Help Me Bring Mariam Mukalazi to Women Leaders for the World

In 2005 I attended the inaugural Women Leaders for the World (WLW) program, sponsored by the Global Women’s Leadership Network in conjunction with the Leavey School of Business, at Santa Clara University.

My goal was to develop a greater voice

Here We Go Again — Another Vanilla Crisis Looming

Another vanilla crisis? Didn’t we just have one?

Yep, we sure did and the price of a little bottle of vanilla was ridiculously high! So how can this be happening again? Sadly, very easily.  Worse, it shouldn’t have to happen!

In the commodity world the operative words are

Stop Breast Cancer by 2020 — Is It Possible?

230,500 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States in 2012.  40,000 will die from it.   This means that 124 women per 100,000 will be diagnosed with breast cancer.  For women born now,

Sending Help and Hope to the Horn of Africa

Did you know that five dollars will feed a Somali for two weeks? That there are reliable organizations that donate 100% of their money directly to the people?  Here’s a simple way that you can be a philanthropist and make a huge difference!

Unless you’ve been on holiday for the last two months and haven’t seen a paper or TV, you already know that the worst drought in 60 years is forcing thousands of desperate people to walk long distances from rural villages to refugee camps or big  cities  in a frantic search for food and water.  Over 11 million people in Somalia alone are in need of immediate help.  Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djbouti, Kenya and Northern Uganda are also faced with starvation as rains haven’t arrived for over two years.

This is not an easy time anywhere in the world, but those of us in industrialized countries at least have resources for food and water.  Our brothers and sisters in the Horn of Africa not only have no resources, they are also facing the ravages of a failed state-turned violent in Somalia, and ineffective, corrupt governments in most of the other countries.

It’s easy to be caught in our own stories.  We’re busy, we’re stressed, we’re worried about work, our families, ourselves.  Many of us would like to help but we’re living on a tight budget.  Others of us would happily donate if we know that our money will actually reach the people in need.

There are a number of agencies that I feel are very reliable and where help is arriving.  One is the International Rescue Committee and another is the UN Human Rights Commission

However, there are smaller, grassroots organizations where no one takes a salary and 100% of your donations go directly to food, supplies, tents and medical care.  The African Future is a group of Canadian Somalis who are working directly with people in Somalia. They are in partnership with Somalis in the United States and are together collecting donations for refugees. My friend Ubax Gardheere is a member of the Seattle Somali community and working with The African Future.  Send $5.00 to feed a Somali child for two weeks!  That’s less than a sandwich and a soda!

Hope Without Borders was started in 2005 by friends Lance and Julie Parve.  Lance is a civil engineer and member of Engineers Without Borders.  Julie is a nurse practitioner working in clinics with Somali Refugees in Wisconsin.  In the 1980s they volunteered for two years at a hospital in Somalia and have remained committed to providing training and assistance in creating sustainable projects in Eastern Africa, especially in Somalia and Kenya.  They underwrite all of the work they do and all donations go directly for medical supplies, tools, equipment and other needs.  Currently they are raising funds for tents, medicines and other urgently needed supplies for refugee camps.

We’re all riding on this small space ship together.  What happens across the world from us affects us as well.  Whether you can afford $5.00 or $5,000, you may be saving the life of a future doctor, scientist, social worker, teacher or world leader.   If you have been reluctant to send money to an organization over concern that it will be used appropriately, you now have the connection to four groups where your money will be wisely applied.  Again, it’s theafricanfuture.org  or hwb-usa.org  in case you didn’t click through on the earlier links.

Thank you for reading this and for your support to our African brothers and sisters!

A Three Week Adventure and Must Read Articles

Tomorrow afternoon I fly to Rome. There I will connect with five friends, take the shuttle to the train station and catch the train to Cortona.  Thus begins a three week adventure through Italy, Greece and London!  To say I’m excited is an understatement.  And what makes it even more memorable for me, I arrive in Rome May 13th, the third anniversary of my life-saving surgery.  I have so much to celebrate and I’m filled with gratitude and joy.

