Thursday, April 04, 2013 11:41:07 PM
Bhutan To Be First Country to Go 100% Organic
by Anthony Gucciardi
February 18th, 2013
If there was ever a nation that could see the purpose behind organic, sustainable farming, it would be a nation that is composed mostly of farmers. Such a place does exist, and it soon may be the first nation to go 100% organic, paving the way for others to do the same on a global scale.
The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is known for a high level of .. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/01/bhutan-wealth-happiness-counts .. citizen happiness, but it is doing something even more noteworthy in the near future. With Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley .. http://tiny.cc/ect1uw .. making a major announcement regarding the organic farming project at the Rio+20 .. http://www.uncsd2012.org/ .. Conference on Sustainable Development which took place last month, the move has made .. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/07/31/157645902/bhutan-bets-organic-agriculture-is-the-road-to-happiness .. national headlines. It’s called the National Organic Policy, and it is fueled by the simple concept that working ‘in harmony with nature’ will yield the most powerful results — all without sacrificing human health or the environment.
What this comes down to is no GMO, no pesticides, no herbicides, no fluoride-based spray products, no Monsanto intrusion at all, and a whole lot of high quality food available for the 700,000 citizens of Bhutan. Food that, at one time, was simply called ‘food’. In the statement to other policy makers, Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley explained .. http://www.ifoam.org/advocacy/rio20/Statement_RIO20_Prime_Minister_of_Bhutan_June_19_2012.pdf .. the move:
----------
“By working in harmony with nature, they can help sustain the flow of nature’s bounties.”
----------
Bhutan’s land currently supplys .. http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Bhutan-AGRICULTURE.html .. most corn, rice, fruits, and some vegetables, and it is perfectly positioned to begin developing 100% organic farming. In addition to containing a population that is mostly farmers, it also has extremely rich lands that are truly beyond what many consider organic.
Some lands in Bhutan have not even been touched with harsh chemicals of any kind, and traditional techniques are utilized to produce high yields without Monsanto dipping into the pockets of family farmers. This is in sharp contrast to India’s farming community, which has been shafted by Monsanto and subsequently nicknamed the ‘suicide belt .. http://naturalsociety.com/monsantos-gmo-seeds-farmer-suicides-every-30-minutes/ ‘ due to the rampant suicides that can be blamed in part by Monsanto-induced financial ruin.
Australian adviser .. http://www.ifoam.org/about_ifoam/inside_ifoam/boards.html .. to Bhutan, Andre Leu, explains:
----------
“I don’t think it’s going to be that difficult given that the majority of the agricultural land is already organic by default.”
----------
The shift is certainly inspiring, but it also reminds us about the true lunacy of designating foods as ‘organic’ and ‘traditional’ in modern society. These Bhutan farmers are not growing magic beans or enchanted corn, they are growing real food. Actual food as it was grown for thousands of years. It’s only now, with the advent of ways in which we can toxify our crops, do we value organic as if it were some privilege or act of class. When it comes down to it, we just want real food.
http://naturalsociety.com/bhutan-to-be-first-country-to-go-100-organic/
======
Peru Passes Monumental Ten Year Ban on Genetically Engineered Foods
By Fritz Kreiss | March 10, 2012
In a massive blow to multinational agribiz corporations such as Monsanto .. http://naturalsociety.com/blind-health-forbes-magazine-declares-monsanto-company-of-the-year/ , Bayer, and Dow, Peru has officially passed a law banning genetically modified .. http://naturalsociety.com/genetically-modified-foods/ .. ingredients anywhere within the country for a full decade before coming up for another review. Peru’s Plenary Session of the Congress made the decision 3 years after the decree was written despite previous governmental pushes for GM legalization due largely to the pressure from farmers that together form the Parque de la Papa in Cusco .. http://www.livinginperu.com/blogs/travel/1805 , a farming community of 6,000 people that represent six communities. They worry the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) will compromise the native species of Peru, such as the giant white corn, purple corn and, of course, the famous species of Peruvian potatoes. Anibal Huerta, President of Peru’s Agrarian Commission, said the ban was needed to prevent the ”danger that can arise from the use of biotechnology.”
While the ban will curb the planting and importation of GMOs in the country, a test conducted by the Peruvian Association of Consumers and Users (ASPEC) at the time of the ban’s implementation found that 77 percent of supermarket products tested contained GM contaminants. ”Research by ASPEC confirms something that Peruvians knew all along: GM foods are on the shelves of our markets and wineries, and consumers buy them and take them into their homes to eat without knowing it. Nobody tells us, no one says anything, which involves a clear violation of our right to information,” Cáceres told Gestión .. http://gestion.pe/noticia/743319/aspec-peru-ya-estamos-comiendo-transgenicos . GMOs are so prevalent in the Americas that it is virtually impossible to truly and completely block them, whether through pollination or being sneaked in as processed foods.
“There is an increasing consensus among consumers that they want safe, local, organic fresh food and that they want the environment and wildlife to be protected,” wrote Walter Pengue from the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina, in a recent statement concerning GMOs in South America. “South American countries must proceed with a broader evaluation of their original agricultural policies and practices using the precautionary principle.”
Note: This decree was signed into effect on April 15th 2011
Sources:
Translated Spanish Press Released
http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/13231-peru-approves-10-year-ban-on-gm-crops
ASPEC Study - http://www.livinginperu.com/news/14842
If you liked this, you might like this one as well:
Poland Announces Complete Ban on Monsanto’s Genetically Modified Maize
http://www.occupymonsanto360.org/2012/04/06/poland-announces-complete-ban-on-monsantos-genetically-modified-maize/
http://www.occupymonsanto360.org/2012/03/10/peru-passes-monumental-ten-year-ban-on-genetically-engineered-foods/
by Anthony Gucciardi
February 18th, 2013
If there was ever a nation that could see the purpose behind organic, sustainable farming, it would be a nation that is composed mostly of farmers. Such a place does exist, and it soon may be the first nation to go 100% organic, paving the way for others to do the same on a global scale.
