The Health Dangers of GMO Food
"The Health Dangers of <b>GMO Food</b>", a playlist created by MissWhistleBlower.
Zimbabwe - gold for bread
"<b>Zimbabwe</b> - gold for bread", a playlist created by MsTruthNews.
Zim maize shortage renews GM food debate
Zimbabwe, along with Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia, has long resisted importing genetically modified (GM) maize. Most of the maize grown in neighbouring South Africa – which is the largest maize producer in the region, and which usually has a surplus to export – is GM. Though South Africa can provide certified GM-free maize, it is more expensive than the maize produced in Malawi or Zambia, all of which is GM-free.
A dry spell and lack of fertilizers in 2012 led to a poor harvest in Zimbabwe, and aid agencies expect the number of food insecure people to rise to almost 1.67-million by March. Zimbabwean traders usually import from Zambia to meet demand during shortages, but Zambia has imposed restrictions on maize exports.
The grain milling industry in Zimbabwe, which includes maize-meal and livestock-feed manufacturers, says their current stocks will not last until the new harvest season in May-June. The country's Agricultural Marketing Association has warned the government of an impending crisis.
The Dramatic New Rule Change for Genetically Engineered Foods ...
By Dr. Mercola
Under new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rules, Monsanto and other biotech companies that create genetically modified (GM) crops will get speedier regulatory reviews of their genetically engineered food products.
The new rules will cut the time needed to approve biotech crops in half—from an average of three years, to about 13 months for new versions of already existing crop technologies, and about 16 months for brand new technologies.
The U.S. Congress is also helping out by increasing the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 2012 budget for biotech regulation from $13 million to $18 million.
One way the USDA plans to speed up approvals is by asking for public comments as soon as a petition for the deregulation of a biotech crop is filed, rather than waiting until the end of the review.
However, according to Bloomberg:
“The Center for Food Safety, a Washington-based non-profit group that has successfully challenged approvals of Monsanto’s Roundup Ready sugar-beet and alfalfa crops, said the rule change is aimed at preventing opponents of modified crops from voicing criticism of the agency’s methods....
Frankenfoods: Why Is the Gates Foundation Helping Monsanto Push ...
NAIROBI, Kenya—In the sprawling hills of the Kangundo district in Kenya’s Eastern Province, just a few hours outside of capital city Nairobi, Fred Kiambaa has been farming the same small, steep plot of land for more than 20 years.
Born and raised just outside Kathiini Village in Kangundo, Kiambaa knows the ups and downs of agriculture in this semi-arid region. He walks up a set of switchbacks to Kangundo’s plateaus to tend his fields each morning and seldom travels further than a few miles from his plot.
Right now, all that remains of his maize crop are rows of dry husks. Harvest season finished just two weeks ago, and the haul was meager this time around.
“Water is the big problem, it’s always water. We have many boreholes, but when there is no rain, it’s still difficult,” he said.
Kiambaa and his wife, Mary, only harvested 440 pounds of maize this season, compared to their usual 2,200. They have six children, meaning there will be many lean months before the next harvest, and worse: Though March is Kenya’s rainiest month, it’s been mostly dry so far.
...GM Food zimbabwe News
More on Genetically Modified Crops
in Zimbabwe on April 1, 2012 (Philimon Bulawayo/Courtesy Reuters). Last month I posted a blog summarizing the views of Calestous Juma, professor of the practice of international development at Harvard, on the potential of genetically modified crops ...
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The Human Capital Telescope - Internet-Based Phones Vs Telecoms Given that core revenue streams of Zimbabwe's telecoms companies flow from services which can be availed almost for free on the internet, mobile voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) and complimentary internet-dependent messaging pose a direct threat to ... |
Africa's Frankenfoods
Until 2008, South Africa had been the only country using GM technology. Now Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Mali, Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Ghana are researching GM seeds and growing trial crops of cotton, maize and sorghum. “Five years ago it was only ...
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Maize production blossoms in SA Improved cultivars and genetically modified seeds have boosted yields for South Africa's maize farmers. (Madelene Cronjé, M&G) After a big spike in maize prices last year – a major determinant of food inflation for the poor – Grain SA hopes that a ... |
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The tide turns in favour of biotech foods But in 2011 Egypt and Burkina Faso had commercial-scale genetically modified crops under cultivation (though only cotton and not food crops in Burkina Faso). Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe are in various stages of ... |