tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914462816938033548.post6861693355560907385..comments2023-03-25T11:32:48.620+02:00Comments on Digesting Africa: Food. And goats.Emily Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188070930860175860noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914462816938033548.post-6159455189688487102010-11-26T19:09:54.793+02:002010-11-26T19:09:54.793+02:00Hi Emily,
I'm interested in all of the stuff ...Hi Emily,<br /><br />I'm interested in all of the stuff you’ve been writing about, especially the fusarium wilt in bananas and your efforts to mitigate the impacts. Is the resistant strain that you mentioned a genetically modified variety or one that was bred for resistance by more conventional methods? As an organic farmer's spousal unit I've been exposed to lots of expressed concerns about the potential for unforeseen problems stemming from the use of gm crops. Some are concerns related to the introduction of new genetic material being loosed in a plant population and causing problems, for example corn w/ BT genes appears to produce toxic pollen that kills Monarch butterflies. There are also big concerns about the political, economic and social ramifications for people who depend on patented plants for their food since this gives a few multinational corporations significant control over who can grow which food plants where. These concerns need to be weighed against the results from letting the wilt stop production of an important food for so many people. Michael Pollen's book, The Botany of Desire, is a fun and informative read and has a good discussion about the pros/cons of gm plants in the chapter about potatoes.<br />Do farmers in your area grow potatoes? Peanuts? Other plants that originated in the Americas?<br />Please give us a description of a one of your typical work days when you’ve settled into enough of a routine to have a typical work day and when you have the time to blog again.<br />All the best to you Emily. <br />Mike BrondiAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com