Mali farmers say they don't want trials of genetically modified crops to begin in their nation -- the fourth poorest country in the world.
The decision came following the first African "farmers' jury" to debate the issue, The Independent reported Tuesday. During the five-day meeting arguments for and against GM crop technology were presented.
The meeting was held in southern Mali, where two-thirds of the nation's cotton is produced and where attacks by bollworm have destroyed large swaths of cotton crops during recent years, the newspaper said.
Biotechnology scientists claim to be able to produce an insect-repellent cotton crop that would survive attacks by bollworm, but environmentalists say GM crops benefits are outweighed by the harm farmers would face.
"GM technology gives seed companies power over the entire agricultural sector," said Michel Pimbert, director of the London-based International Institute for Environment and Development, which organized the meeting.
Farmers said they are also worried new GM technology would damage their way of life. One farmer said he feared GM farming would marginalize "the mutual help and cooperation among farmers and our social and cultural life."
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
Related stories:
GM crops protect neighbors from pests
A study in northern China indicates that genetically modified cotton, altered to express the insecticide, Bt, not only reduces pest populations among those crops, but also reduces pests among other nearby crops that have not been modified with Bt. These findings could offer promising new ideas for controlling pests and maximizing crop yields in the future. The report will be published by the journal
Science on Friday, 19 September.
Scientists call for more access to biotech crop data
Biologists call for making available more detailed maps of the locations of biotech crops. Access to maps of biotech crops on a county and township level will give researchers greater ability to analyze the effects of biotech crops on wildlife, water quality, and on pest and beneficial insects.
Fueling ethanol production while protecting water quality
Grain-based ethanol production has increased dramatically in recent years as the cost and instability of oil has increased. New U.S. government policies require major increases in ethanol production. While future plans call for a viable cellulosic ethanol industry, expanded grain ethanol production will lead to further growth of corn acres in the near term, with unintended negative water quality impacts.
Transgenics transformed
A new method of constructing artificial plant chromosomes from small rings of naturally occurring plant DNA can be used to transport multiple genes at once into embryonic plants where they are expressed, duplicated as plant cells divide, and passed on to the next generation -- a long-term goal for those interested in improving agricultural productivity.
Researchers help develop pest-resistant eggplant for South Asia
Cornell researchers and Sathguru Management Consultants of India have successfully led an international consortium through the first phase of developing a pest-resistant eggplant. By about 2009 this eggplant is expected to be the first genetically engineered food crop in South Asia. Farmers have grown genetically altered cotton in India since 2002.
New computer system could one day help citrus growers count fruit before harvest
Farmers are told not to count chickens before they hatch, but for citrus growers it’s a little different – knowing how much fruit is on their trees can help them make better decisions about managing and harvesting the crop.
GM technology alters too quickly in India
A U.S. scientist has completed the first detailed anthropological study of how genetically modified crops affect, and are affected by, local culture.
Got cotton? Texas researchers' discovery could yield protein to feed millions
A scientific method used to explore cancer and HIV cures now has been successfully used by agricultural researchers in the quest to develop food for the world's hungry.