Richard Ha writes:
Universities in the public sector are supposed to do things in the interest of the public. One example here is that the University of Hawai‘i developed the Rainbow papaya. How come Hawai‘i County passed a bill banning all new GMOs? In the larger view, are we going to be able to feed all the people in the world without new biotech crops?
In the following video, scientists from Cornell, the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times writer Amy Harmon, and local boy/father of Rainbow papayas Dennis Gonsalves discuss the anti-GMO phenomenon.
The title is "Modifying the Future of Food: What If GMOs Are the Only Option?, Cornell Reunion 2014."
I have looked at this issue from all angles. If I were not convinced that it was safe, I would not have participated in a lawsuit challenging the anti-GMO bill on the Big Island. An overwhelming majority of farmers and ranchers on the Big Island, like the people on the panel, are very concerned that the correct story is not being told.
If GMO Foods and Biotech are the only solution to fix industrial agriculture…Then we are all in deep dodo.
The issue is about being able to feed the worlds population. A few months ago, Dr Dennis Gonsalves and I had lunch at Zippy’s with Stephen Kent of the Gates Foundation. He talked about a GMO variety of bananas being developed to address vitamin A issues in Africa. He said, GMO’s was a small but potentially important tool that they were looking at to help save lives of the most at risk third world people. I asked if the Gates Foundation would help with funding for research into diseases of the world banana trade. He said that the commercial companies could take care of themselves, they were focused on the poorest of the poor. I respect that. He also said that Monsanto provide free use of their technology to aid the Gates Foundation.
Feeding the world through GM crops is one of the claims from biotech.
If You Could… would you grow the Gates banana because it could deliver more Vitamin A?
Aloha Wally
I would ask questions first. Is it needed? I don’t think a vitamin A enhanced bio tech banana is needed in Hawaii. But, of course it is needed in some poor places in the world. Don’t you agree, Wally? Have I met you? Are you a local farmer? Maybe we can have coffee or something.