'A catastrophe': Greenpeace blocks planting of 'lifesaving' golden rice
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/25/greenpeace-blocks-planting-of-lifesaving-golden-rice-philippinesA catastrophe: Greenpeace blocks planting of lifesaving golden rice
Thousands of children could die after court backs campaign group over GM crop in Philippines, scientists warn
Robin McKie, Science Editor
Sat 25 May 2024 09.00 EDT
Scientists have warned that a court decision to block the growing of the genetically modified (GM) crop golden rice in the Philippines could have catastrophic consequences. Tens of thousands of children could die in the wake of the ruling, they argue.
The Philippines had become the first country in 2021 to approve the commercial cultivation of golden rice, which was developed to combat vitamin-A deficiency, a major cause of disability and death among children in many parts of the world.
But campaigns by Greenpeace and local farmers last month persuaded the countrys court of appeal to overturn that approval and to revoke this. The groups had argued that golden rice had not been shown to be safe and the claim was backed by the court, a decision that was hailed as a monumental win by Greenpeace.
Many scientists, however, say there is no evidence that golden rice is in any way dangerous. More to the point, they argue that it is a lifesaver.
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orange jar
(774 posts)until the science disagrees with my worldview. The anti-GMO brigade might as well be a cult.
The only good point they make is on seed ownership. Beyond that it's the usual dogma of small minds. Thinking hard.
codfisherman
(89 posts)What I find curious is that The Phillipines was picked for this GMO crop to supply vitamin A to kids. Sweet potatoes are native to that area and a staple root and greens (camotes); easily grown in a home garden. Sweet potatoes are one of the few vegetables that supply an abundance of vitamin A. Although I'm not going to immediately doubt some Big Agra scientist's altruism, I think this has more to do with marketshare and revenue generation than any consideration for the health of the Phillipino people.
FakeNoose
(34,852 posts)I believe the Phillippino diet is rich in fish, which is more abundant than meat.
I would have thought they got enough vitamin A from their fish.
codfisherman
(89 posts)Wild predator fish are a very good source of A and D. Although there is some worry about the buildup of persistent chemicals in apex predators.
paleotn
(18,799 posts)How could we ever fish out the seas when we have benevolent corporations willing to repopulate them with faster growing, more nutritious, and downright delicious genetically modified fish?
cstanleytech
(26,830 posts)If not then the rice might be better a better alternative the same kinda goes for sweet potatoes in that how much vitamin a would they provide compared to the rice?
Also there is the environmental impact consider in that you have to consider how much pollution is generated by growing such crops. For example say the growing of rice causes more nitrogen to end up in the rivers and therefore into the ocean which then have the potential to create dead zones in the ocean.
There are simply just a lot of variables in this.
FakeNoose
(34,852 posts)But on the other hand, there aren't that many people living in the Philippines. Not all of them fish for their own food. My daughter-in-law is from Philippino roots (her parents were born there) and I've had their native traditional dishes several times. It's a lot like Japanese cuisine.
The oceans are so large and the islands of Philippines and Japan are so small, that I can't believe they could single-handedly cause an apocalypse of fish-replenishment. When the Japanese whalers target certain whale species, yes it's a problem.
manicdem
(488 posts)Only certain fish have Vit A and they tend to be the more expensive stuff. For example, Tilapia is commonly eaten in the Philipines but has no Vit A. Fish like Tuna has a lot of Vit A and are caught there, but it'd be very expensive and limited for the amounts needed.
manicdem
(488 posts)Perhaps they want alternatives incase some disease wipes out the potato farms. And potatoes cost more to grow and process. The additional cost may not seem like much to us, but it might mean a lot to impoverished people.
LeftInTX
(29,169 posts)I would also think the soil temps could be an issue in of parts the Philippines. Rice is aquatic. Sweet potatoes can be prone to rot. Philippines are too hot for carrot production.
codfisherman
(89 posts)When I started growing sweet potatoes for myself here in NC I looked into maximizing yield. I grow the Beauregard variety. I went vertical with the tendrils and reduced the footprint to 100 sq ft. Best I've done was 150 lbs of tubers and maybe 20 lbs wet weight greens. Once the slips are established I do not have to water them, they love the heat. The Phillipines grew 150000 metric tons of them last year. I'm not sure what their growing season looks like, but it's probably nearly year round.
LeftInTX
(29,169 posts)But tubers can't be stored, the way rice is stored.
The Philippines produces annually:
20.7 million metric tons of rice
558.32 thousand metric tons of sweet potatoes.
If you have ever had Filipino cuisine, you know they eat alot of rice.
Sweet potatoes are primarily eaten fresh, which can be problem when storage is limited.
https://plantdiseasehandbook.tamu.edu/food-crops/vegetable-crops/sweet-potato/
codfisherman
(89 posts)The leaves (kamotes) are very nutritious and also contain a lot of vitamins K and A. Once a slip has established these can be harvested continuously. I usually only eat the tenderest purple ones, but at harvest take all but the yellowed ones. Allowing for crop rotation, two tuber harvests per year would be beautiful. Rice is still needed; but does it need to be genetically modified to supply A?
