Rapidly accumulating information about crop genomes is allowing scientists to identify genes associated with traits such as yield, and then scan crop relatives for the presence of those genes. Instead of using molecular splicing techniques to transfer a gene from an unrelated species into the genome of a food crop to increase yield, resist pests or improve nutrition, scientists are now using MAS to locate desired traits in other varieties or wild relatives of a particular food crop, then crossbreeding those plants with the existing commercial varieties to improve the crop. This greatly reduces the risk of environmental harm and potential adverse health effects associated with GM crops. Using MAS, researchers can upgrade classical breeding, and cut by 50% or more the time needed to develop new plant varieties by pinpointing appropriate plant partners at the gamete or seedling stage.
Read rest of the story at The Guardian
[Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on October 27, 2006]
Note: The Guardian
Stumble It!
<a href="http://longevitylibrary.com/article/99.htm">http://longevitylibrary.com/article/99.htm</a><br />
Besides, what kind of world would we have with, what......10 billion, 20 billion? We can't even deal with the 6 (or so) we have here and now.<p>---<br>"Son, if you wanna get ahead in this world, never work for another man as long as you live."
Even organic agriculture is interfering to a certain degree, but nowhere near to the extent of forcibly induced and chemically drugged up monoculture of so called "corporate agribiz" operations.
It is illegal to drug race horses, or athletes, for greater performance, but the drugging of food crops and animals is accepted without any questions. Then the authorities cry their eyes out over skyrocketing medical costs and obesity among children and the population, yet do nothing to prevent the production of adulterated foods that cause it.
When we go to the produce sections of supermarkets, the smell of chemicals coming out of the stuff is nauseating. Then, on top of it, produce crossing borders is nuked to preserve it and in most cases prepared in microwave ovens that kill all food values. People might as well eat newspapers, but it is very profitable and encouraged.
The only hope the world has to feed its overpopulation is the small plot family farm, using all possible land for organic, or near organic food production.
The wish and dream, even of some environmentalists that the depopulation of the countryside and jamming people into cities will somehow "free" more land for production, is nonsense, because people who grow food must be in daily contact with their land and crops. Apart from the fact that rural people use far less energy and water than in cities.
I've seen a Canadian economist on CBCTV once saying: "We must subsidize the farmers to get them off the land".
The daily water consumption of every city person is estimated at 1,400 US gallons, or about 5,600 litres. Of course, this includes, for the most part, industrial use, streets, huge wastage into sewers, etc.
We can not account for the water consumption that goes into the industrial products we buy, but otherwise, we estimate our daily use is about 10% of a city dweller, or about 100 to 150 litres per person, including washing machine, baths, toilets, etc.
The same goes for the growing of meat animals. The estimated need to produce 1 pound of feedlot beef is around 1,500 US gallons. With our organic methods we can do it for between 5 to 10% of that amount, not to mention the incredible pollution problems caused by feedlots, reaching for hundreds of sqare km., which we don't have and the animals are improving the land with their hoofs and manure.
But, here again, we come up against the crime wave of neoclassical market capitalism that maintains and forces governments, and people, to accept the incredible waste by
large scale production methods and monocropping as "economically efficient", because it uses less human labour and makes bigger profits, jacking up the GDP.
As long as this crime wave is permitted to continue, the scientists can jump up and down and come up with all kinds of harebrained schemes, all they'll achieve is faster ride downhill, into oblivion.
Cure the monetary system to pay for real, beneficial production methods and human survival in healthy environmental systems and the problem will solve itself.
Ed Deak, Big Lake.
Ed, I didn't know that you are an organic producer! :^) Hats off to you!
>>>The only hope the world has to feed its overpopulation is the small plot family farm, using all possible land for organic, or near organic food production.
It is so nice to hear someone say that. However, I imagine you probably already have read or heard about Cuba's forced organic revolution but if you haven't, you should! Cuba is wonderful example of organics on a large scale. "Organics" holds not only solutions for agriculture but for waste management and energy as well. Human kind, to insure its survival needs to live within and embrace nature, not attempt to remove itself from nature and that is what we've tried to do.
Back to the story though. It sounds like MAS is just an improved way of plant breeding and humans have been doing that for 1000's of years.
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Everybody got to deviate from the norm
Have to go now, but I'll try to get into more detail later.
Ed Deak.
There's no way our corporate funded propaganda system will tell us about somethig like that!
Do you have a link or anything for us to look at?
I hate to be a cynic but in the case of Cuba I think that for sure, once the communist government is gone - which is admittedly an assumption on my part - the multinationals will be quick to "come to the rescue" of the Cuban peasant, backed of course by Washington.
One of the reasons Washington is so anti-castro is because everything Castro does, flies in the face of everything Washington stands for and I don't mean "Freedom & Democracy". Cuba serves as a model to every other Latin-American country and therefore, they are a "bad example". Cuba should be held up for the world to see how good of an example they are.
Yes it is a dictatorship and yes not everything is hunky-dory but much has been accomplished without doing "business" with the US and since the collapse of the USSR.
They have the best educated public of any Latin-American country and the lowest unemployment.
They also have a healthy population and healthcare system. No surprise there. Take away the chemicals and see how healthy your workforce becomes.
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Everybody got to deviate from the norm
It's a great idea and the show inspired me, locally we have a group that teaches canning and preserving food. They organize fruit picking at local homes that can't eat or use all the fruit that their trees produce. It's a great grassroots group from all walks of life.