Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations

1
Food and Agricultural Organization of the United
Nations
International Concerns Regarding Bt Corn

• Elina Tserlin and Arin Belden
• Hobart and William Smith Colleges
• Science and Cognition
• Geneva, NY 14456

2
Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN
(FAO)
Slide 2

• Establishment of the United Nations
• Initiated in 1945
• International nutrition levels
• Standards of living
• Goals
• Alleviate hunger and poverty
• Provide food security
• Preserve natural resources
• Functions
• Gather and analyze information
• Organize programs
• Serve as clearinghouse

3
Slide 3
FAO s Views Toward Genetically Engineered
Crops Bt Corn

• FAO
• Voice of poverty-struck nations
• Helps cease famine
• Provides to needy
• Bt corn
• Sent to feed starving nations
• Higher crop yield
• Vast impacts on environment

4
Current Endeavors Present in Impoverished
Countries
Slide 4

• Mexico
• Birthplace of Maize
• Stressful Farming Conditions
• Contaminated with genetically modified DNA
• 60 in the villages of Oaxaca and Puebla1
• India
• Transfer of genes from GM crops to wild
  relatives
• Super weeds evolve
• resistant
• cannot be killed by pesticides
• Competition with food for water, nutrients, light
• 5 of crop loss2

1von der Weid, 2002 2Times of India, 2001
5
Spread of Bt Corn and Its Effect on Native
Species
Slide 5

• Bt Corn
• Sent to starving nations by US
• Often importing countries not aware of GM crop
• Potential Harm to Starving Individuals3
• Consequences
• Cross Pollination
• Genes unintentionally spread to other maize
  species
• Native species gets lost

3Benbrook, 2002
6
Biodiversity and Its Importance to Nations
Slide 6

• Biodiversity
• Variability among organisms
• Crucial for alternatives
• Equilibrium
• Native Species
• Tolerant
• Native parasites
• Native temperatures
• Needed to fall back on
• Allows country to have its own crops4
• independence

4Quist et al., 2001
7
FAOs Evaluation of Bt Corn as International
Matter
Slide 7

• Advantages of Bt corn
• Increase agricultural production
• Meet worlds food demands
• Supports non-developing countries
• Disadvantages of Bt corn
• Destroys native plants
• Loss of Biodiversity
• No fallback

8
Actions of FAO Regarding Bt Corn
Slide 8

• Forum
• Hold meetings for international discussions
• Analyze new technological advances
• Inform nations
• Hold radio broadcasts where farmers share
  techniques5
• Projects that check efficiency of soil
• Provide field training courses
• Final Decision
• Placed in hands of individual governments

5International Broadcast on Farm Radio
Broadcasting, 2001
9
References
Slide 9
1. Von der Weid, J.M. (2002, February 6). Letter
to Dr. Jacques Diouf, Food and Agricultural
Organization of the United Nations, pp. 1-3. 2.
Scientists Fear Invasion of Super Weeds. (2001,
November 12). The Times of India 3.
Benbrook, C. (2002, September 27). Letter to
Distinguished Delegates from Zambia,
Benbrook Consulting Services, pp. 1-2. 4. Quist
D, Chapela, I. (2001). Transgenic DNA
Introgressed into Traditional Maize
Landraces in Oaxaca, Mexico. Nature, 414,
541-543. 5. International Broadcast on Farm Radio
Broadcasting (2001). Retreived from
www.fao.org
10
Transgenic DNA Remains in Native Populations
Slide 10

• 1998 Mexico puts moratorium on transgenic corn
• Mexico imported 5.5 million tons of corn in
  19991
• GM amounts not disclosed
• No labeling
• Report 2001 shows Bt corn in native maize
  species2
• Cross-pollination
• Transgenic DNA maintained from one generation to
  the next

1Ross, Sierra Magazine, 2001 2Quist, Nature, 2001
11
Importance of Species Diversity
Slide 11

• Genetic diversity stands between us and
  catastrophic starvation on a scale we cannot
  imagineJack Harlan, American botanist and plant
  breeder1
• Lack of corn diversity
• 15 loss of corn crop harvest in US 1970
• 1.1 billion lost2
• Crop contamination
• Invasion of native species
• Farmer unaware of contamination
• Leads to unintentional exporting of contaminated
  crops2
• Legal action towards farmers

1News Releases retrieved from www.greenepeace.org
2von der Weid, AS-PTA, 2002
12
Alarming Consequences of Cross-Pollination
Slide 12

• Horizontal gene transfer
• Sampled corn contaminated in fragmentary way1
• Recombination
• Transgenic DNA spread to unrelated crops
• Possible generation of new disease-causing
  viruses and bacteria
• Antibiotic resistant genes spread to pathogens1
• Super weeds2
• Result 5 crop loss in developing countries

1Agenda, 2002 2The Times of India, 2001
13
Slide 13
Undernourishment Statistics
14
Dominating the Food Supply
Slide 14

• Industrialized nations
• Major food suppliers to rest of the world
• 98 GM companies found in 3 countries1
• 68 organizations present in US
• Developing countries hold no voice
• Small farmers undermined
• Loss of native species results in interdependence
  on industrial nations

1Genetic Modification, 2002
15
Slide 15
Proportions of Undernourishment