The last two days of my trip will be in London, where I will attend a tea party in my honor as well as in honor of the first anniversary of Little Pod, an English vanilla company owned by Janet Sawyer.  We have become great online friends, and I’m very much looking forward to meeting her in person.

Tim Ecott, author of Vanilla, a British book that came out about the same time as my cultural history book, Vanilla will be joining us.  I met Tim here in California when he was doing the research for his book and we became good friends and collaborated with one another on obscure details and information each of us unearthed.  It seems fitting that Tim, who lives outside of London, should be there with us — three vanillaphiles for tea!  Sounds rather like the title of a play.

I had big plans before I left to write another blog besides this one.  I have been baking my way through Alice Medrich’s new book, Chewy, Gooey, Crispy, Crunchy, and I had hoped to tell you about some of the recipes and give them to you.  However, time has gotten the best of me as it so often does given I’m working seven days a week, and so you will have to either run out and buy her book, which I recommend you do if you have a cookie addiction, or wait until I return, review her book and post pictures and recipes.

In the meantime, I’m providing you with several links that are pertinent for those of us who love food and are also concerned about the safety of our food supply, which you should be!

According to the Brand-Spark and Better Homes and Gardens American Shopper Study, 80 percent of consumers are looking for brands that are healthy.  70 percent of consumers are trying to reduce their consumption of processed foods.  And 60 percent are looking for food products that can reduce the risks of major health issues.

Unfortunately, what the majority of people don’t know or don’t quite understand, is that we have a rapidly increasing number of foods that are genetically modified, and that spell great future danger for us all.  I’ve written about this in several of my blogs because I’m very concerned about the future of food in America.

I invite you to check out the links I’m including here and to become more educated yourselves about what’s happening  if you haven’t already done so, as we are facing the potential of losing control of our food supply and the option of organic foods.

This first link is a short talk on TED by Robyn O’Brien, a Wall Street broker turned food activist after one of her children developed a severe allergy due to genetically modified food.   Robyn talks about genetically modified food and allergies here.

The next link is a short article on Care2.com that talks about toxic gene pollution.  You should know about toxic gene spills in order to better understand how our organic foods can be destroyed by genetically modified crops.

I rather like this article.  It’s about how Monsanto may end up destroying itself because they have not been testing their genetically modified crops and the crops aren’t producing as well as they should be. I’ve seen photos of some of their crops and they were not nearly as healthy as their unmodified counterparts.  Read about it here.

This last article is only distantly related to the above three, but I’m  posting it now as so many people are learning that they have a gluten sensitivity or have celiac. Working at New Leaf, I talk with people every day who have a gluten sensitivity.  In fact, I have a wheat allergy and my son-in-law, grandson and sister-in-law have gluten sensitivities.

Until recently, most people with gluten sensitivities thought they had stomach problems, reflux disorder or irritable bowel syndrome.  It is only within the last ten years that this common illness is being properly diagnosed.  Unfortunately, the FDA has not come up with definitive guidelines for gluten-free products.

While it might seem like a no-brainer to avoid wheat, barley and rye, you would be astonished by how many “invisible ingredients” contain gluten.  For that matter, you would be equally astonished at how many “invisible ingredients” contain genetically modified ingredients!

And herein lies the dilemma. Products containing gmo’s don’t need to be labeled as such in the U.S. Additionally, the FDA has not set standards to protect people who have gluten sensitivities.  You can read about the FDA issue here.

If you are still wavering about whether any of this really matters, please watch The Future of Food. And if you already are concerned, watch it as hopefully you will then join those of us who are organizing to push back against the corruption and power of the big players in the food industry.

Rather than complete this blog on a low note, I will be gathering inspiration and recipes along my journey.  I will have a computer at my disposal and if I feel so inclined, I might even post a blog or two along the way.  And if not, I promise when I return to share all that I’ve learned with you!

Ciao for now,

The V.Q.

