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Sustainable
eNews |
March 2003 |
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IWMC
World Conservation Trust |
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Food Fight:
Starving Africans held Hostage over US/EU Agribusiness Wars
By Janice Henke,
Anthropologist
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The more the world changes, thanks to an explosion
of new technology, the more the affairs of humans stay the same. It used to
be that agricultural people experimented with plant breeding, using a hit
and miss method of hybridization until they happened upon new varieties
that were either improved, or not. This basic concept has been taken to new
levels with techniques that, among other things, "inject" genes
into plants that would never be a part of their DNA makeup without human
manipulation. Thus, rice has been genetically modified to supply  vitamins
that otherwise would never be available to those who eat it. Another
example is modification of corn so that it is resistant to various
bacterial and fungal diseases, or to cause it to be offensive to various
insect pests.
Some genetic modification of food plants causes the plants to produce
larger crops of seeds in a shorter time, or in conditions such as drought,
that would have prevented crop germination in the "natural state"
of the plant.
Naturally, some of those nations whose farmers are in competition with
those whose crops are genetically modified, are opposed to the import and
general increased use of such "GM" crops. The US has been
developing, growing, and consuming GM foods for the last ten years. As a
world drought appears to be on the horizon, some nations in Africa have
found it impossible to grow the crops that have sustained them for
centuries.
Sub-Saharan African nations are experiencing catastrophic drought and
impending widespread starvation, to add to their other ills of extreme
poverty and a ravaging AIDS epidemic. Under such conditions, it makes
humane sense to send to those nations, surplus supplies of the same foods
that have been safely consumed in the US for years. This food would be used
to save lives and possibly, some would be used for seed crops. While the
Vatican encourages such agricultural charity, the EU is adamantly opposed
to the import into African nations of US crops that might be or actually
are, genetically modified in any way. Is this eco-altruism, or
"business as usual"?
Allegedly, EU authorities have told some African nations that if they
allow the import of US crops for hunger alleviation, their foreign aid from
the EU would be terminated. This may be why Zambia's dictator has refused
US food aid - some of the products are GM. The US Trade Representative, Mr.
Robert Zoellick, is quoted in the Washington Post; "it is
immoral" that Africans are denied food because some "people have
invented dangers about biotechnology". Mr. Zoellick calls the European
perspective "anti-scientific" and this is perhaps at the heart of
the matter. There has been a growing EU dispute with the US over GM foods,
and some have perceived basic competitive concerns to be the reason why US
imports to the EU or to its many markets, have been opposed. Business has
trumped science in political decision making.
Interestingly, Switzerland has recently announced that field tests of a
certain strain of GM wheat have resulted in a "safe" designation
for that product to be used in Switzerland. Of course, "Greenpeace is
outraged", according to Consumer Freedom.com, who report on this
entire wrangle. The incident recalls the Swiss tradition of standing alone
in Europe and being independent on yet another issue while the rest of the
continent broils in its own vitriolic juices.
IWMC takes the position that practical experience and on-going science
should be the bases for decisions of such great importance to human welfare
and ecological safety. Starving people should be fed safe and abundant
foods without regard for the competitive and political realities among
other nations. They should not be denied this basic human right while at
the same time, they are attacked in the world press for
"poaching" animals with which to feed themselves. We applaud
Switzerland for standing alone in this EU food fight, and for using
science, rather than political correctness, in making their own decisions.
It may be that the WTO has to get into this "Food Fight" before
starving Africans can get US food imports - perhaps the WTO can persuade
Europeans to stop pressuring African leaders to refuse the food that can
save their people and indirectly, can help to save some of their wildlife.
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