Nibbles: Bees, Okra, Horsemeat, Monoculture, CWRs mapped, Barley, PB&J

3 Replies to “Nibbles: Bees, Okra, Horsemeat, Monoculture, CWRs mapped, Barley, PB&J”

  1. This UNCTAD report is a disgrace. It comes over as a promotion of the organic agriculture industry written by a bunch of loonies (and GRAIN). One report on it has: “Farming in rich and poor nations alike should shift from monoculture towards greater varieties of crops”. This is a total misunderstanding of `monoculture’. It is perfectly possible to have `greater varieties of crops’ – whatever that means – and to have monocultures. The most important food production system of all – irrigated rice, is almost always `monoculture’ and can be rotated into all kinds of complicated crops. Who is paying for this vast propaganda campaign against food production in developing countries? And who is writing it – lots of people with desk jobs sitting in developed, crop-exporting countries? How can UN organizations repeatedly be infiltrated by advice that is directly against the interests of developing countries and their excellent farmers.

  2. I see that Carlos Perez de Castillo, Chair of the CGIAR Consortium, has chosen to write the Foreword. I guess this is his endorsement of the report. I know others who don’t think the same – far from it.

    I also note in the report that there is hardly a single peer-reviewed article cited. It’s all opinion backed up by opinion. As David Wood says, it’s a disgrace.

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