
➢ Pot Mixture – Making self-watering containers
➢ Drip Irrigation for your container garden
➢ Making a grill garden
➢ Making your own saplings
➢ Q & A

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Solid Waste Management
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➢ Waste Segregation
➢ Stink-free easy kitchen & garden waste management

DATE & TIME
Sunday , April 6th 2014, 8 A.M. - 12:00 Noon.

VENUE:
Our Lady’s Home for Boys
205, Dr. Ambedkar Road,
Dadar (E), Mumbai - 400014.
India.

Map: https://goo.gl/maps/C69vV

MINIMUM CONTRIBUTION:
Rs 1000 for spot registrations

Avail the Early Bird Discount and register for Rs 900 before April 3rd. by depositing the funds to the below account

Account Holder: Julius Rego
State Bank of India, (03375)-Rabale Trans-Thana-Creek I A
Account No 31592958671
Branch Code 400002098
IFS Code SBIN0003375

Please email us your Name, Location, Email Address, Date of Payment, Transaction Number to greensoulsmumbai@gmail.com after funds are transferred.

For Details contact:
Call: Sabita: 9870113541 / Julius: 9820074639
Email: greensoulsmumbai@gmail.com

Roof-Top Garden Project - Our Lady’s Home for Boys
‘Our Lady’s Home’, is a shelter for boys, located in Dadar, Mumbai. The Green Souls team volunteers with boys from the home to transform this 5000 sqft rooftop space into a thriving garden providing fresh, organic and in-house produce for their consumption and nutrition.

 

Source: https://www.facebook.com/events/1406294556301107/?ref_notif_type=plan_user_invited&source=1