Guest guest Posted August 24, 2004 Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 > 24 Aug 2004 13:50:44 -0000 > Announcing Science in Society # 23 > press-release > > > The Institute of Science in Society Science Society > Sustainability http://www.i-sis.org.uk > > General Enquiries sam Website/Mailing > List > press-release ISIS Director > m.w.ho > ======================================================== > > > ISIS Press Release 24/08/04 > > Announcing Science in Society # 23 Autumn 2004 > **************************************** > > Buy your copy now from the ISIS online store > http://www.i-sis.org.uk/onlinestore/magazines.php > > From the Editor > > Ethiopia goes organic > > Famines and Ethiopia have become irrevocably linked > in the > public mind since Bob Geldof's Live Aid Concert in > the > 1980s. But big changes are afoot. We carried the > first > exclusive report (Science in Society 16, 2002 > http://www.i-sis.org.uk/isisnews/sis16.php) > on how Ethiopia is determined to feed herself. This > success story is now told in full. > > A project with small beginnings, based on reviving > the > traditional Indian farming practice of pit > composting, has > increased yields over and above chemical fertilizers > and > turned barren degraded land into productive > greenery. The > results are so impressive that the Ethiopian > government is > ready to adopt organic agriculture as one of its > strategies > for food security. Ethiopia is taking the lead in > delivering > not just food security to the nation: but good > quality, > nutritious food free from agrochemicals and a clean > environment, which are crucial to delivering good > health. > This is what every country in the world should be > doing, > rich or poor. > > The composting package was first introduced in 1996 > to the > northern state of Tigray by distinguished Ethiopian > ecologist, Dr Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher, > recipient of > the Right Livelihood award. Tewolde (what his > friends calls > him) is no stranger in international politics. As > representative of the Ethiopian government and the > African > Union, he has been championing the rights of the > poorest > countries at the FAO Commission on Plant Genetic > Resources, > and played a key role in the successful negotiation > of the > Cartagena Biosafety Protocol for regulating > genetically > modified organisms. > > We are privileged to have the inside story told by > Sue > Edwards, the Director of the Institute of > Sustainable > Development in Addis Ababa, who shared > responsibility of the > Tigray project with Tewolde. > > Corporations coveting our rice > > Rice, the staple food crop for more than half the > world's > population, among them the poorest, is the current > target of > genetic modification, an activity that has greatly > intensified after the rice genome was announced two > years > ago (see " Rice is life " series, SiS 15, 2002 > http://www.i-sis.org.uk/isisnews/sis15.php). > Since then, all major biotech giants are investing > in rice > research, with the clear intent of exercising > monopolistic > rights through gene patenting and genetic > modification. > > At the same time, a low-input cultivation system > that really > benefits small farmers worldwide has been spreading, > but is > dismissed by the scientific establishment as > " unscientific " . > This is one among several recent innovations that > increase > yields and ward off disease without costly and > harmful > inputs, all enthusiastically and widely adopted by > farmers > in Asia and Africa. > > A war is building up between the corporations and > the > peoples of the world for the possession of rice. The > food > security of billions is at stake, as is their right > to grow > the varieties of rice they have created and continue > to > create, and in the manner they choose. We bring you > a > comprehensive exposé of how the scientific > establishment is > serving the corporate agenda against peoples' > interests. > > New Age of Water > > Water has come of age. It is cool on everyone's > lips. > Decades of research on water is yielding remarkable > insights > into its dynamic collective structures, and changing > our big > picture of life and living process. Organisms are > seventy to > eighty percent water. Is this water necessary to > life? What > vital functions does it serve? Entire biochemistry > and cell > biology textbooks are still being written without > ever > mentioning the role of water. It is simply treated > as the > inert medium in which all the specific biochemical > reactions > are being played out. Instead, recent findings are > raising > the possibility that it is water that's > stage-managing the > biochemical drama of life. Water is life, it is the > key to > every living activity. Some people will even say it > is the > seat of consciousness. Nowhere else will