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Retired judge Justice Patrick Tabaro writes of a proposed law in Uganda that looks to adversely affect its independence and, specifically, what is starting to be called these days "food security".
[...] science is not a magic wand for solving man's food security concerns, but must be applied in accordance with Ubuntu (humaneness).
[...] Since the advent of civilization, peasants have had capacity to plant their own seeds. With the advent of GMO farming, the peasants who constitute 70 per cent of the population have their fate sealed; they may fall into the debt trap, fail to service bank loans and will be in danger of losing their cherished land holdings to financial institutions – and this may entail food insecurity for everyone.
[...] God forbid that anyone should be targeting our scientists to make us vulnerable for easy domination.
He concludes that [w]ith GMOs, there is no Ubuntu, (human nature, humanness, humanity, virtue, goodness, and kindness).
(Score: 0, Troll) by jmorris on Thursday November 16 2017, @03:59PM (2 children)
I'm just seeing hate in your post. When "agri-business" has essentially eliminated hunger, to the extent production can vs problems with distribution, etc., while employing the fewest people and resources ever recorded to do it all you can do muster is spite, envy and hate. BernieBro?
If farmers want to replant their own seeds, nobody is forcing them to buy from big agro. Their problem is competing with low tech methods in general, it isn't just the lack of GMO seeds these farmers usually lack mechanization and other modern advances. Manual labor vs machines is usually a one sided fight that always ends with the machines winning.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 16 2017, @04:37PM
You're an idiot that doesn't actually understand the problems. As usual more of your rah rah go corporate murrica!!
I'm ashamed to live in the same country as you.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Thursday November 16 2017, @05:30PM
Ever spent time with farmers? Farmers who are trying to replant their own seeds, but are being sued by big agro because GMO pollen has blown into their field and now their seed tests positive for IP protected genes? Farmers who are constantly on the verge of quitting the business because they don't have billions in capital to weather market variability the way that the big corporations do? Farmers who produce products that markets desire, but are unable to deliver them without crazy uncompetitive markups in price because the distribution channels only support the rock bottom cost option?
It's an old story, but it hasn't changed for the better in a long long time. We've driven down the cost of food, yes, and clearly if you look around the US nobody needs to go hungry here anymore. Farmers with basic tractors and combines can meet our needs, but they can't compete with massively capitalized corporations that throw huge machines, GMOs and chemicals at a problem that was already solved with 20hp tractors. Yes, the huge machines are more efficient - at this point they're more efficient than necessary, and is the monoculture crop system really better for us all?
I'm not suggesting that we don't practice highly mechanized super-efficient mega-farming. I am suggesting that we don't completely drive the older methods out of business in the process. Diversity has value beyond what appears on a quarterly report. Lack of diversity in the food supply is a big risk, one that's not worth taking for the incremental gains in efficiency that it provides.
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