Ten Canned Goods to Avoid

I feel as if I’m a harbinger of doom as my blogs increasingly address serious issues that we are faced with daily.  On the other hand, I can’t keep still, as the only way we can protect ourselves is by speaking out.  So today it’s about Bisphenol A, most commonly referred to as BPA, a plasticizer that is ubiquitous in our lives.

A plasticizer is a chemical that makes rigid plastics more pliable.  BPA has been found in everything from plastic baby bottles (which caused a huge uproar and a ban on these bottles in some states), to IV bags and tubing used in hospitals everywhere and even in the liners in canned foods.

The danger inherent in BPA is that it is a hormone disruptor (synthetic estrogen) that has been linked to breast cancer and many other serious health issues.  Even more disturbing, nearly 95 percent of all Americans have it in their systems according to a recent CDC report.

One of the most common items that exposes us to BPA is canned food. Now, raise your hands, how many of you don’t crack open a can of food every now and again?  Albacore? Beans? Coconut Milk?  I’ve been a big fan of coconut milk and, given that I cook for one most of the time, I opt for canned beans instead of making them from scratch.

Canned goods containing foods that are acidic (canned tomatoes), salty (fried onion rings) or fatty (fish, coconut milk) are the most dangerous as BPA is more likely to leach from the linings of cans containing these products. Scary, isn’t it?

Janet Gray, Ph.D is a Board Member and Science Adviser for the Breast Cancer Fund has posted information on their site, which includes a list of the ten canned foods to avoid as well as a link to a petition to Congress to remove BPA from canned goods.

As a survivor of Stage IV breast cancer, I strongly urge that you sign the petition, avoid canned goods that could be harmful to your health, and please tell your family and friends to do the same. We all deserve to have healthy food options!

Dollars For A Doctorate: Theresia Ndirangu

Theresia Ndirangu with Mary and Teresia Waweru, girls she raised

Theresia Ndirangu is a single, 42-year-old Kikuyu woman from Kenya with both the focus and determination to succeed at anything she believes in, despite having faced staggering hardships.  Her goal is to earn her Masters and PhD degrees in applied Human Nutrition.  It is Theresia’s dream to receive her degrees, then return to Kenya and work with an international organization in support of tribal women farmers.  As between 60 and 80 percent of the farmers in developing countries, especially in Africa, are women, this is a critically important goal both for Africa and for the world.

Theresia was graduated second in her class with honors in 1993, earning a degree in General Agriculture at the University of Nairobi.  She worked as a secondary school teacher for four years and has been employed by the Ministry of Agriculture as an extension officer since 1997. She trains women farmers and extension staff in sustainable agricultural practices and is currently teaching home economics, focusing on food production, health and nutrition.  This work is extremely important as the Masai and other nomadic tribes are now farm-based but with neither farming nor nutrition experience or skills.

Theresia has been accepted to Oxford Brookes University for work on a Masters degree in Applied Human Nutrition, and was to begin coursework in September 2010.  However, she was unable to find a scholarship in time to begin studies.  She has been granted permission to defer studies until September 2011 and has paid one thousand pounds toward securing her place at the university.  In 2009, the government of the Netherlands sponsored her for a short course in their country.  She has a passport and is permitted to travel internationally.

Theresia and I have been connected since 2005 when I launched the International Tropical Farmers Network, an online group that connected farmers, scientists, social scientists and others working with tropical farmers worldwide.  After being unable to secure a scholarship, she asked for ideas for a way to continue her education.  Given all that Theresia has done for women in Kenya, and given how much more she could offer if she receives a PhD, I am committed to helping her get through a year at Oxford.  I have no doubt that she will receive scholarships to complete her education once she is there.

The following is a more in-depth look at Theresia’s background and why she is so deserving of getting to Oxford.

Theresia was born in 1969 in Nyandarua District in central Kenya.  Her mother was the second wife of an illiterate man who made his living as a driver for the Ministry of Labor.  Theresia was the eldest of five children; when her father’s first wife died, he mother assumed the responsibility of raising six more children.  The family lived in poverty.

