bmtv102 Failure to Yield

The Union of Concerned Scientists put out a report recently which runs down the last decade of genetically modified crops. As you know thats a topic that greatly concerns this website; what genetically modified crops have done to and for the world.

Although GMO crops have only been in use for about a decade, the? report looks at this decade in terms of yield/production? as well as the impact these crops have had on the environment. The results, as you can read and hear about, are poor for a technology that is supposed to save the world from hunger. In fact, it turns out there are a few other methods that have proven far more productive than genetically modified crops.

In this video entry I go over the biggest conclusions of the report. I recommend you also have a look for yourself, don’t just take my word for it.

bmtv96 25C3 Talk Highlights

Just a collection of odd moments from my 25C3 talk. Don’t expect to learn too much, this is more the moments that I laughed at myself, which I thought to share with you.

Note: Full credit to the 25C3 video team who put out this video and I then chopped it up into this. Thanks my friends.

bm283 The Case Against Soy

Marianne Betterly started as a concerned citizen in her community, at first working on the topic of air pollution and global warming. Working on that topic would eventually take her to the topic of the amazon and sustainability. One of several topics she has focused on has been soy, specifically the soy agriculture in the amazon; how it works and its side effects.

We talk about how she started getting into this topic, the big companies involved in Soy in the amazon, GMO soy and how it works, who is consuming it, the situation for indiginous people, to eat soy or to not eat soy, etc. Please note that this is only the beginning when it comes to breaking down the very complex topic of soy around the world, in the coming weeks I hope to help answer many of the questions that remain after this program.

betterly.com
mariri.net

Marianne passed on this note after the interview:

I never mentioned biofuels – using soy – another future use of soy.

I also didn’t mention how important the Amazon is to sustaining our air and water…..The Amazon is responsible for a fifth of the total volume of fresh water entering the oceans worldwide. If the deforestation does not slow down/stop we will lose 40% in the next 20 or so years, thereby reducing the fresh water to the world by approximately 10%. This is a global issue – along with the increasing amounts of herbicides/pesticides that are being dumped on crops, soil, into streams and rivers.

 

bm271 Planning Soy Shows and Housekeeping

More talk of soy and the soy industry.

bm261 The Undereported Story of the Soy Industry

Soy is often looked at as the alternative bean, beloved ingredient for vegetarians and concerned citizens worldwide. Yet what do we know about the soy industry? How is soy being produced, by who, for who, and to what effect? My guest, Nina Holland of the Corporate European Observatory, sat down with me to explain how it all works, and what we should know about our soy.

Discussed:

Soy as food/feed/fuel

Genetically Modified Soy

Who Owns the Farms

Situations in different parts of South America

Comparison to Europe

GM Soy Lobby in the EU

Labeling

So-called responsible soy

Independent farmers

Solutions/Advice for People

Links:

Music:

  • Vinicious Cantuaria – Corre Campo
  • Tom Brosseau – In My Time of Dyin

Questions About Soy

Among the more typical responses if I ever mention that I’m a vegetarian, is the inevitable question of why. Normally I entertain the question, though I’m usually thinking of how unfair it is to get this question since I never ask non vegetarians why they are what they are.

Frequently I refer to how cattle are raised, the hormones, the odd practice of feeding dead animal parts to animals which eventually led to foot and mouth, and that sort of thing. The more combative people will respond with the “don’t you worry about how your plants are being raised, what goes into your vegetables?” To which I normally respond, “Yes. I worry.”

I’ve just begun to look more closely at the soy industry, as I’m a drinker of Soy Milk, and there is often soy in some of my meals as well as the soy pudding I enjoy eating every now and then. No doubt an astute smarty-pants reader of my blog will leave a long comment about the horrors of soy farming. Let me try to mention some of that to save him/her the trouble:

In places such as Paraguay, soy expansion has had a negative impact on water, the environment in general, and the way of life of many small farmers. In Brazil, in the state of Mato Grosso for example, the booming soy industry had led to the clearing of more and more rain forest.

I realize this might only be the tip of the iceberg. But at the same time, this does not summarize what soy means to the world, because I want to hear about the good it can do, and especially the realm of sustainable soy cultivation.

I recently found an organization based here in Amsterdam, “A Seed”, who specialize in reporting on this issue and can also explain how things work with sustainable soy. I’m in contact with them and an interview for the podcast will be coming soon. Lets see what I learn.