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Greenpeace protests for Mexican economic independence through native corn
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Protesters oppose cultivation of transgenic corn.
One of Mexico's most famous monuments, the Angel of Independence, hung with black banners and protest signs on Sunday when Greenpeace staged a demonstration opposing the government's recent decision to allow the planting transgenic (GMO) corn.
The controversy has been boiling since before 2001 when traces of genetically modified corn turned up in samples of indigenous varieties. According to the studies produced by the Mexican government, the genes were identified as those from many types Bt corn that are produced by biotech companies such as Monsanto.
Transgenic corn was introduced to Mexico from the US through the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), that allows the US to sell it's corn to Mexico for less than production cost or market price in the US. Food scarcity and low crop yeilds increased demand for corn, causing Mexico to import a mojority from the US, who sold it for cheap through NAFTA. Mexico has no GMO policy and the government took no notice of the introduction.
Concern surrounding the presence and cultivation of transgenic corn in Mexico is based on it's potential to genetically pollute native varieties through cross-pollination. Over generations, pollen flow could even homogenize the corn gene pool. Corn is a central part of Mexican culture, autonomy, and daily life. Contamination with transgenic genes might prohibit indigenous varieties from expressing their unique characteristics, leading to decreased genetic diversity, and maybe even the disappearance of native varieties all together.
Further damage may be done to the farmers, who could face legal repercussions for growing corn with patented genes, weather they know it or not. The majority of corn in Mexico is grown by small, local farmers who get seed from their own harvest, but cultivation of GM corn leaves farmers indebted to transnational companies and not able to plant their own seed without paying royalties.
Native varieties may be lost to GMOs.
Opponents of GMO cultivation say that farmers deserve to choose what seeds they use and what crops they grow. Multi-national corporations shouldn't dictate any country's crop market.
Conspiracy theorists say the issue an attempt to destroy food diversity and gain control of the world's food supply by a New World Order type of agenda.
The new platings of GM corn by the Mexican government is only experimental and government officials pledge to isolate the crops to keep them from spreading, and to only plant them in states that don't grow native varieties. However, the Greenpeacers chose a poignant place for the protest. The signs read "Transgenic corn: End to Independence", and that very well might end up to be the case. If Mexico loses it's native corn varieties to US produced GMOs, with them, it will lose it's's socio- economic independence.
For more info: edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/10/20/greenpeace.mexico/
Photos: AP/Marco Ugarte AP/MiguelTovar
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