Theresia was not only quick in school but at a very young age, she learned to sew, knit, cook and manage a household.  When she wasn’t at school, she cared for her siblings.  She was always in the top ten in her class.  In the evenings she joined her older stepbrother to study together and he often coached her.  As her parents frequently could not afford paraffin for the lamps, they often studied by firelight.  He encouraged her to go to university then get a good job and was a great inspiration to her.  Her English teacher was also an inspiration as he told her she was university material.  Her mother encouraged her as well, saying that only educated people could get good jobs.

When Theresia was in seventh grade her father nearly killed her mother. The domestic violence was so bad that her mother fled with her five children and no funds or way to support them. She finally got work as a casual laborer. Her maternal grandmother then had a stroke and was paralyzed so Theresia’s mother was responsible for her as well. It fell to Theresia to manage the other children while her mother worked.

In secondary school Theresia excelled enough to complete her coursework in two years and was accepted into Nairobi University. Her goal was to be an agricultural officer as she wanted to bring food security to families like her own, the majority of Kenyans, who are very poor.

After obtaining her degree she got a job as a biology and agriculture teacher in a secondary school. Given that her mother, despite being illiterate, was determined that Theresia get through school, Theresia gave back by paying for the education of her siblings. (School is currently free in Kenya, but this is very new. Most African countries charge all children from fourth grade on for entry fees, uniforms, books and desks, which is why there is such a low rate of educated children.)

Despite the fact that Theresia earned very little, she paid the school fees for the children of parents who could not send their children to school in the community where she taught and she also provided food. She says, “It used to move me when I saw very bright children at home for weeks due to lack of school fees and others having no hope of evening meals. At times I could just give them the food I had bought for myself. Sometimes I could give them a grant for the fees and at other times a loan. Then, in 1997 I got my current job, which provided me with enough income to support two girls.”

The girls that Theresia raised (in addition to her own siblings and the children she helped while working as a teacher) are Mary and Teresia Waweru. Theresia says, “I learned of the problems this family was going through when Mary was in class two of her primary education. The children would go for up to three days at a time with one cup of porridge a day. Sometimes their mother went without food so the children could eat…. Mary was expected to go to school and do as well as the others, but during break Mary had no energy to play. She often stopped to sleep on her way home from school for lack of energy, only to have no dinner at night. I took the two girls and raised them, coaching them at night so they could catch up in school. I did without all luxuries such as shoes or a new dress to save the life of those girls and mold their future so that one day they might be able to save a life or two themselves…. I would take them to see their parents for the December holidays.”

Mary and Teresia are now 19 and 17. Mary just missed the entrance to the University of Nairobi by a few points; hopefully she will be given a second chance. Teresia has just taken her exams for level 12.

With the additional schooling, Theresia will be in a position to expand on a national and even international level, the work she already does with women farmers. Through her career, she has found that the women have no knowledge of nutritional foods and which crops will best sustain their families. “I teach them how to prepare the foods, food preservation, the nutritional value of the food, value-added crops, and kitchen gardening. Additionally, I train them in crop production and conservation agriculture.

“I also teach them baking and cake decoration as an income-generating activity. I mostly work with groups of women and encourage them to start income-generating activities in addition to caring for their families so that they will always have a way to support their families.

“Finally, I teach about HIV/AIDS and necessary nutrition for the affected and infected. I trust that one day in the future, together with teaching nutrition and health, I will mobilize funds to support the children – especially girls – from disadvantaged families who cannot afford to support their education. With proper education, girls can achieve so much.”

There is a well-worn axiom that is especially true in developing countries: If you want something done, ask the women. Women are determined to care for their children and their communities. This is why it is crucial that Theresia Ndirangu gets the necessary funds for a year at Oxford. I have no doubt that given this opportunity, she will receive a scholarship to complete her training and to achieve her goals for the women of Kenya and other African countries.

Please join me in raising the dollars for Theresia’s doctorate. Entry fees are $18,000. She will also need airfare, health insurance and living funds. We may be able to place her with a family to save housing fees. Raising $25,000 is not an overwhelming task, especially considering the impact her education will make on the lives of African women.

