GMO-free zones, gardening, and Vandana Shiva
I know I tend to get wordy, so here's the take home message of this post up front: If you're concerned about the environment and corporate control of governments... or just if you like to eat fresh food... you should grow some of your own herbs and vegetables. Yep yep.
You're going, wtf, this is a political blog, what's with the gardening talk? This isn't a post about pimping my hobby, I swear. I'm hardly a gardener. I'm an occasional garden digger at best, on an "as-my-health-and-time-allows" basis. I often let weeds run rampant once the summer gets hot, and I ignore much of what my two gardening books (really my mother's gardening books) say. Especially if it involves buying anything. Especially esoteric things like kelp or creepy things like bone meal. I don't use grow lights, I don't plant according to the moon, and I don't use "mulch" as a verb.
But even I can grow things like tomatoes and basil. And according to Vandana Shiva, in the face of GMO crops and forced trade, we have a right and a duty to garden.
It breaks down like this: big corporations like Monsanto produce genetically modified seeds. They use claims of higher productivity (shown false by independent experience) to sell these seeds. When their seeds contaminate neighboring non-GMO crops, they sue those farmers for copyright infringement. (I dare you to read virtually anything by Vandana Shiva and come away not wanting to punch Monsanto in the nuts.) The worst part is, we don't really know the long-term effects of genetically modified crops, either on humans, or on seeds and insects.
As Shiva noted in a talk last year, Indian law used to keep agriculture out of patenting; the World Trade Organization forced India to allow seed patents. This means farmers have to pay royalties to use companies' seeds. On the bright side, "Five million farmers have pledged never to obey seed patent laws," and, "The movement for GMO-free zones is one of the fastest growing movements in the world."
Then there's the issue of energy, and how much it takes to get the food you eat to you. If you've followed any of Luna's peak oil links recently, you've probably come across this topic. It's kind of sick how far our food has to travel: an average of 1500 miles in the U.S. A lot of people recommend buying local produce, instead of organic, for environmental reasons. (Also to support the local agriculture that will become more important the more expensive shipping gets.) Well, it's hard to get more local than your own yard. You can even garden inside or on a balcony in containers.
I'm not about to start the hundred mile diet, or grow all my own veggies or anything. I don't have that kind of money, energy, skill, yard space, or dedication. But growing some things for yourself can be simple. I have a half-brown thumb, actually: who manages to kill mint?! It's a freakin' invasive weed! I still managed to not kill carrots and cilantro, and I had good luck with Celebrity tomatoes and Italian, Thai, and lemon basil last year. Fresh garden tomatoes have it all over store bought in taste, and a packet of basil seed you can grow dozens of pots of the stuff with costs less than one overpriced fresh basil sprig at the grocery store. And with Shiva's blessing (heh), I can feel all stick-it-to-the-man anti-corporate culture while I'm digging in the dirt.
Here are some places to get organic, or at the very least, non-GMO seeds:
If it's too late in your area to start some plants from seed, check out your local farmers' market for seedlings; they should know what grows best locally, or in containers, or for lazy people, or whatever. My local garden center carries all of the above brands of seeds, and has been very helpful.
You're going, wtf, this is a political blog, what's with the gardening talk? This isn't a post about pimping my hobby, I swear. I'm hardly a gardener. I'm an occasional garden digger at best, on an "as-my-health-and-time-allows" basis. I often let weeds run rampant once the summer gets hot, and I ignore much of what my two gardening books (really my mother's gardening books) say. Especially if it involves buying anything. Especially esoteric things like kelp or creepy things like bone meal. I don't use grow lights, I don't plant according to the moon, and I don't use "mulch" as a verb.
But even I can grow things like tomatoes and basil. And according to Vandana Shiva, in the face of GMO crops and forced trade, we have a right and a duty to garden.
It breaks down like this: big corporations like Monsanto produce genetically modified seeds. They use claims of higher productivity (shown false by independent experience) to sell these seeds. When their seeds contaminate neighboring non-GMO crops, they sue those farmers for copyright infringement. (I dare you to read virtually anything by Vandana Shiva and come away not wanting to punch Monsanto in the nuts.) The worst part is, we don't really know the long-term effects of genetically modified crops, either on humans, or on seeds and insects.
As Shiva noted in a talk last year, Indian law used to keep agriculture out of patenting; the World Trade Organization forced India to allow seed patents. This means farmers have to pay royalties to use companies' seeds. On the bright side, "Five million farmers have pledged never to obey seed patent laws," and, "The movement for GMO-free zones is one of the fastest growing movements in the world."
Then there's the issue of energy, and how much it takes to get the food you eat to you. If you've followed any of Luna's peak oil links recently, you've probably come across this topic. It's kind of sick how far our food has to travel: an average of 1500 miles in the U.S. A lot of people recommend buying local produce, instead of organic, for environmental reasons. (Also to support the local agriculture that will become more important the more expensive shipping gets.) Well, it's hard to get more local than your own yard. You can even garden inside or on a balcony in containers.
I'm not about to start the hundred mile diet, or grow all my own veggies or anything. I don't have that kind of money, energy, skill, yard space, or dedication. But growing some things for yourself can be simple. I have a half-brown thumb, actually: who manages to kill mint?! It's a freakin' invasive weed! I still managed to not kill carrots and cilantro, and I had good luck with Celebrity tomatoes and Italian, Thai, and lemon basil last year. Fresh garden tomatoes have it all over store bought in taste, and a packet of basil seed you can grow dozens of pots of the stuff with costs less than one overpriced fresh basil sprig at the grocery store. And with Shiva's blessing (heh), I can feel all stick-it-to-the-man anti-corporate culture while I'm digging in the dirt.
Here are some places to get organic, or at the very least, non-GMO seeds:
- Botanical Interests
- Renee's Garden
- Seeds of Change (the Stupice tomato seedlings that are currently taking over my window sill are from them)
- Johnny's Selected Seeds (recommended by my herbalist... not that kind, the kind that has a store)
If it's too late in your area to start some plants from seed, check out your local farmers' market for seedlings; they should know what grows best locally, or in containers, or for lazy people, or whatever. My local garden center carries all of the above brands of seeds, and has been very helpful.