Hawai'Iowa???

From Bryna, some thoughts on this piece on “Genetically Modified Hawaii” in the Scientific American:

In the pursuit of responsible, meaningful, helpful science for the betterment of the communities and lands of Hawaii, we’ve gotten rather flustered and confused by the dangerous, expensive answers that GMOs offer our local communities.

What do we want for Hawaii? Something we can sink our teeth into.  As the article expounds, we have 3-4 growing seasons. So why are we growing corporate ag-fuel investments & experiments with laughable farm-to-fuel efficiency, short term profitability and long term, irreversible and uncalculable risks? We could be growing increasingly valuable organic seeds for export, and of course nutritious, delicious food to eat here!  GMO-corn & related chemicals make even pineapple seem more meaningful and safe for the nutritional and environmental needs of Hawaii.  Then again, pineapple didn’t make it past 2 generations, but heptachlor contamination will be around for centuries.

Better yet, why not grow alot of different food crops? Why is Hawaii still nurturing the mono-cash-crop plantation paradigm that keeps success and failure in the hands and whims of a few, offshore, high-risk moguls? Will they save us from starvation? Ask the Food Bank.

“But seed companies say and some scientists believe the benefits outweigh the risks of damage to the fragile ecosystem.”

Without any independent scientific review how can they make any honest claims of benefits?  By refusing  independent, longterm studies or public information about their projects, biotech corporatoins control the public perception of benefits, while having no factual basis in making such claims.

Isn’t it time we got something good to eat, and isn’t it time we returned the farmscape back to the care of the local people, local culture, local foods? It is a myth that we don’t have enough land. It is a myth that we can’t grow food to feed the local population. The problem is that the land that we have is becoming Iowa and plants they are growing could kill us…..

Read: “Genetically Modified Hawaii: New varieties of genetically engineered crops thrive in the world’s most isolated landmass” by  Robynne Boyd.

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=genetically-modified-hawaii