Send a dollar — or more — to Patricia Rain, P. O. Box 3206, Santa Cruz, CA 95061. If sending a check, please write it in my name as I don’t have an account set up in Theresia’s name.

Tell a Friend: One dollar is less than a cup of coffee. If everyone sends one dollar, Theresia will get to Oxford!

Why Write About Sun Block?

It seems a little strange to write about sunblock on a site featuring vanilla.  On the other hand, it’s pretty warm and sunny in the tropics!

Truth is, I was inspired when I read an article about a new product put out by Beach Buff that has been endorsed by Jean Michel Cousteau’s (son of Jacques Cousteau) foundation, Ocean Futures Society.

Reef Safe Sun Care is remarkable in that the products biodegrade in less than 90 days in sea water and fresh water. No evidence of toxicity to micro organisms and other sea life was detected.  This is unique among sunscreens.  Further, only about three percent of the sunscreen came off in the water as opposed to an average of 25 percent with other sunscreens.

Researchers estimate that  4,000 to 6,000 metric tons of sunscreen washes off swimmers into the oceans every year. Chemicals such as Octocrylene, Butylparaben, Octylmethoxycinnamate, and Benzophenone-3; present in non-biodegradable sunscreen brands, accumulate in the oceans. These toxic chemicals do not break down easily and are harmful to marine life, especially coral reefs.  Given that coral reefs worldwide are seriously taxed due to global climate change, this is especially hopeful news.

Before receiving Cousteau’s endorsement, Reef Safe sunscreens were subjected to a comprehensive series of independent laboratory tests to support and authenticate the biodegradability of the lotions.

It not only passed with flying colors, Cousteau has named it the official sun care of Ocean Futures Society.  In exchange, Reef Safe will donate a portion of every bottle sold to support Ocean Futures’ worldwide efforts of preserving the ocean for future generations.

Here’s the best part — you can easily “go green” and make a difference for our planet, whether you are sunbathing by the sea, white-water rafting, or bathing in a tropical waterfall.  By using Beach Buff’s Reef Safe Sun Care products, you’ll protect your body from harmful chemicals as well as protect our precious water resources.  And to top it off, your purchase will help with continued ocean research!  Sounds like a great win/win for everyone.

Global Climate Change Affects Tropical Crops We Love

Although much has been written about the devastating effects of global climate change on the North and South poles, the tropical band that runs around the center of the Earth is also experiencing significant changes that are negatively affecting the tropical foods and flavors we use daily and love so much.

NASA reported in December of 2010 that the January – November 2010 period was the warmest globally in the 131-year record.  The U.N. science network foresees  temperatures rising up to 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100.  A rise that great could spell the end of some of the world’s most important crops. So what is happening currently?

Tea
Growers in Assam state, India’s main tea-growing region, have announced that the rising temperatures in their region have not only brought a drop in tea production, but also subtle, unwelcome changes in the flavor of their teas.

Assam state, in Northeastern India, produces some of the finest black and British-style teas in the world. The teas are known for their heartiness, strength and body, and are frequently promoted as “breakfast” teas.

Rajib Barooah, a tea planter in Jorhat, Assam’s main tea growing region has said that the potent taste of Assam tea has weakened.  “We are indeed concerned,” he said.  “Assam teas’s strong flavor is its hallmark.”

The growers have reason for concern.  Assam produces 55 percent of the tea crop in India, a nation that accounts for 31 percent of the global tea production. However, not only quality and flavor have been affected; so has the production.  Tea growers hope that the government will fund studies to examine the flavor fallout from climate change, especially as temperatures rise and rainfall patterns change.

In the last eight decades temperatures have risen 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, there have been more gray days during the monsoon seasons, creating damp conditions that can aggravate attacks on the tea crops by the tea mosquito.  Restrictions on pesticide use because of environmental concerns make it difficult to control pests.

The Indian tea industry employs about 3 million people. The majority of these people live at, or only slightly above, the poverty line.  If tea production drops significantly, these people will be unemployed.

