Socially and Ecologically Responsible Agriculture Network

[Douglas Hinds <cedecor AT gmx.net>]

After Shane Morris posted:

>>> A Marriage of Genetic Engineering and Organic Farming
>>> Tomorrow's Table: A Marriage of Genetic Engineering and Organic Farming

And I replied:

>> Does this mark a new strategy on the part of the biotech gene
>> snatchers or is it simply yet another attempt to confuse the issue?

then Lawrence London added:

> Many corporations and independent scientists feel that there is an
> exciting future in a combination of high tech genetic engineering
> and nanotechnology and future developments in those and other,
> related fields of advanced research, with hopes of longterm huge
> windfall profits.

Brave New World? This is probably more true in the USA than in less
developed countries.

> The main body of ag scientists may have embraced biotech.

That too is undoubtedly more true in the USA than in less developed
countries.

Biotech is a logical extension of conventional interventionist
agriculture. The integrity of the organism, it's evolutionary
history and the ecosystems they form part of must mean nothing to
these people, which helps explain the current state of affairs:

Corporate control over the nation's economy, research agenda, mass
media, electoral process and political agenda is responsible for
this condition; a total disconnect from the origin and nature of our
underlying biological reality.

Clearly, agriculture itself must rediscover and reconstruct itself
on the natural biologically compatible foundations that constitute
our most valuable heritage.

> Investors, industry, and developers looking to bring jobs
> and manufacturing to promising areas look to establishing
> industrial parks devoted to biotech R&D & manufacturing.

Is that true of Chapel Hill? Where do the Cartagena Protocols and
the Precautionary Principle fit in?

> Here in NC, that is the name of the game. Many have set up shop on
> sites of abandoned factories such as textile plants that have
> ceased operation. When they think of bringing industry to an area
> their first thought is biotech. NC has led the nation in setting
> up R&D, incubators and manufacturing in this field. The NC
> Biotechnology Center was the first and most advanced of its type
> in the country and a model for other institutions that followed.

OK, you answered my question.  Is the NC Biotechnology Center
related to the Triangle Science Park (which was also one of the
nation's first R&D technology based incubators, along with Silicone
Valley and the park established by DEC in Mass.)?

> Natural agriculture and local food production systems will and
> must take an independent and parallel course to conventional
> agriculture for survival.

Not quite parallel, Lawrence; but you're right - the direction
development will take is up for grabs and a considerable amount of
community action will be necessary in order to compete with the
vested interests and corporate cash driving the opposing wave.

That's the beautiful part of development - the quality of food and
the quality of life doesn't respond to hype. It's something that is
experienced and nothing can overshadow it, providing you can count
on an installed base of informed stakeholders that value the quality
of the lives they now lead and are aware of or want to learn more
about what is at stake, and the facts are there.

> People want pure, healthy, nutritious food and they should have
> the best that is available to them in the area where they live.

This is an issue that will have to be based on the kind of community
organization you already know how to do via the internet and a
national group could be formed to help direct this movement all over
the country and beyond.

This is an issue that should be brought to the attention of the
presidential hopefuls with an eye towards developing programs and
forming commitments. The standards already exist. The problem lies
in the quality of the application, much of which can be local in
nature.

We are discussing environmental standards, land use and accountability;
Both community and governmental oversight of technologies that
have far reaching effects on others and on our shared surroundings.

I offer the use of the Socially and Ecologically Responsible
Agriculture Network Discussion Group list:
<http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/seranet>

Laura Lengnick is right (she posted "I don't see how we can separate
agriculture from community design - it is all of the same piece"),
and the quality of our communities will depend on the kind of
agriculture and the technologies that agricultural production
systems are built on, in large part. (A well fed public is a
conscious and responsive public).

seranet has been somewhat dormant lately (although a number of new
subscriptions occurred) but I'll commit to help set up a protocol
for following through on what needs to be done, legally and
organizationally. We could also continue this here (and I am
cross-posting this reply to both lists).

Douglas