RE: Food Biotechnology: Promising Havoc or Hope for the Poor? [was: Re: Rain]

["E.C.Apling" <E.C.Apling@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>-----Original Message-----
>From: owner-marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>[mailto:owner-marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Louis Proyect
>Sent: 23 November 2000 14:27
>To: marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: RE: Food Biotechnology: Promising Havoc or Hope for the Poor?
>[was: Re: Rain]
>
>
>Paddy quoting a Swiss scientist:
>>Indeed, all of these technologies are important for developing countries
>>where farm to market transport systems are grossly inadequate and cooled
>>storage almost nonexistent and where diets often lack nutritional balance.
>
>The problem is not one of technology, but class relations.

The problem IS one of technology - IMPEDED by class relations - and general
poverty; and not just the class relations in the LDCs - but the relations
between "North" and "South".

I might say I am on far better ground in denying the suggestion of a coming
peril from global warming than you are in denying the perils of world-wide
poverty and hunger......

>Older villagers hark back to the days of organic farming practices, and say
>that was by far better than the present day cultivation of high-yielding
>varieties.
>

This is again just the usual harking back to the "Good Old Days" - and is
equally false.

Of course, technology is not the whole answer - but we ignore the
possibilities of the new technology at our peril (and particularly to the
peril of the vast majority of the world's population who live in the
technologically-poor countries).

Paddy
NFHS Member #5594
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