Arabica Coffee
Central American coffee growers have struggled mightily in the last 15 years. Regions in Southern Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and parts of Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua have grown beautiful Arabica coffee, considered by coffee aficionados as far finer than the less expensive and more common Robusta coffee.  Competition from an over-supply of robusta coffee on the market undercut thousands of small growers of Arabica coffee in Central America, leading to a mass migration to cities or the United States to find work to support their families. However, in order to keep coffee trees
viable, the cherries must be picked whether or not they are sold, so most of the wives
stayed behind to care for the coffee bushes while their husbands worked in the well-tended gardens of suburban Americans or as day laborers.

Recently this has changed some as poor crops due to rain in Brazil has pushed up the price for coffee and created greater demand for Arabica coffee.  At the end of 2010, the market price on the New York Exchange for Arabica was $1.55 a pound.  Unfortunately, the good news will only offset the bad for a while.  The culprit?  Climate change.

Arabica coffee grows best at tropical altitudes of 1800 – 3600 feet and thrives in the nutrient-rich volcanic soils on the sides of mountains and volcanoes.  However, as the temperatures increase, it will be necessary to grow the coffee at increasingly high altitudes.  Given the shape of mountains, the higher the altitude, the smaller the available growing area.

Loss of growing area isn’t the only problem .  Pest control is an issue as the weather warms.  Additionally, as our world fertility rate drops and the population ages, fewer people will be available to harvest and process the coffee cherries.  Coffee is labor-intensive.  Most farmers grow coffee on a few acres of land that typically is on mountainsides with uneven terrain.  Compost and fertilizers must be carried in on the backs of mules or the farmers.  Central American farmers usually don’t use chemicals as
they are too costly but they also can’t afford to get organic and fair trade certification for their coffee.

At this point, the majority of Arabica coffee growers would prefer to grow other crops, ones that aren’t as heavily impacted by climate shift nor as labor-intensive.  While the shift away from coffee and the embracing of other cash crops will probably be slow, unless things change significantly, it will most likely be inevitable.  In the meantime, current prices will help make their daily lives a bit easier.

Vanilla
Vanilla farmers are impacted by several major difficulties not faced by the growers of coffee and cacao (chocolate). The most challenging is the availability of cheap imitation vanilla.  There is no viable synthetic option for either coffee or cacao.  Very few people will substitute chicory or carob for the real deal if they can get it!

At one time vanilla was traded on the international commodity market and the price for pure vanilla was enough to make it a valuable crop for the processors, and a less valuable but nevertheless profitable crop for the growers, but after imitation vanillin became readily available in the 1930s, pure vanilla lost both market value and status.

Although Mexico is where vanilla originated and was domesticated, the loss of the rain forest in the last 100 years has made it extremely difficult to grow.  In 1900 95 percent of the rain forest was still intact.  By the 1960s only five percent remained.  The balance was cleared by the petroleum industry in order to lay pipelines from the oil rich coast to Mexico City and other regions.

The loss of rain forest has meant greater heat and less humidity. Vanilla must grow in a protected environment; rain forest is ideal.  Many farmers now use shade cloth growing but this is expensive and heavy storms or hurricanes ruin both the protection and the crops.  Mexico is now seeing greater extremes in the climate – more cold, heat, rainfall and drought.  Their 2010/2011 crop is minimal.  And Mexico is not the only vanilla-growing region struggling with climate change; the weather has become more capricious in all the vanilla growing regions.

Cacao
Like our beloved coffee and vanilla, chocolate also faced an uncertain future.  Just like vanilla and Arabica coffee, cacao does not grow well on large plantations.  The majority of the world’s cacao is grown on small farms in West Africa, which is facing a rise in temperature and greater fluctuations in rainfall.  Political unrest also plagues most of Africa; as I write this, the Ivory Coast is embroiled in a presidential deadlock; the
president voted out refuses to leave and had the winner under arrest in a hotel.  Not a good business climate, indeed.  In Brazil, much of the cacao crop was attacked by a fungus called Witches Broom a few years ago.  They are also facing diminishing rain forest in which to grow cacao.