you find > such a > feast for the discerning mind. And there will be > more in the > coming issues. > > Ban pharm crops > > As one after another biotech giant retreated from GM > crops > for food and feed in Europe amid massive losses and > lack of > investment, the desperate industry is redoubling its > efforts > to use GM crops to produce transgenic > pharmaceuticals in > North America and elsewhere. These pharm crops pose > a range > of health hazards; as documented in numerous reviews > in past > and present issues of SiS: allergies, > immune-suppression, > immune sensitization followed by anaphylaxis, oral > tolerance > leading to loss of immunity to pathogens. An AIDS > vaccine > produced in the maize crop has been compared to the > release > of a " slow bioweapon " . What have our governments > been doing > to protect the public? > > Prof. Joe Cummins uncovered a major scandal: these > pharm > crops have been produced and marketed in the United > States > for at least two years behind our backs, via a > gaping > loophole in the regulatory process. This has > galvanised > public interest organisations to call for a > moratorium on > the release of transgenic pharm rice in California. > Meanwhile, the European Union announced the award of > 12 > million euros to a " Pharma-Planta " consortium, a > network of > laboratories in 11 European countries plus South > Africa to > develop pharm crops for vaccines and treatments for > AIDS, > rabies, diabetes and TB. South Africa's role is to > be the > testing ground for the first pharm crops. > > The exploitation of Third World countries to produce > > transgenic pharmaceuticals unacceptable in Europe > and the > United States harks back to the days of colonialism, > and > raises the spectre of unmonitored and unregulated > human > exposures to the dangerous products without the > informed > consent of those directly affected. This will become > worse > as opposition grows in North America and Europe. We > are > calling for a global forum to alert people to the > dangers as > well as the " benefits " (see p.29). Meanwhile, it is > imperative to impose a global ban on field test > releases and > biopharmaceutical production, especially in Third > World > countries. > > Buy your copy now from the ISIS online store > http://www.i-sis.org.uk/onlinestore/magazines.php > > Contents > From the Editor > Greening Ethiopia for Self-Sufficiency > Greening Ethiopia > The Tigray Project > Organic Production for Ethiopia > > Rice Wars > Fantastic Rice Yields Fact or Fallacy? > New Rice for Africa > Top Indian Rice Geneticist Rebuts SRI Critics > Does SRI Work? > One Bird - Ten Thousand Treasures > Corporate Patents vs People in GM Rice > Two Rice Better than One > Promises & Perils of GM Rice > > Freeing the World from GM > Biotech Investment Busy Going Nowhere > Superbug with Anthrax Genes > Approval of Bt11 Maize Endangers Humans and > Livestock > Pharm Crop Products in US Market > Collusion and Corruption in GM Policy > Questions over Schmeiser's Ruling > DNA in GM Food & Feed > > GM Trees Alert > No to GM Trees > Low Lignin GM Trees and Forage Crops > > Technology Watch > Bio-remediation Without Caution > > ISP News > ISP to FAO: GM Crops Not the Answer > > Rethinking Health > Selenium Conquers AIDS? > Delivering Good Health Through Good Food > > New Age of Water > Is Water Special? > The 'Wholiness' of Water > Water Forms Massive Exclusion Zones > > > ======================================================== > > This article can be found on the I-SIS website at > http://www.i-sis.org.uk/isisnews/sis23.php > > If you like this original article from the Institute > of > Science in Society, and would like to continue > receiving > articles of this calibre, please consider making a > donation > or purchase on our website > > http://www.i-sis.org.uk/donations. > > ISIS is an independent, not-for-profit organisation > dedicated to providing critical public information > on > cutting edge science, and to promoting social > accountability > and ecological sustainability in science. > > If you would prefer to receive future mailings as > HTML > please let us know. If you would like to be removed > from our > mailing list at > > http://www.i-sis.org.uk/mailinglist/.php > ======================================================== > > CONTACT DETAILS > > The Institute of Science in Society, PO Box 32097, > London > NW1 OXR > > telephone: [44 20 8643 0681] [44 20 7383 3376] > [44 20 > 7272 5636] > > General Enquiries sam Website/Mailing > List > press-release ISIS Director > m.w.ho > > MATERIAL IN THIS EMAIL MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM > WITHOUT > PERMISSION, ON CONDITION THAT IT IS ACCREDITED > ACCORDINGLY > AND CONTAINS A LINK TO http://www.i-sis.org.uk/ > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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