Go Organic to Help Save Our Planet

Go Organic to Help Save our Planet

Think about your last trip to the grocery store. If none of the fresh fruits and vegetables had “ Organic “ printed on their packaging anywhere, then more than likely what you bought was genetically engineered and is bad for us and our planet. Genetic engineering allows scientists to create plants, animals, and micro-organisms by manipulating genes in a way that does not occur naturally. These genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can spread and interbreed with natural organisms, thereby contaminating natural environments and future generations in an unforeseeable and uncontrollable way. The worst part is that there is no law in the United States requiring these science experiments masquerading as food to be labeled as such (www.greenpeace.org/usa/).  A global agrochemical industry today provides resource-rich farmers with essential products for their success:  herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, chemically treated and conditioned high-yielding hybrid or patented seeds, complemented by private extension services and information networks.  Lately these inputs include seed varieties genetically engineered to withstand some broad-spectrum herbicides, thus allowing for their permanent and relentless application throughout the growing season as well as pre- and post-harvest clearing of the land. When the effects of pesticide use on human health and the environment became known, it proved and still proves to be extremely difficult to remedy the situation. Organic solutions, bio-control measures, integrated pesticide management concepts and others threaten the sales and profitability of a powerful industry. They also tend to require more knowledge and in some cases higher labor input at the farmer's end. As a result, their implementation at the farmer level as well as in education and training, research and development is a constant and bitter-fought struggle rather than a welcome and jointly supported innovation...