The South African Civil Society Information Service
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
Glenn Ashton -
Synthetic food has long been the subject of speculative fiction, from Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator” where poor quality artificial food spawned dissent, to Kurt Vonnegut’s “Breakfast of Champions” where food was manufactured from coal and petroleum because fossil fuels had trashed global ecosystems.
Today fiction manifests as reality. If genetic modification (GM) of our food were not enough, biologists continue to push the boundaries of their...
Glenn Ashton -
In order to address Africa’s poor agricultural productivity international players are intent on criminalising traditional seed saving practices. This thrust is directed by a triumvirate of corporate interests, actively assisted by first world governments and front organisations parading as non-governmental organisations.
Africa lies at the frontier of international agricultural intervention for several reasons. Firstly the continent lags badly in agricultural productivity. This is...
On Saturday 25 May, an estimated quarter million people in more than 400 cities around the world marched against Monsanto, one of the biggest and most powerful biotech corporations that promotes genetically modified products, more commonly known as GMOs. Activists used extensive social media and community outreach to raise awareness about Monsanto's influence in an attempt to galvanize millions to demand Monsanto be stopped. Among participating cities were Tokyo; Amsterdam; Paris; Vienna;...
Glenn Ashton -
What does it take to be the most hated corporation on earth? How many global corporations have had an entire day of global protest declared to draw attention to their nastiness? Well, the worlds leading producer of genetically modified seed, Monsanto, has just managed this feat, with millions having participated in over 450 actions across 52 countries on the 25th of May. It is worth examining how and why Monsanto has become so uniformly hated around the planet.
It is difficult to assume...
A bill that bars the courts from halting the production or sale of genetically modified foods even if they are found to pose health risks was approved by US president, Barack Obama. The bill, which quickly got labeled the "Monsanto Protection Act", has outraged American food activists.
Despite industry claims about the sophistication of the science behind genetically modified organisms (GMOs), activists argue that GMOs are produced via a crude technology. There is general...
Glenn Ashton -
One of the most massive unregulated experiments on humans ever is being carried out right here in South Africa. South Africans are the first people in the world to consume a genetically modified (GM) food as a staple. According to industry sources more than 75% of our white maize is now GM. This means that the pap and samp consumed daily in the majority of South African households is now mainly comprised of genetically modified maize.
The industry claim that nobody has become ill from GM...
