Seed diversity contributes to food security
Losing seed diversity can sometimes cause serious problems that affect our survival.
in ireland19In the middle of the XNUMXth century, the potato, which was highly dependent on the Japanese diet, was almost completely wiped out by a fungal disease. It is said that XNUMX% of the population of XNUMX million people at that time died of starvation, and more than XNUMX% fled abroad, halving the potato supply. .
A few varieties of potatoes brought from the New America were cultivated on a large scale and consumed in large amounts. It is.
Conversely, when India and Indonesia's paddy fields were hit by a virus in the XNUMXs, we were able to find virus-resistant rice varieties from among the XNUMX rice varieties, thus avoiding a repeat of the Irish tragedy.
I think many people are aware of the recent climate change in Japan and overseas, such as last year's heat wave and heavy rain disasters, and this winter's mild winter. is also very important.
It is also said that climate change can be reduced by changing agriculture.
The burps exhaled by cows that are slaughtered for meat are a large amount of greenhouse gases, and are used to make canned corn in the United States.10More than double the energy input.
“Protecting diversity is the guarantee of our lives,” says Inro.
Schematic diagram of a leaky gut (provided by Inro)
Similar Soil and Gut Bacteria
It has been said that the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and genetically modified seeds will cause great damage to the soil and crops, but in fact, we are worried that it will also affect our bodies.
Mr. Inro said, ``The loss of soil around the world is also happening in our intestines.''
Leaky gut syndrome, which Kenji Okabe introduced in the February issue of this magazine, is a symptom caused by a hole in the intestinal wall caused by a partial injury, which causes undigested substances to leak into the blood.
It is said that it can cause various diseases such as allergies and autoimmune diseases, and Mr. Inro mentioned the effects of pesticides and genetically modified foods.
Chronic diseases and diabetes are on the rise in the United States, and the average life expectancy, especially among young people, is XNUMX?16It seems that it has been shortened for three years in a row.
“Soil bacteria nourish and grow plants, and gut bacteria give us the nutrients we need. Soil bacteria and gut bacteria are very similar in function. As it is lost, our intestinal bacteria continue to suffer.”
United Nations promotes small family farming
So, will the world continue to be dominated by industrialized agriculture by genetically modified companies?
“The world is starting to change now,” Mr. Inro said strongly.
One manifestation of this is the major change in the policy of the United Nations.
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), which once advocated large-scale farming by private companies, learned from the XNUMX global food crisis and turned to promoting small-scale family farming.
XNUMX was declared the International Year of Family Farming, and from XNUMX to XNUMX is the10year” was determined.
The United Nations resolution at that time stated that promoting small-scale family farming would improve food security and nutrition, preserve traditional customs and culture, preserve biodiversity, eradicate poverty by improving the livelihoods of farmers, It claims that it will lead to the improvement of hunger and severe malnutrition that over XNUMX million people suffer, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
At the end of last year, the United Nations adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Peasant Farmers and People Working in Rural Areas, which is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The "seed rights" were specified, including.
By transforming agriculture, we can find solutions to many of the problems facing humanity, says Mr. Ingao.
Let's protect farmers who support diversity
While this global trend is expanding the organic market in Brazil, India, China, etc., mainly in Europe and the United States, in Japan, where the seed law has been abolished, there are no restrictions on home gardens, but farmers are required by the Ministerial Ordinance of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The number of registered varieties for which self-seed collection is prohibited is increasing.
He also called attention to the fact that New Zealand and the EU have postponed the obligation to review the safety of genome-edited foods, which are subject to similar regulations as genetically modified crops.
“In terms of numbers, the number of native varieties owned by farmers is small, but it is the farmers who support the diversity. He appealed for the need for public support in place of the Seed Law.
Specifically, we contracted with farmers who are good at collecting seeds, and we hope that local governments and others will support them economically through “participatory breeding,” so that they can devote themselves to collecting seeds with peace of mind. I suggested.
Genome-edited food
Foods produced by genetically manipulating specific genes in the genome (total of genetic information).Instead of introducing a new gene, the main thing is to disable the function of the original gene.Tomatoes with increased blood pressure-lowering ingredients and eggs with fewer allergens have been developed.
The Japanese government plans to lift the ban on the sale and cultivation of the plant without any restrictions, just by submitting a notification, as it is not genetically modified.
[Health Information] April XNUMX Issue Seeds and Our Life ③
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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".
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