Re: Terminator technology

This I forward to you as this was written by a person of the profession..Read
it and ask yourself must we allow things to follow this to its unchallenged
end.?
Connie

David Gallacher wrote:

> I see two issues arising from the terminator technology:
>
> 1. Corporate abuse and manipulation of the subsistence farmer and
> agricultural communities of less developed countries.
> 2. Loss of genetic diversity.
>
> I'm sorry everybody, but I just can't bring myself to get worked up over
> the first issue.  Corporations are already manipulating agriculture
> throughout the less developed world.  Sure this is another technology with
> which to abuse, but the corporations already have so much in their
> arsenals, what with chemicals, fertilisers, and big, big greasy dollars
> with which to promote them.  After living in South Vietnam I came to
> believe that these organisations are largely unrestrained by moral duty,
> seeing people, even desperately poor and malnourished people surviving on a
> single bowl of broken rice grains a day, only as a potential market for
> their already fat and somewhat ugly company.  However, another technology
> won't necessarily make it worse.
>
> The second issue, however, scares the hell out of me since minimal genetic
> diversity equates to certain mass starvations in the future.  But again, I
> don't know that the technology will have a detrimental effect on our
> current, less than perfect system.
>
> Less than perfect?  Seed distribution is already centralised and is
> becoming increasingly privatised.  Governments of the world cannot seem to
> be convinced of the need for market independent, ONGOING plant breeding
> programs, as seen by the massive slashings to IRRI funding during the
> current decade.  Increasingly, corporations are looking for a few super
> plants that will thrive across a range of microenvironments.  More
> importantly, there is a worldwide lack of grower organisations that demand
> seed that is specific for their own environment, and are willing to
> supervise or control the final part of a plant breeding program to ensure
> they get it.
>
> This latter point is where the Terminator technology might help.  If the
> multinational corporations are too greedy, too absurd in their efforts to
> squeeze every last penny out of the starving masses, then perhaps we'll see
> a revolution in agricultural awareness.  Perhaps communities, provinces, or
> regions will begin to take more care over the direction of their farmers,
> and we'll see a surge of localised plant breeding schemes.  If this occurs,
> farmers would have more control and be better off than they are today.
> This is my dream.
>
> 'Carn the masses!
> ________________
>
> THE ASIAN VEGETABLE WEBSITE IS NOW FUNCTIONAL.  CHECK IT OUT AT:
> http://science.cqu.edu.au/psg/AsianVeg.html
> ________________
>
> Dr David Gallacher
> Research Officer
> Plant Sciences Group
> Central Queensland University
> Rockhampton 4702
> AUSTRALIA
> Ph: (BH) 07 4930 6583
> Ph: (AH) 07 4922 6107
> Fax: 07 4930 9255
> Email: d.gallacher@cqu.edu.au
> http://science.cqu.edu.au/psg/gallacher.htm



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