Richard Ha writes:
In the midst of the current GMO discussion, it is easy to lose sight of the long-term goal. The big question that is not being asked is: How are we going to feed Hawai‘i’s people?
It’s going to take all of us – from traditional, conventional, organic, permaculture and Korean Natural farmers to home gardeners.
For those who participate in the market system to produce food, it’s about cost. If the farmers make money, the farmers will farm. My Pop told me, when I was a small kid, to find three solutions to every problem and then find one more, just in case.
We need to have a serious discussion of how we are going to feed Hawai‘i’s people.
For people buying food, it’s also about cost. Kumu Lehua Veincent told me something important several years ago. He asked: “What about the rest?”
When I ask myself that question, the answers become easier to see. It’s about all of us, not just a few of us.
I thin you nailed, it…. In this politically charged environment people seem to lose track of the big picture. People get too involved in heated arguments over subjects that detract one from the big picture: how can we feed the people of the world, not just Hawai’i, in a responsible and efficient way.
It seems that today people take one side and anything that is not on their side is labeled as evil, whether it is republican vs democrat, abortion, same sex marriage, the thirty meter telescope, GMO vs non GMO, organic vs non organic. In the end, it is what makes the most sense for each location that should be focused into.
In my opinion the biggest problem with the GMO debate is lack of transparency and information from the GMO seed producers. It makes sense to think that advances in science and technology could be used to improve the food source situation for the world. The problem begins when the GMO companies fail to disclose:
A) whether their product is a GMO or a cross polination product
B) if GMO, what does it consist of, what are the benefits it provides
C)_ What studies have been made on short-mid and long term effect on human health & environment health
D) What is the risk of that produce overtaking others
If people were better informed, then they could make better decisions on whether they support or not a particular GMO product.
In a similar fashion organic farming supporters may be against hydroponic farming because it is “not organic”. Yet, hydroponic farming produces some of the highest crop yields in agriculture and uses no pesticides or herbicides, in most cases it utilizes integrated pest management methods for disease and pest control. The use of nutrients, while not of organic nature, is much more reduced than the use of nutrients used in organic farming and the amount of runoff is practically none. So, in some situations, and for some crops hydroponic farming provides a better solution with respect to the big picture of how to provide enough food for the world’s population.
It would be a much better place if people became more informed and aware of both sides of every subject and kept the big picture in mind….
That’s just my opinion..
Aloha!