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seedkeepers - Re: [Seed Keepers] GM and me. And you all thinking ahead..great

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  • From: Anders Skarlind <Anders.Skalman@telia.com>
  • To: Seed Keepers <seedkeepers@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Seed Keepers] GM and me. And you all thinking ahead..great
  • Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2008 08:55:04 +0100

Hi Warron
Comments below.

At 00:19 2008-03-01, you wrote:
Hi People, Anders

> I would tend to agree to about 50%. But there a
> considerable side-effects, like stray pollination
> an and production of artificial bichemichal
> compounds with unknown effects. Just like any
> pollution it will spread to places where it
> doesn't belong. I think they ought to do proper
> research for another 100 years first. And then it
> wouldn't be commercially interesting and the money
> would go somewhere else.
>

For sure, this is an infant sciencxe :) however we
just can`t forget what we learnt, mindless of the side
effects.

I think the knowledge of genes and their functioning may be used in other ways. For one to analyse and guide normal plant breeding (marker assisted selection; see the good news Allan posted). I think we already know that our present knowledge is too limited to start playing God. (And it will always be so but we will in periods not admit or see it.) I think it will soon be publically accepted too. It only takes a few gm catastrophies that reach media full scale. Can happen any time now. But there is considerable counterforces to that so I am not sure. After that research will proceed in one way or another.

What is really of primary importance is to develop alternatives to gm seed technology. They are there too a large extent already of course, and they are being used, but they are under attack as gm is still taking on so much. It seems one major strategy from the gm companies is to buy genetic resources and plant breeding resources. When they have done that, I think they might even be ready to admit some of the fallacies and drawbacks of gm technology, if they become too obvious. And then start some brand new mega projetcs to help them up, etc. But when they get this almost monopoly situation, it is also very important that we have at least on a grassroots level a counterforce with decentralised gene banks and elementary plant breeding. Just to grow seed consciously, with good selection, is really a form of plant breeding, albeit a slow one.

As to "commercially" I´ve learnt that for an
idea to be sucessful it has to be commercialy
viable....cèst la vie.

> > Such products
> >with an increased yield/ha
>
> I think so far gmos do not produce higher yield,
> AFAIK.
>


thats because the haven`t got their priorities
right. Once they figure out they can increase their
alcohol content from crops, the biofuel industry will
take off and hopefully leave the food crop science
alone.

Well, we'll see. So far lots of promises and problems. The only success seems to be the commercial one. Unless you count in the possibility to spray roundup haywire.


> I think there is a fair chance we can roll back
> chemical fertilisers and pesticides in a century
> or so, despite the dominating position they've
> had the last century. So we can do that with gm
> too, although it will take some while.
>

Agreed!. First I think that we would need a viable
GM industry.

I think this is a fundamental misapprehension.
Look at the growth of ecofarming, at least in economically leading countries. I think it is approaching 10% of the acreage or production now in some countries. In Sweden it is at least well on its way. And ecofarming of course uses nil gmo, as well as nil chemical fertiliser and pesticide.
As far as I can see, gm technology has the same roots as chemical fertiliser and pesticides. Now the latter are on their way out, and threaten to take the profit with them. Then comes gmo.

Before this happens , my grandchildren
will be running around. But it is never too early to
start the counter attack! I`m with you all the way!..
Now we do what we can, or should!

Nice to meet you Anders!!!!!

Warron

Same to you! Keep up the good work
Anders




  • Re: [Seed Keepers] GM and me. And you all thinking ahead..great, Anders Skarlind, 03/01/2008

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