Comments on: Never enough of a Memorial for this person http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/never-enough-of-a-memorial-for-this-person/ Firedoglake weblog Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:38:43 -0600 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Clavis http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/never-enough-of-a-memorial-for-this-person/#comment-1977742 Clavis Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:20:54 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/never-enough-of-a-memorial-for-this-person/#comment-1977742 <p>No one could have predicted that greedy, unprincipled people would use corporatism and political power to corrupt and ruin what should have been an entirely selfless and communal process.</p> No one could have predicted that greedy, unprincipled people would use corporatism and political power to corrupt and ruin what should have been an entirely selfless and communal process.

]]> By: dafug http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/never-enough-of-a-memorial-for-this-person/#comment-1977738 dafug Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:58:28 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/never-enough-of-a-memorial-for-this-person/#comment-1977738 <p>Get the chemical companies out of farming and government farming programs. Repair the soil. Let the farmers do as they did for millennia. Give a hand, yes, but don’t force the chemical companies method of growing onto them. Disease just comes from unhealthy soil.</p> Get the chemical companies out of farming and government farming programs. Repair the soil. Let the farmers do as they did for millennia. Give a hand, yes, but don’t force the chemical companies method of growing onto them. Disease just comes from unhealthy soil.

]]> By: Eleanor http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/never-enough-of-a-memorial-for-this-person/#comment-1977734 Eleanor Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:49:25 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/never-enough-of-a-memorial-for-this-person/#comment-1977734 <p>National Geographic did an article on the Green Revolution a while back. Per NG, the reliance on hybrid seeds, pesticides and herbicides have been economically harmful to third world farmers and environmentally harmful. </p> <p>So there is a very real dark side. </p> <p>The question then becomes, how does the world feed itself? One place to look for an answer may be Cuba, I’ve read articles that describe contemporary Cuban agriculture as sustainable and organic. After a rough start in the Special Period after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it has managed to feed the Cuban people. At one point the World Wildlife Fund listed Cuba as the world’s only sustainable economy.</p> National Geographic did an article on the Green Revolution a while back. Per NG, the reliance on hybrid seeds, pesticides and herbicides have been economically harmful to third world farmers and environmentally harmful.

So there is a very real dark side.

The question then becomes, how does the world feed itself? One place to look for an answer may be Cuba, I’ve read articles that describe contemporary Cuban agriculture as sustainable and organic. After a rough start in the Special Period after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it has managed to feed the Cuban people. At one point the World Wildlife Fund listed Cuba as the world’s only sustainable economy.

]]> By: dafug http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/never-enough-of-a-memorial-for-this-person/#comment-1977733 dafug Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:48:54 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/never-enough-of-a-memorial-for-this-person/#comment-1977733 <p>you’re right. i was just replying to Primrose when you sent this. I was wrong. An obit is not the place to really criticize.</p> you’re right. i was just replying to Primrose when you sent this. I was wrong. An obit is not the place to really criticize.

]]> By: dafug http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/never-enough-of-a-memorial-for-this-person/#comment-1977732 dafug Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:46:13 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/never-enough-of-a-memorial-for-this-person/#comment-1977732 <p>Perhaps. But respected by whom and in what way? And changing the genetic makeup of the plant, whether for disease resistance or non-reproduction, will enable companies to patent the seeds. Whatever the case, I probably shouldn’t vilify a man who saw himself as doing good– just a scientist doing it for science and humanity. But bigagra behind it was evil. And Monsanto knew exactly what is was doing. Perhaps an obit isn’t the place to say– hey, this guy tried but his whole life’s work was a big failure and will ultimately lead to mass starvation. The truth about the green revolution in third world countries is upsetting.</p> Perhaps. But respected by whom and in what way? And changing the genetic makeup of the plant, whether for disease resistance or non-reproduction, will enable companies to patent the seeds. Whatever the case, I probably shouldn’t vilify a man who saw himself as doing good– just a scientist doing it for science and humanity. But bigagra behind it was evil. And Monsanto knew exactly what is was doing. Perhaps an obit isn’t the place to say– hey, this guy tried but his whole life’s work was a big failure and will ultimately lead to mass starvation. The truth about the green revolution in third world countries is upsetting.

