Moments of clarity looking at the big picture as to what kinds of issues GMOs might solve and why they are not doing so, but misrepresents key agrarian and genetic context in search of a simple technological fix. To name just a few:
nytimes.com/2021/07/20/mag…
nytimes.com/2021/07/20/mag…
On genetics: "the plant contained a pair of genes from a snapdragon" This misrepresent what GM is and does. Genes identified in a snapdragon helped to produce anthocyanin, scientists successfully inserted the same sequence into the plant, and it performed similarly
On opposition by the wealthy/organic lobby: While marketers exploit a fear of consumption, there is notable caution from key African markets as @MatthewSchnurr and @joevarock and many others show anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.11… link.springer.com/article/10.100…
On pro-poor traits: Results mixed in fields not from genetics or activists but because of structural inequalities in agrifood systems. Golden Rice in particular stalls because farmers don't want to plant it right now from @domglov and @glenndavisstone sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
Botanical sidebar: This isn't even the first time that rice as a grain has been singled out for being non-nutritious while ignoring the political structures under which malnutrition occurs, Casimir Funk's discovery of vitamins was used in the same way sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
On 'everything is genetically modified' so why worry: All populations do indeed evolve and all domesticates and bred crops have genetic changes. Paul Gepts showed that speed and specificity changed, but cautioned that ownership over the tech was worrysome acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.21…
On biodiversity and toxicity: Bt crops can reduce initial sprays but if they're still grown in monocultures resistance grows and non-target pests fill that niche, as happened in India nature.com/articles/nplan…. @MarkusKeck1 and @knajo11 showed this intensify journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.11…
Of course we can grow GM outside of monocultures. @PaulRobbins15 and @MaywaMontenegro discuss promising de-extinction and democratic projects. Author writes we're: "Unlikely to see these kinds of projects while GMOs remain the exclusive product of global agrochemical companies. "
Frustrating, in spite of moments of clarity like that, is the failure to consider a future where people have food/seed sovereignty apart from the existing unjust food system. People like @mjahi have been writing blueprints for years library.oapen.org/bitstream/hand…
Those above have written extensively, but also careful treatments of these technologies in practice from @bdowduribe @_JessieLuna @dr_leguizamon @Liz_Fitting @AbbyKinchy to name a very few, none of whom are uncritical of organic ag or romantic agrarians
https://twitter.com/DrFlachsophone/status/1313839936177664002
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