Study 3: Ecodestruction and the Right to Food: The Cases of Water ...

Starving the Future Study 3
traces of starlink generates strong concerns within the local population and indigenous communities.
Starlink is a genetically manipulated maize produced by Aventis corporation and outlawed in the US and
Europe because of risks for human health. Nevertheless, traces have been discovered in US food aid.
This is scandalous both because GMOs are forbidden in Bolivia and because this very sort of maize is
known to carry risks for human health. 51 Recently, Greenpeace revealed the presence of Monsanto’s
genetically engineered variety of Roundup Ready GA21 in maize from Argentina that has been imported
to Switzerland. The maize variety has not been approved for human consumption in Europe. Moreover,
Argentina has not agreed to grow this crop for consumption and commercial purposes which means that
illegal planting of GMOs in Argentina is most probably taking place. 52 Finally, the spreading of
transgenetic plants over the world already affects biodiversity especially in the South. The following
case from Mexico could just be the tip of the iceberg.
Mexico: GMO contamination in the birthplace of maize
In October 2001, FIAN was contacted by local indigenous communities and asked to intervene on
behalf of small peasants and indigenous communities in Mexico against genetic contamination of their
traditional maize varieties. The local organizations saw a direct link between the contamination by
genetically engineered maize and the right to food of the 3.5 million Mexican peasants producing maize
and the 100 million Mexicans consuming it. Indeed, the Mexican population in its great majority depend
on maize as their staple food. Consumed in various forms, maize provides them with 70% of proteins
and 75% of calories.
The Mexican Ministry of the Environment had reported an alarming contamination of indigenous maize
varieties by genetically manipulated maize. These finding were later on confirmed by two Berkeley
scientists, Dr. Ignacio Chapela and David Quist, in an article published in the British scientific magazine
Nature in September 2001 after the usual procedure of peer reviews. Pressured by a fierce campaign of
rival scientists Nature had to officially withdraw this article – something unheard of so far for this
prestigious magazine.
The findings indicate that the contamination rate has reached high levels (such as 35 percent) in some
indigenous areas of the Sierras de Oaxaca and Puebla. This is all the more worrying for biodiversity, as
Mexico and especially the Sierras are the Wawilow Centre of genetic heritage for maize. The director of
the related gene bank in Mexico and the CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre)
assumes that contamination can affect the gene bank as well.
The genetic material which contaminated the Mexican peasants’ crops comes from patented maize
probably from US aid or imports. The peasants – unaware of what kind of maize they dealt with –
applied the maize as seeds to their fields. The peasants’ ability to produce, to access and control foodproducing
resources is now at stake, as – strictly speaking - the indigenous peasants and small farmers
are now hooked on seeds they believed to be freely at their disposal – but which they might have to pay
for in future. Food aid and imports as the Troyan horses of agribusiness? At least equally important is
the implied a loss of biodiversity and genetic variety in this cradle of maize. The destruction of the
genetic variety of maize in its Wawilow centre could have severe consequences for future breeders’
options to confront pests and diseases attacking the standardized maize varieties – and hence for the
food security of Mexico and countries depending on maize as their staple food. It is high time to stop
these new attacks on biodiversity before more irreparable damage is done.
References
• (1998), Shand, Hope and Mooney, Pat : "Terminator Seeds", Threatening an End to
Farming, In Earth Island Journal, Fall 1998, Earth Island Institute
www.earthisland.org/eijournal/fall98/fe_fall98terminator.html
• (1998), Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) : "World´s Largest
International Agricultural Research Network Vows not to use Terminator Technology",
News Release, 23 rd October 1998
FIAN International 138
June 2002