LeftInTX
(29,169 posts)Vitamins can be imported.
codfisherman
(89 posts)I eat a lot of greens. Collards, turnip, mustard, kale, kamotes (sweet potato), onion, orache, stinging nettles, dandelions, etc. Kamotes have a sweet, earthy, rounded flavor when cooked. I dry most of mine and add them to breads through the year. One cup provides a little over half the RDA of vitamin A. The sweet potato has a long history in the Phillipines, it predates European contact. It is consumed and enjoyed by millions. They have developed cultivars over the last 1000 years that are perfectly suited to their environment. Subsistence farmers have also figured out by now how to preserve and utilize all the plant. I am not trying to reinvent the wheel; they already grow and consume this vegetable, why the drive to replace their traditional rices with genetically modified rice when vitamin A can be readily obtained through their customary diet. As for importing vitamin pills; there are probably already native vitamin manufacturers.
LeftInTX
(29,169 posts)However, I just realized I haven't taken my calcium supplement in weeks...ugh....
So, that's the problem with vitamins.
Rice is everywhere. Street food is popular. I really don't know how much sweet potatoes Filipinos eat. Rice has been cultivated in the Philippines since 2500 BC.
Sweet potatoes were introduced by the Spanish in the 16th century. (I'm not passing judgement on introduced foods) However a food that has been cultivated since 2500 BC in the Philippines, and in many places throughout the world is obviously is easy to grow, store and ship.
RIce is cultivated everywhere that it can grow. As long as there is standing water and warm weather, rice will grow. In the US, rice production is limited due to cold weather and need for standing water. In wet tropical climates, such as the Philippines, rice can be a perennial. Growers, simply cut back the stems after harvesting the seed heads and it grows backs.
In the US, rice is an annual and production is limited to standing water.
codfisherman
(89 posts)I'm not proposing that sweet potatoes replace rice. Much of the world derives a significant portion of their daily calories from this grain. They also eat a lot of sweet potato greens and tubers. Your stat yesterday said something like 500000 metric tons per year, that's a lotta sweet potatoes. Credible sources (first hit was NPR) claim that sweet potatoes in southeast Asia predated European contact. Phillipino universities are most likely keenly interested in biodiversity and are actively developing new cultivars of all their staple crops that look to further meet the needs of their people. Is genetic modification and vast multinational corporations imposing their will on these countries the best route to feed the world?
LeftInTX
(29,169 posts)Last edited Mon May 27, 2024, 09:26 PM - Edit history (1)
Sweet potatoes are members of the morning glory family.
This is newest theory is that red is for Polynesian distribution. Purple is Spanish. Yellow is Portuguese.
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https://www.calacademy.org/explore-science/sweet-potato-travelers
To add to confusion, Yams (a monocot) were grown all over Asia and Hawaii prior to the Columbian exchange. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yam_(vegetable)#:~:text=Yams%20are%20perennial%20herbaceous%20vines,numerous%20cultivars%20and%20related%20species.
About purple yams:
Based on archaeological evidence of early farming plots and plant remains in the Kuk Swamp site, authors have suggested that it was first domesticated in the highlands of New Guinea from around 10,000 BP and spread into Island Southeast Asia via the Lapita culture at around c. 4,000 BP, along with D. nummularia and D. bulbifera. In turn, D. esculenta is believed to have been introduced by the Lapita culture into New Guinea. There is also evidence of an agricultural revolution during this period brought by innovations from contact with Austronesians, including the development of wet cultivation.[13][14]
However, much older remains identified as being probably D. alata have also been recovered from the Niah Caves of Borneo (Late Pleistocene) and the Ille Cave of Palawan (c. 11,000 BP), along with remains of the toxic ubi gadong (D. hispida) which requires processing before it can be edible. Although it doesn't prove cultivation, it does show that humans already had the knowledge to exploit starchy plants and that D. alata were native to Island Southeast Asia. Furthermore, it opens the question on whether D. alata is a true species or cultivated much older than believed.[4][15][16][17][18][19]
Purple yam remains an important crop in Southeast Asia, particularly in the Philippines where the vividly purple variety is widely used in various traditional and modern desserts. It also remains important in Melanesia, where it is also grown for ceremonial purposes tied to the size of the tubers at harvest time. Its importance in eastern Polynesia and New Zealand, however, has waned after the introduction of other crops, most notably the sweet potato.[6]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioscorea_alata
And much of this study was based on a Polynesian name for yams and sweet potatoes and what Capt Cook saw etc. Additionally, the only DNA sample used was damaged.
Whenever I look at "past" stuff like this, it is important to remember that much of it is theories. (Such has how Neanderthals looked, where eye color came from etc) These theories are fine and are fun, if they stay theories. They start crossing the line when they go beyond theories. The sweet potatoes in Hawaii theory is based on carbon datings. Cultivation in 19th century Hawaii suffered from rats, insects and disease.
The general theory is that sweet potatoes were dispersed throughout Polynesia, but I don't know if it went all the way to the Philippines. And it seems like it was more niche. Even if sweet potatoes made it all the way across the ocean, purple yams were what was cultivated until sweet potatoes were introduced. Purple yams are, which are warm season monocots (like rice) are tough and are suited to low-land tropics. Sweet potatoes tubers and regular potatoes are pickier.
Is zucchini native to Italy?
womanofthehills
(9,131 posts)The Philippines has tons of yams and plantains with Vit A - they dont need more pesticided GMO food.
The yields of golden rice are less than native rice and could endanger the whole native rice crop:
Instead of helping people to combat malnutrition, these plants, if grown on the fields, might endanger their whole rice harvest, said Christoph Then of the German research platform Testbiotech. It is worrying that effects that can arise from crossing genetically manipulated plants with other varieties are, as yet, not included in risk assessment.
https://gmwatch.org/en/106-news/latest-news/17470-gmo-golden-rice-shows-stunted-and-abnormal-growth-with-reduced-grain-yield