]]> By: OscarRomero http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/never-enough-of-a-memorial-for-this-person/#comment-1977727 OscarRomero Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:34:58 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/never-enough-of-a-memorial-for-this-person/#comment-1977727 <p>I totally agree. A more nuanced response can be found here: <a href="http://www.lavidalocavore.org/diary/2468/rip-norman-borlaug-age-95" rel="nofollow">http://www.lavidalocavore.org/.....aug-age-95</a></p> I totally agree. A more nuanced response can be found here: http://www.lavidalocavore.org/…..aug-age-95

]]> By: Primrose http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/never-enough-of-a-memorial-for-this-person/#comment-1977714 Primrose Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:43:59 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/never-enough-of-a-memorial-for-this-person/#comment-1977714 <p>IMHO, disease-resistance is a different story than injecting poisons in the seeds to 1) stop them from reproducing; 2) kill the pests that persist who then develop resistant strains.</p> <p>The work Borlaug was doing has been a respected part of biology/agronomy since people started cross breeding plants. </p> <p>I don’t know about India specifically and you may be right that cross-breeding has caused problems for them, but Monsanto’s work has a much different outcome than that of a farmer/biologist who is working with plants to increase production. Monsanto’s aim is to keep farmers from saving seeds (since they won’t breed), to increase their prices annually, and make farmers dependent on Monsanto.</p> IMHO, disease-resistance is a different story than injecting poisons in the seeds to 1) stop them from reproducing; 2) kill the pests that persist who then develop resistant strains.

The work Borlaug was doing has been a respected part of biology/agronomy since people started cross breeding plants.

I don’t know about India specifically and you may be right that cross-breeding has caused problems for them, but Monsanto’s work has a much different outcome than that of a farmer/biologist who is working with plants to increase production. Monsanto’s aim is to keep farmers from saving seeds (since they won’t breed), to increase their prices annually, and make farmers dependent on Monsanto.

]]> By: dafug http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/never-enough-of-a-memorial-for-this-person/#comment-1977708 dafug Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:22:01 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/never-enough-of-a-memorial-for-this-person/#comment-1977708 <p>The Green Revolution put many of India’s farmers into debt with bigAgra, promoted monoculture, poisoned the farm land and ruined the structure of the soil so that crops can no longer grow. How many Indian farmers have killed themselves because of debt? How many have been affected by the strong-arm tactics of Monsanto, etc?<br /> Perhaps his intentions were noble but he was an agent of bigAgra and his misguided vision will inevitably lead to our demise as well. These corporate farms and the corporate controlled food supply will poison us all.</p> The Green Revolution put many of India’s farmers into debt with bigAgra, promoted monoculture, poisoned the farm land and ruined the structure of the soil so that crops can no longer grow. How many Indian farmers have killed themselves because of debt? How many have been affected by the strong-arm tactics of Monsanto, etc?
Perhaps his intentions were noble but he was an agent of bigAgra and his misguided vision will inevitably lead to our demise as well. These corporate farms and the corporate controlled food supply will poison us all.

]]> By: barbara http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/never-enough-of-a-memorial-for-this-person/#comment-1977659 barbara Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:19:21 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/never-enough-of-a-memorial-for-this-person/#comment-1977659 <p>And why in the world was this posted at 1:30 a.m. at FDL, of all places?????</p> And why in the world was this posted at 1:30 a.m. at FDL, of all places?????

]]> By: barbara http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/never-enough-of-a-memorial-for-this-person/#comment-1977658 barbara Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:17:22 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/never-enough-of-a-memorial-for-this-person/#comment-1977658 <p>Thanks so much for posting this, Attaturk. I’ve been dismayed by the un-coverage about this truly important man. Important as in gives a rip about humanity vs. most pols whose importance is self-inflated.</p> Thanks so much for posting this, Attaturk. I’ve been dismayed by the un-coverage about this truly important man. Important as in gives a rip about humanity vs. most pols whose importance is self-inflated.

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