After reading Vandana Shiva's article I began to think about GMOs. It is uncharted waters into the health effects of eating genetically modified foods. Yet in the video "National Geographic: Troubled Waters" geneticist Richard Meager genetically modifies plants to absorb mercury from the water. So in one instance GMOs are bad but in another they are good? Or are all GMOs bad? I guess a case by case evaluation is needed. I've always had an interest in syntax, the way people choose to express themselves. With in the first page it was clear to me that she was not from the United States. A few pages deeper and before she wrote it, I could tell she was a Buddhist. This is not only from her choice of words but also from her broad introspection that just didn't characterize her as an American to me. She seemed both vehement in clarifying and getting her point across yet non destructive and at peace. So I was impressed when she proved me right!
I have heard some things about the erosion of biodiversity. One of which being there is a company that owns the right to the corn. All corn seeds must be purchased from that company and if you find and attempt to use another type of seed you will be sued. I don't know if this is urban legend or true. Which would be sad and definately a horrible example of erosion of biodiversity but with this crazy world, I wouldn't be all that surprised. When I googled "field corn seeds" the words heirloom open pollinated non hybrid did appear on about the first 6 sites.When I googled corn seed monopoly I did get some proof of what I had heard (http://blog.seedalliance.org/2011/08/12/seed-monopolies-threaten-seed-diversity/) but nothing awfully concrete. Another interesting (and saddening) link is http://disasterandemergencysurvival.com/archives/monsanto-the-seed-monopoly-that-caused-genetically-modified-food-to-start-showing-up-on-nearly-every-dinner-table-in-the-united-states. So anyway that was my venture into seed monopolies and GMOs. Gross. I don't want to eat that. I was also saddened to read the numbers on how much more pesticides are used than in years past and how crop yields are declining. That is alarming and we are clearly doing something wrong here. It's difficult for me to understand how people are not concerned, not doing something about the problem. Maybe its because just not enough people know about the problems that are ending up on their plates.
I very much enjoyed the salmon need to forest and the forest need the salmon. Although you might not immediately realize the connection it is very true. The gentleman who grooms my dog had several framed photos behind his desk of various dogs and I asked him about one particular dog that I thought was very pretty. He went on to tell me that each of the dogs in the frames was a dog that he had owned in his life time. And the one that I had inquired about had been one of his favorites. However that dog had a bad habit. The man used to catch a few extra fish every year and bury them in his garden to enrich the soil. (I'd never heard of such a thing. He said the Ho-Chunk Native American tribes indigenous to that area had done it for centuries). And that the dog would habitually dig up all of the fish to roll on! No matter how long he kept the dog away or how deep he buried the fish that dog would jump at the first chance to dig the up to roll around on. But this was the first time I had heard of using fish to bring nutrition to the soil, other than using fish blood as a fertilizer.
She continues on about how breeds of animals that aren't the strongest, or don't produce the most eggs, milk, or meat are disappearing at alarming rates. I know a little bit about breed preservation from the oddest of endeavors. I grew up with all kinds of animals and was active in both the 4-H and the FFA. I try to stay involved with the projects as an adult because they were so fulfilling to me as a youth. A great foundation of animal welfare, pride, and dedication can be cultured from a young age. So in 2009 I decided that I would buy some purebred day old chicks from a very well established hatchery to sell to the kids to raise for fair projects. When I received my free color catalog it had the American Livestock Breeders Conservancy Lists. Which is pretty much a breakdown of how endangered certain breeds are: critical, threatened, recovery, watched, and study. So the I picked my baby birds arrival date to be 2 days after my graduation from Edison State University with an AA, AS in crime scene technology, and my certificate in the same field. Just enough time to drive cross country and be home to meet the little cluckers when they were to be delivered. On May 12th, 2009 65 critically endangered fowl arrived noisily at my front door. I had very little luck distributing them to be fair projects but I did find 45 of the 65 birds good homes. The remainder of the flock lives on my property for their good looks and their eggs. The breeds I have include Blue Andalusian (hen pictured), Sumatra, Phoenix, and Buff laced polish. I had never heard of the ALBC but I learned that if you have a flock of 50+ chickens of the same ALBC listed species you can become a nationally recognized breeder! Which I would like to one day do. You should see the looks on people's faces when you tell them you raise critically endangered chickens! I often get asked if I need a special permit to do so. I have also looked at raising rhinelanders, a very unique breed of spotted rabbit.
So once again, I like to try to do my part as an individual to promote biodiversity.
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