The Least Change For The Greatest Effect

Permaculturists believe in searching for the least change that will have the greatest effect. This ties into another permie principle--thoughtful and protracted observation. Whether one is designing a garden, writing a book, teaching a class, or healing an illness, the permaculture approach is to spend as much time observing and thinking about the circumstances and situation before taking an action to alter them. In garden design, this would ideally be a full rotation of the earth around the sun, so that the designer can observe how wind, sun, and water effect the land in all seasons. Of course, when dealing with people, this may not be possible, especially in case of an emergency. Speed is sometimes of the utmost necessity--but this does not mean that an emt who has to act on the spot to save people's lives can't have a permacultural mindset having observed and thought about all the things that could occur in an emergency situation, or that a teacher can't do a site analysis of her classroom, instead of applying a standard curriculum that might not fit the needs of the group.

The spiral turns...I promised I would talk about GMOs, so I am winding my way around to doing so. Genetic engineering, which produces GMOS--or genetically modified organisms, is not an example of the least change for the greatest effect! And thoughtful and protracted observation has certainly not been a part of this huge change in the way our food is grown.

The following information is culled from two sources: a pamphlet put out by Californians For GE-Free Agriculture and The Earth Path, by Starhawk.

Genetic engineering is a new process used by scientists to insert genes from various organisms (human, plant, animal, bacteria or virus) into crop plants. It has been present in our food for only the last ten years, and differs fundamentally from traditional plant breeding in that it forces the exchange of genes across species barriers. This process does not occur in nature. For example, genetic engineers have inserted jellyfish and chicken genes into potatoes, and even human genes into rice. Currently, the two most common traits being genetically engineered into plants on the marketplace are 1. resistance to herbicides that would normally kill the crop, and 2. the ability to produce an insecticide that kills a wide spectrum of insects, including the targeted pest. When you go to the grocery store and buy cookes, crackers, taco shells, soft drinks, and salad dressings, you are most likely buying food that has been genetically engineered. The Grocery Manufactures of America estimate that 70 to 80 percent of the processed food on US supermarket shelves contains GE ingredients. The U.S. government decided in the mid-1990s that no new regulation needed to be passed for GMOs. The FDA decided that GE foods are "substantially equivalent" to other foods and do not need to be labeled as such. How can they know this if the technology has only been around for roughly ten years! We are only now learning the effects that toxic wastes and pesticides are having on our human bodies, and those of our animal brothers and sisters. Chernobyl, Love Canal, the near extinction of eagles because of DDT spraying, Agent Orange, Gulf War Syndrome-- I'm sure everyone can think of someone affected by environmental poisons. The U.S. government considers the use of chemical weapons on people to be a war crime. Why isn't this the case when it comes to our food supply? Thoughtful and protracted observation has obviously not been carried out here. Whether it is collusion with corporate greed that motivates our government, or a plot to kill us all off, or simply a misplaced trust in science, the religion of our soul-deprived state, we must insist that genetic engineering be called to a halt before irreparable damage is done to our earth, and thus, ourselves.

The companies who have been developing GMOs have chosen to focus on wind-pollinated crops. Monsanto has sued (and won) Percy Schmeiser, a farmer in Canada whose canola crop was contaminated by their genetically modified seed. This farmer didn't buy the seed! It blew into his fields and sprouted there! Monsanto was able to sue him because GE companies are patenting their seeds, forcing farmers to buy them every year instead of saving them from season to season, the traditional way since the beginning of agriculture. We do not own the earth. It is an outrage that our court system is supporting this. Already in Mexico, the wild stands of teosinte, the ancestor of corn, have been contaminated by wind pollination. This contamination means that the potential of that ancestor is now damaged or lost. Traditional plant breeders often go back to a more ancient strain in order to develop hardier, more disease resistant plants. With corn, this may no longer be possible. In addition, corn is a sacred plant to certain cultures. Contaminating the sacred plants of a people adds to the cultural degredation that globalization is carrying out on indigenous peoples all over the world.

Traditonal plant breeding does employ thoughtful and protracted observation so that the least change for the greatest effect can be accomplished. Traditionally, the plant breeder selects plants that are similar enough to produce offspring, then selects various offspring over many generations for desired traits. Any naturally occuring change will involve the whole organism so that breeding flaws will become apparent--and we have the opportunity to watch how the plant reacts in context to its environment. According to Dr. Barry Commoner, "Genetically engineered crops represent a huge uncontrolled experiment whose outcome is inherently unpredictable." What would the religion of science have to say about that? Isn't controlled experiment the way that science has been able to claim absolute authority over our lives?

So what do we do? I'll admit, this subject terrifies and depresses me. I feel assaulted when I go into the grocery store. Not eating processed food is an obvious answer, but since most people in the U.S. are probably still going to eat processed food, making this choice is only beneficial on an individual level, it still doesn't take into account the damage being done to the earth, physically and on the sacred level, or the exploitation that coporate giants are carrying out in developing countries. Mendocino County in California has banned the growth of genetically engineered crops, and there is a proposal to do the same in Sonoma County. I believe there are communities in Vermont that have done the same. If you live in an area where food is grown, this could be a good place to start organizing people to become aware of this issue in order to stop it. Take a stand. We owe it to ourselves. We owe it to the earth. There is no separation. And please, stop eating processed food right now!