But with cacao there is hope as it is too beloved and has too many business implications as well.  Mars, a family-owned business, identified the genome responsible for growing cacao and is working diligently to create a cacao hybrid that will be able to withstand the changing climate.  Not to be undone, Hershey’s is also hard at work and claims also to have identified the genome for cacao.  These two companies are extremely competitive, and for good reason; they are giants in the chocolate bar industry and they use the same sources for their cacao.  One interesting difference exists; Mars has chosen not to patent their discovery.  Rather, they wish for it to remain in the public domain as a nod to the support of the small farmers who grow the crop that has made them so wealthy.

There is additional reason for companies to work so hard to keep cacao alive and well. While cacao is too labor-intensive, and land too valuable, to grow substantial amounts in Hawaii or South Florida, the US produces milk, peanuts and almonds, which are used in volume in chocolate bars.

Finally, Brazil is encouraging greater use of the rainforest in their Northeast for growing cacao. This could make a significant difference in protecting the 15% of rainforest still left.  Like vanilla, cacao is a sustainable crop that depends on the protection of a forest canopy to produce quality crops. Indeed, in a sweet show of symbiosis, some growers use their cacao trees as a tutor for their vanilla vines.

These are just a few of the tropical crops that matter, not only to the growers but to us all, just one more example of how we are so intertwined with the entire planet and are truly a global community.  The sooner we can collectively acknowledge this truth, the more likely we can diminish the effects of what has not only been proven scientifically, but what farmers anywhere in the world will tell you is their reality.  You can be part of the solution by purchasing and supporting sustainably grown and ethically traded tropical foods and flavors whenever possible.

Vandana Shiva — Anti-GMO Crusader in India

Rodale Institute published the following article about Vandana Shiva.  I have copied it here for you to read:

By Dana Blinder and Leah Zerbe

x

RODALE NEWS, BETHLEHEM, PA—Sometimes, protecting the future means going back to your roots…and back to the soil, to the seeds. That’s how Vandana Shiva, PhD, world-renowned physicist and relentless eco-crusader, is leading the charge to save her country from a corporate GMO takeover. (GMO refers to genetically modified organisms; crops that have extra genes inserted into them in the lab.) Shiva, who studied in Canada to earn her doctorate in particle physics, took her knowledge back to her home country, India, where she leads the attack against GMO pollution. There, she launched Navdanya, a seed-saving organization that has helped save thousands of plant varieties from going extinct.

Shiva speaks of “freeing the seeds,” which in turn frees farmers from reliance on failed biotech agricultural methods that are expensive and require increased use of dangerous pesticides because pests and weeds are growing resistant to chemical warfare. Growing GMO crops is also expensive. So far, 200,000 Indian farmers have committed suicide, overcome by the insurmountable debt they’ve accumulated after switching from traditional, sustainable farming to corporate, chemical, GMO-based “farming.”

Shiva spoke with Rodale.com before her Tuesday-night speech to a packed crowd at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in which she made connections between GMOs and antibiotic-resistant superbugs, unprecedented chronic global hunger, and biopollution.

What are the biggest dangers that GMOs pose to our environment and our health?

Vandana Shiva: They actually increase the toxification of our food system, even while claiming to be an alternative to chemicals. If you look at what has been achieved in the last two decades, you have herbicide-resistant crops and you have Bt-toxin crops. The former was intended to control weeds, the latter to control pests. What you have instead is the creation of super-weeds, which has increased the usage of herbicides and the creation of super-pests, which has increased the use of pesticides sprays. We have monitored the Bt cotton in India, 13-fold more pesticides are sprayed on Bt cotton.

That’s the first problem, but the second problem is now you have the toxins built into the plants. With the Bt toxin you’ve taken the genes that produce a toxin and put them into the plant. And because it’s such a clumsy technology, you don’t just put a toxic gene into the plant, you have to add antibiotic-resistant markers to separate the cells that absorbed the gene from those that didn’t. And because no plant wants an alien gene in it, like no organism wants an alien element, what you have to add is a viral promoter to pump up the expression of the gene.

