Agriculture + GMOs

Throughout the 1990s we grew kiwifruit on our ten acre block in Tamahere, New Zealand. We didn’t mean to be kiwifruit farmers but it was the only property available in the area we wanted for our children to grow up in at the time. So it seemed like a good idea. We were horrified to discover that the then Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries required that we pour copious quantities of noxious pesticides and herbicides onto the fruit and plants in order to secure a license to export. There had to be a better way. Along with others we pioneered the Kiwi Green project which reduced chemical sprays to a minimum through better understanding of pollination, pests, disease and nutrition, but we wondered why they were necessary at all. We became intimately acquainted with each plant and its potential and weaknesses. They didn’t like the chemicals any more than we liked using them. As we learned more it became clear that the logical next step was organic. So we began the three year journey to achieve Bio-gro organic certification. We produced organically certified kiwi fruit for several years before we sold the farm in 200.

The modern mode of agriculture through intensive use of chemical fertilizers to enhance yields is no longer working. Uncontrolled use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides causes build up of soil pollution, contamination of water supplies and loss of bio-diversity throughout the developed world, as well as health hazards for the farmers and consumers.

Global biotech and agrochemical companies such as Monsanto have been advocates of manipulating seed organisms – genetic modified organisms GMOs such as Monsanto’s GMO Roundup Ready soybeans. Critics of GMOs claim that the main reason behind the development of GMOs is so that the global corporates that own the patents can then control the market, introduce killer genes to ensure farmers have to buy new ones every year and externalise the risk to the planet at large of the unknown impacts on health and the environment. Consumer reaction especially in Europe to so-called ‘Frankenstein food’ has been strongly negative leading to constraints on the enthusiasm with which these products are developed. Strict controls are in place to identify, label and in some cases ban GMO contaminated food. But production is escalating especially in the US, which harvests more than 70% of the world's GMO crops.

About one third of the world’s land mass is affected by degradation to the point where it is damaged or destroyed for productive use in agricultural production. And this is escalating by about 6 million hectares a year according to the United Nations Environment Programme. The causes of desertification are complex, but unsustainable use of water, increasing population, global warming and over-intensive farming practices have all contributed. The United Nations General Assembly defined 2006 as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. They voiced extreme concern over escalating desertification on the planet, and drew attention to the ecological, human and social costs in terms of food and enforced migration. Technologies for mediation are well-known but not well embraced. This process affects developed and developing nations alike. Like in so many domains, short term political expediency often mitigates against sustainable solutions. Recent decisions in Australia to increase subsidies to farmers on marginal drought stricken land are a case in point.

We proved to our own satisfaction that organic and ecological approaches to agricultural production can produce increased yields at lower costs [no chemicals] and higher margins. The global shift in consumer preferences towards whole foods will open up significant opportunities for growers and manufacturers alike. Whole Foods Market, specializing in only organic food, is the fastest growing supermarket chain on the planet. Sustainable enterprise opportunities are also plentiful in the area of land recovery and nurturing and the development of alternatives to chemical poisoning of pests and weeds.