Mexican Artists and Scientists Say 'No' to Genetically Modified Corn Ivan Restrepo - La Jornada
go to original April 15, 2014

Genetically modified crops have a large share of critics. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are crops that have been engineered to resist pests, be less vulnerable to disease and even contain more nutrients. Countries still deciding the legalization of GMOs include Mexico. CCTV's Frank Contreras has more on this story. (CCTV America)

At every opportunity, legislators and senior officials of the federal government proclaim that they are working for a sovereign, more prosperous and less poor Mexico. In the case of agriculture, they insist that government actions and legislation approved by the Congress seek to modernize it, raising production without affecting the environment, while improving the quality of life of the rural population. And that Mexico should be self-sufficient in widespread consumer products, because there is no worse dependency than that of food.

Given that legislators and officials often forget these promises, the publication of a small book, "Transgenic Maize in Mexico (in 15 Bitter Pills)," is appropriate in that it brings together the views and experiences of a group of specialists about our staple food.

The work was published by the Institute of Graphic Arts of Oaxaca whose Board of Directors, dedicated to the defense of Oaxaca's cultural heritage, is chaired by painter and patron Francisco Toledo. In these 15 Bitter Pills, the importance of grain through history is discussed together with the need and ability to be self-sufficient in the harvest of corn and other widely consumed grains, without resorting to the genetically modified organisms [GMOs] that the transnationals promote in foods, seeds and agrochemicals.

Clear and precise scientific data demonstrate the advantages of native varieties that campesinos [small, often indigenous farmers] have preserved for generations over the genetically modified versions. The data also show how GM corn is not ecologically clean and what we would come to lose if its cultivation is authorized nationally.

Read the rest at Mexico Voices

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