Agriculture, Society and Economy
GMO issues

The Indian government is preparing charges against Monsanto, the US-based company for appropriating indigenous farming techniques and knowledge to develop a genetically altered eggplant.

COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Although the company has denied accusations of what has been termed “biopiracy,” the case could set a precedent for the future of global patent laws.

Activists also argue that patenting crop-breeding techniques has economic, ecological and ethical implications. Currently, five biotech corporations account for 77 percent of patents on living organisms.

In this episode of The Stream, we speak with Glenn Stone (@glenndavisstone), professor of anthropology and environmental studies at Washington University in St. Louis and Leo Saldanha (@leofsaldanha) of the Environment Support Group, an Indian NGO that has been calling on the government to press charges against Monsanto

What do you think? How has seed patenting and biopiracy affected the world food security? Send us your thoughts and comments on Facebook or Twitter using hashtag #AJStream.

These are some of the social media elements featured in this episode of The Stream:

MORE ELEMENTS FROM THIS STORY

Does 'biopiracy' endanger world food supplies?

Seed monopolies could affect livelihoods of farmers, biodiversity

Genetically modified (GM) <a target="_blank" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeathialy/4014456840/">eggplant</a>, also known as BT brinjal, has been cause for controversy in India for several years. An Indian government agency recently agreed to file charges of biopiracy against Monsanto, one of the developers of the first GM food crop. They say Monsanto and other developers violated the country’s biodiversity laws by stealing indigenous genetic material,and using it to create the GM version.<br>

Indian environmental activist Vandana Shiva describes indigenous knowledge as being a common, collective resource for society.

In this next video produced by Monsanto, a farmer in the Philippines explains the benefits of BT corn, saying it helps in food security and sustainability.

Criticssay a 1995 WTO agreement known as the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) set the stage for corporations like Monsanto to enter other countries and create patented seeds using knowledge from indigenous farmers.<p></p><p></p>

This Monsanto commercial argues that their genetically modified crops - which are resistant to certain insects - help pull farmers out of poverty and produce more food.

Photos of anti-GM crop protests in India:

This video shows a 2010 march against Monsanto in Haiti. After the 2010 earthquake, Monsanto <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ayitikaleje.org/6mon1eng">donated</a> $4 million worth of conventional corn and vegetable seeds. The narrator in the video argues Monsanto seeds would not be good for Haiti's economy.

A <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/basf/4837267013/" style="" target="_blank">photo</a> of a GM rice plant grown by chemical company BASF:

US patents on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/anantns/6679559665/" style="" target="_blank">turmeric</a> have also caused <a href="http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?201841" style="" target="_blank">controversy</a> in the past. <br> <br>

This picture is of a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/peterblanchard/3061822169/" style="" target="_blank">monoculture</a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/peterblanchard/3061822169/" target="_blank"></a> at the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa, Canada.

This <a href="http://www.isaaa.org" style="" target="_blank">infographic</a> by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications shows the top countries with biotech crops and how many hectares each had in 2010.

How genetically <a href="http://peeltheorange.com" style="" target="_blank">modified</a> organisms are defined:

This list on <a href="http://www.choice.com.au/reviews-and-tests/food-and-health/food-and-drink/safety/gm-food/page/how%20can%20you%20avoid%20gm%20foods.aspx" style="" target="_blank">choice.com.au</a> gives examples of what foods could contain GM crops.