The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is known for a high level of .. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/01/bhutan-wealth-happiness-counts .. citizen happiness, but it is doing something even more noteworthy in the near future. With Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley .. http://tiny.cc/ect1uw .. making a major announcement regarding the organic farming project at the Rio+20 .. http://www.uncsd2012.org/ .. Conference on Sustainable Development which took place last month, the move has made .. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/07/31/157645902/bhutan-bets-organic-agriculture-is-the-road-to-happiness .. national headlines. It’s called the National Organic Policy, and it is fueled by the simple concept that working ‘in harmony with nature’ will yield the most powerful results — all without sacrificing human health or the environment.
What this comes down to is no GMO, no pesticides, no herbicides, no fluoride-based spray products, no Monsanto intrusion at all, and a whole lot of high quality food available for the 700,000 citizens of Bhutan. Food that, at one time, was simply called ‘food’. In the statement to other policy makers, Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley explained .. http://www.ifoam.org/advocacy/rio20/Statement_RIO20_Prime_Minister_of_Bhutan_June_19_2012.pdf .. the move:
----------
“By working in harmony with nature, they can help sustain the flow of nature’s bounties.”
----------
Bhutan’s land currently supplys .. http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Bhutan-AGRICULTURE.html .. most corn, rice, fruits, and some vegetables, and it is perfectly positioned to begin developing 100% organic farming. In addition to containing a population that is mostly farmers, it also has extremely rich lands that are truly beyond what many consider organic.
Some lands in Bhutan have not even been touched with harsh chemicals of any kind, and traditional techniques are utilized to produce high yields without Monsanto dipping into the pockets of family farmers. This is in sharp contrast to India’s farming community, which has been shafted by Monsanto and subsequently nicknamed the ‘suicide belt .. http://naturalsociety.com/monsantos-gmo-seeds-farmer-suicides-every-30-minutes/ ‘ due to the rampant suicides that can be blamed in part by Monsanto-induced financial ruin.
Australian adviser .. http://www.ifoam.org/about_ifoam/inside_ifoam/boards.html .. to Bhutan, Andre Leu, explains:
----------
“I don’t think it’s going to be that difficult given that the majority of the agricultural land is already organic by default.”
----------
The shift is certainly inspiring, but it also reminds us about the true lunacy of designating foods as ‘organic’ and ‘traditional’ in modern society. These Bhutan farmers are not growing magic beans or enchanted corn, they are growing real food. Actual food as it was grown for thousands of years. It’s only now, with the advent of ways in which we can toxify our crops, do we value organic as if it were some privilege or act of class. When it comes down to it, we just want real food.
http://naturalsociety.com/bhutan-to-be-first-country-to-go-100-organic/
======
Peru Passes Monumental Ten Year Ban on Genetically Engineered Foods
By Fritz Kreiss | March 10, 2012
In a massive blow to multinational agribiz corporations such as Monsanto .. http://naturalsociety.com/blind-health-forbes-magazine-declares-monsanto-company-of-the-year/ , Bayer, and Dow, Peru has officially passed a law banning genetically modified .. http://naturalsociety.com/genetically-modified-foods/ .. ingredients anywhere within the country for a full decade before coming up for another review. Peru’s Plenary Session of the Congress made the decision 3 years after the decree was written despite previous governmental pushes for GM legalization due largely to the pressure from farmers that together form the Parque de la Papa in Cusco .. http://www.livinginperu.com/blogs/travel/1805 , a farming community of 6,000 people that represent six communities. They worry the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) will compromise the native species of Peru, such as the giant white corn, purple corn and, of course, the famous species of Peruvian potatoes. Anibal Huerta, President of Peru’s Agrarian Commission, said the ban was needed to prevent the ”danger that can arise from the use of biotechnology.”
While the ban will curb the planting and importation of GMOs in the country, a test conducted by the Peruvian Association of Consumers and Users (ASPEC) at the time of the ban’s implementation found that 77 percent of supermarket products tested contained GM contaminants. ”Research by ASPEC confirms something that Peruvians knew all along: GM foods are on the shelves of our markets and wineries, and consumers buy them and take them into their homes to eat without knowing it. Nobody tells us, no one says anything, which involves a clear violation of our right to information,” Cáceres told Gestión .. http://gestion.pe/noticia/743319/aspec-peru-ya-estamos-comiendo-transgenicos . GMOs are so prevalent in the Americas that it is virtually impossible to truly and completely block them, whether through pollination or being sneaked in as processed foods.
“There is an increasing consensus among consumers that they want safe, local, organic fresh food and that they want the environment and wildlife to be protected,” wrote Walter Pengue from the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina, in a recent statement concerning GMOs in South America. “South American countries must proceed with a broader evaluation of their original agricultural policies and practices using the precautionary principle.”
Note: This decree was signed into effect on April 15th 2011
Sources:
Translated Spanish Press Released
http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/13231-peru-approves-10-year-ban-on-gm-crops
ASPEC Study - http://www.livinginperu.com/news/14842
If you liked this, you might like this one as well:
Poland Announces Complete Ban on Monsanto’s Genetically Modified Maize
http://www.occupymonsanto360.org/2012/04/06/poland-announces-complete-ban-on-monsantos-genetically-modified-maize/
http://www.occupymonsanto360.org/2012/03/10/peru-passes-monumental-ten-year-ban-on-genetically-engineered-foods/
It was Plato who said, “He, O men, is the wisest, who like Socrates, knows that his wisdom is in truth worth nothing”
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