So for every GMO you have three lethal transformations: A toxic gene whose impact you don’t know; antibiotic resistance markers—which already is a problem, given that antibiotic resistance is emerging both with farm animals and human beings; and if you have antibiotic resistance markers, you’re going to have gene jumping. I think the whole issue of the H1N1 virus, the fact that it had genes for three influenzas, human, chicken, pig—all of these crossings are becoming possible because of the crossing of genes across species barriers.

Are we getting closer to eliminating or reducing GMOs, or are things getting worse?

VS: There is proof we are making progress if you look at data in the U.S. It’s not just those who don’t like GMOs who are turning away from them, it’s farmers who went for GMO planting who are realizing it’s more costly, they’re losing more, you’re better off in GMO-free agriculture. Monsanto shares are coming down, and the acreages they expected are coming down. I think because a false promise was sold with GMOs, I do believe we have a GMO-free future ahead.

What has been the experience with GMOs in India, and are there lessons for the U.S. and other countries to learn from it?

VS: The first GMO bought to India by Monsanto was in 1997/1998, Bt cotton. They put huge ads in the newspapers saying how they were going to bring this miracle seed. I know the laws of my country and checked with environmental administrator, and found Monsanto did not ask for approval, although we have an environmental protection act stating any deliberate release of GMOs must go under environmental assessment. Just like they have dismantled any bio-safety laws in the U.S., they thought they could just walk into India and do the same.

I filed a case. And we stopped them until 2002, when they managed to get approval. What we’ve seen from 2002 to 2010 is a very high epidemic of farmer suicides, which started when Monsanto started to control the cottonseed. Today, Monsanto has 90 percent control over the seed supply of cotton, in a land where we use to have 1500 varieties, including open-pollination varieties. That’s how fast this monopoly can emerge. The cost for cotton seeds rose from 7 rupees a kilogram to 3,600 rupees, 2,400 of which was a royalty share.

It’s a big issue in India. Because the technology is a failed technology, the pesticide usages have increased, farmers are in debt, and it’s that indebtedness that has pushed 200,000 Indian farmers to suicide. Our studies show 84 percent are directly linked to debt caused by Bt cotton.

The next product Monsanto tried to launch this year in February was Bt eggplant. We have 4,000 varieties of eggplant; it was domesticated in India. We built up a movement from 2006 when the trial started. We’ve compelled the government to relook at the approval when it was granted. The environmental administrator held public hearings around the country, and after hearing people, farmers, citizens, scientists, he called for a moratorium.

I think the lessons India has for the U.S. is first it has to have bio-safety regulation. Also, there has to be democracy. Every time there is talk of democracy violated in China, I think of the democratic violations when people are denied their right to know and denied their right to choose. Monsanto is working right now to prevent labeling laws in India, which have been drafted and are there, and they’re preventing them. I don’t think you can have a product where a company says, “I’m pushing it on you, destroying your alternatives, and I’m preventing you from knowing what’s in it.” Especially when it’s food, it’s not even the clothing we wear, it’s food that goes in us. I think this food fascism must end. The kind of movements India has built on food democracy, I’d like to see in the U.S. I think in the U.S. we need far more community seed banks far more open-source seeds, especially now that the GMOs are failing, we can’t leave the farmers without options.

Do you find it difficult to avoid eating GMO food? What advice do you have for avoiding it?

VS: In India, the only crop that has been genetically modified is cotton. We’ve prevented in our movements any food crop from being genetically modified.

In the U.S., because the main crops genetically modified are soy and corn, I think the best way to avoid them is to avoid processed food. I think there are such delicious alternatives. People should promote local markets and organic food; that’s where you can ensure you’re not being imposed with a GM diet.

I think de-industrializing our food system has to be the next human leap. We’ve been made to believe seed doesn’t give rise to seed, so buy GM seed. You can’t bake your bread or set your yogurt, everything has to be industrial. If we don’t de-industrialize our food system, we’re going to be killed by obesity, diabetes, and everything else.

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