Sorry Alistair, but what you say is simply not true. I copy you in with a response I made to the editorial team of the Weekender newspaper , who published it. If you want to know more, please feel free to contact me.

Dear Weekender Editorial team – I must sincerely and earnestly object to the unquestioned assumptions buried in your editorial entitled “decision on super spud points to worrying trend” in your 24-25 October edition of The Weekender.

It seems to me that you may never have run a small farm or backyard vegetable garden ? Or have forgotten? But if you were an enthusiastic vegetable gardener or small farmer, you would know that there is an unquestionable super-abundance of food at our fingertips, on even minute areas of land. That 100m2 can feed a whole family year round with fresh food. That a mere 500m2 can create a modest full time job for one person. That , if economic control systems which regulate agricultural production and supply permitted otherwise, there would be no need for anyone to go hungry, even if there were 10 billion people on the planet. .

Your editorial in support of “super spuds” (and in your case Alistair , your support for the chemical-industrial approach in general) and GM is based on three core unexamined assumptions:

1. there is not enough agricultural production to feed a growing world population

2. non-GM agriculture cannot produce enough to feed the world population

3. the movement which questions and challenges GM is unscientific

Did you not know that there can be a plenty of food, and to spare , especially in the so-called “poor countries” , without GM or "chemical-industrial" technology, where people who know how to farm on a small scale are given just a little help ?

Did you overlook the fact that food security is more a matter of distribution and economic control of inputs such as land, water, fertilizer and seed? That the ”enough food” issue is simply about control ?

Have you missed the point that 15 % of the world’s urban fresh food is produced in jars (sprouts) , pots, old bathtubs urban backyards and family plots and small family farms ? And this without any of the massive resource advantages conferred on the Industrial-GM approach to farming.

Are you unaware that, even with Climate Change, sustainable micro farming can easily feed the world population if it was supported by (a fraction) of the gargantuan resources currently thrown at GM and agri-chemical-industrial research and development?

Are you ignorant of the solid and mounting (but well hushed) scientific evidence that GM and agro-chemical technology is extremely dangerous to the fine balance and profound complexity of nature, which complexity is by far not yet understood , and that this lack of understanding is admitted to by our leading scientists?

Are you really ignorant of the fact that GM and agro-chemical technology that goes with it, is hugely and insufficiently untested , that the consequences of such marvelous technology simply cannot be predicted and therefore should remain in research phase for many many more years to come?

Have you somehow missed the fact that the “anti-GM” and " anti-agri-chemical/industrial" movement which, by the way, is not necessarily “anti”, but simply cautious, is backed by a massive body of solid scientific evidence and many prominent scientists?

Or don’t you care? Or (in your case Alistair, like most "normal" consumers?) simply too lazy to find out?

With deep concern.

Rob Small
www.farmgardentrust.org

Alistair,

Do some reading and research. Your facts are a bit mixed up as they most likely come from government and commercial farming groups. There are always two sides to a story but not all stories are told. There is more and more evidence that organic farming, which is basically pre world war 2 farming before everything was industrialised, is more efficient than the monoculture industrial farming practised today. If it wasn't for misinformation put out there by advertising, and the general gullibility of us consumers believing everything the governments and chemical companies tell us we would be living healthier lives. Look around you at young people, I by the way am close to my sell by date so I have noticed some changes, how many bald 25 year old men to you see. How many people do you know that have cancer or chronic illnesses? Do you think that this has something to do with chemicals in our food and water? Changes to diet's with an increased consumption of organically grown vegetables and other foods appear to be beneficial in combating these. So what does this suggest to you?
Do yourself a favour, if you have got a bit of space for a vegetable garden start one and see what can be grown without chemicals. You will discover what vegetables really taste like, totally different from those that you buy in the shops. If you need help with your garden feel free to contact me, and I will try to help.

To say that organic farming is Worse for the environment then conventional farming is PAINFULLY ignorant.Organic farming does not use chemical fertilisers and pestisides and is still able to yield between 90 and 120% of conventional farming per hectre, organic land is able to handle drought and flood better then conventional land using less energy and zero poisons.This means a heathier water system, less top soil erosion, which equals a more dynamic ecosystem and biodiversity.You also say that its less efficient, its true that organic farming is more manually intensive, which means its a great way to create JOBS, which im sure you would agree are in short supply in South Africa.Where is all this virgin land to be turned that must be destroyed to make way for inefficient Organic farms. Currently less then 1% of cultivated land in the WORLD is organic, so if theres a food security issue, its not the fault of Organic farmers!! I would also argue that the greatest destroyer of bio diversity, would be mining, construction and synthetic fertilizer and pesticides which destroy our rivers and drinking water.

How about doing a little reading up on a topic before you share your opinions with the world? Heres a good place to start http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_farming