[Health Information] April 2019 issue Seeds and our lives ①
・Tomoya Inyaku, Advisor to Protect Seeds
Background of the abolition of the Seed Law
Even if it is said that the Seed Law will be abolished, I think that many people do not understand what it means. To begin with, I would like to introduce a commentary by Mr. Tomoya Inyaku, who travels around the country giving lectures as an advisor to the Japanese Seed wo Mamoru Kai secretariat.
Eat a diet that suits the climate The sponsoring organization, "Children's Food and Agriculture Protection Association Inaya" was formed to think about the safety of Japanese agriculture and food in the wake of the abolition of the Seed Law, and has held two lectures so far. rice field. At the beginning of the lecture held in the large hall of the Iida Bunka Kaikan, representative Yuri Sekijima said, "The Seed Law has long supported the desire to eat delicious and safe food. I think the abolition of the Seed Law is the result of Japan's abandonment of protecting the food and life of its people, as well as the agriculture that leads to it," he said.
Mr. Sekishima welcomed the move to enact a seed ordinance in Nagano Prefecture, and said, "Instead of food that does not lead to life, which is dominated by global companies, we will continue to adopt a diet and agriculture that suits the climate of each region of Japan. I hope so," he called out. Subsequently, the representative director of JA Minami Shinshu, which co-hosted,11The situation surrounding agriculture, such as the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement) that came into force at the end of last year in Japan, the EPA (Economic Partnership Agreement) between Japan and the EU that came into force in February, and the Japan-US FTA (Free Trade Agreement) negotiations, is becoming more and more important. I appealed for a sense of crisis as things got tougher. On the other hand, "The international community is now aiming to realize a sustainable society. To that end, it is important to pass on the rich natural environment of Inadani to our children and grandchildren. We will continue to strive to produce safe food," he said, asking for the understanding and cooperation of the citizens.
Microorganisms create nutrients and soil Mr. Inro started by talking about the relationship between microorganisms and plants. Various nutrients such as minerals contained in plants such as vegetables were originally contained in rocks. However, plants themselves cannot directly absorb these minerals, but obtain them through soil microorganisms. On the other hand, plants release nearly XNUMX% of the carbohydrates produced from carbon dioxide through photosynthesis into the soil through their roots.The released carbohydrates become food for the microbes.In other words, plants and microorganisms have a symbiotic relationship. The place of the symbiotic relationship is something like a white hair root around the root.In fact, this is mycorrhizal hyphae formed by a collection of microorganisms called mycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhizal hyphae secrete a sticky protein, which makes the soil clump-like and allows it to store water and nutrients. However, when nutrients are provided by applying chemical fertilizers, the plants stop releasing carbohydrates into the soil, and the symbiotic relationship weakens. The soil then becomes hard and dry and can be easily carried away by the wind or washed away during heavy rains.In addition, pesticides such as fungicides also eliminate the microbial barrier that prevents pathogens.
*Mycorrhizal mycelia like white fibrous roots in the soil nourish plants and create rich soil. (Provided by Mr. Inro)
Productivity doubts of transgenic crops Since the “Green Revolution” in the XNUMXs, the world has continued to use large amounts of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. There are also deforestation, overgrazing, and overcultivation, and the rich soil that has provided various benefits such as food, water, and energy such as oil and coal is rapidly disappearing. Therefore, the United Nations designated XNUMX as the International Year of Soils and called on the international community to protect the soil that sustains life on earth. According to Mr. Inro, it takes at least XNUMX years for the rich soil created by the symbiotic relationship between plants and microorganisms to reach a thickness of XNUMX cm.60It is a critical situation that soil will disappear from the earth in a year. In addition, the expansion of genetically modified crops with pesticides is aggravating the problem. “Genetically modified seeds are advertised as being highly productive, but global companies do not produce seeds that match the region. It doesn't necessarily make you more sexual." In fact, in Brazil, a major producer of genetically modified soybeans, where Mr. Inro has been involved, when comparing the productivity of soybeans, the productivity of non-genetically modified soybeans was higher than that of genetically modified soybeans. is. Moreover, there is also data that genetically modified soybeans and corn continue to be extremely reduced in protein and trace minerals.
Strengthening competitiveness and introducing private sector Genetically modified seeds are questionable in terms of productivity and nutrition, but according to Mr. Inro, as of XNUMX, nearly XNUMX% of the global seed market and nearly XNUMX% of the pesticide market were held by the multinational company Gene It is said that four recombined companies have a monopoly. “In some countries, we have to buy seeds from genetically modified companies in order to farm.” While genetically modified seeds are expanding worldwide, rice, wheat, and soybeans have been protected by the Seed Law in Japan, so there were basically no problems with those seeds produced domestically. However, in response to the trend of deregulation by the government, the bill to abolish the Seed Law was passed in the Diet in April XNUMX for reasons such as "strengthening international competitiveness" and "introducing private sector vitality", and it was abolished on April XNUMX of last year. it was done. If private companies enter the market, it is expected that they will be replaced with FXNUMX (hybrid) seeds and genetically modified seeds instead of seeds that farmers can collect on their own. If this happens, the selling price of agricultural products will rise sharply for high-priced private seeds, the number of crop varieties will decrease, making them more susceptible to damage from climate change and pests, and the cultivation methods that use chemical fertilizers and pesticides specified by companies. It is also conceivable that there will be problems such as whether agriculture will only be possible. Japanese vegetable seeds, which were not protected by the Seed Law, were all produced domestically in the past, but now XNUMX% are produced overseas, and most are FXNUMX seeds. “No Japanese seed company has been bought by a genetically modified company yet. There is not a single genetically modified seed, but it is possible that many of the production contractors are genetically modified companies.”
What is the seed method Its official name is the Major Crop Seeds Act.The main crops covered are rice, wheat (barley, naked barley, wheat), and soybeans.After the San Francisco Peace Treaty came into effect, Japan regained its sovereignty, and obliged prefectures to control the quality of seeds for these major crops and to provide a stable supply of excellent seeds.However, it was abolished for reasons such as ``the quality of seeds is stable due to technological improvements'' and ``we need to borrow the power of the private sector to meet diverse needs''.With the abolition of the Seed Law, there are concerns about the reduction of budgets and preparations for breed improvement at prefectural test stations and the entry of foreign capital. * Reference material “What will happen if the seed law is abolished?” (Edited by Agricultural Bunkyo)
[Health Information] April XNUMX issue Seeds and our lives ② ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tomoya Inyaku After working at the Asia-Pacific Resource Center (PARC), the Brazilian Institute of Socio-Economic Analysis (IBASE), Greenpeace, and Director of the Alter Trade Japan Policy Office, he is currently working as a freelancer to pursue food and agricultural issues around the world.Documentary film "Genetically Modified Roulette" (2015), "Seeds - Everyone's?Or corporate property? (2018) Planning and supervision of the Japanese version. "Amazon of Resistance and Creation: Sustainable Development and People's Movements" (published by Gendai Kikakushitsu).Co-authored "Agroecology saves the Amazon".
