ABOUT GMOs

Nature IS Health
Dec 9, 2018
2 min read

Updated: Sep 18

Saying no to GMOs = support the bees & our health!

GMO= GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISM

Issues associated with GMOs

The main concern I have associated with GMOs is the use of chemical spray and how that may impact our health and the surrounding environment, including waterways and wildlife like insects, small rodents, fish, etc.

There have been some pretty great things that have come out of GMOs, not going to deny that! Seedless watermelon is probably my favorite!

That being said, the Roundup spray made of glyphosate, a synthetic compound (said to be a neurotoxin) created by Monsanto—now Bayer—is somewhat of a concern.

GMO TECHNOLOGY BASICS

A plant is cultivated from a seed that has been genetically modified to resist glyphosate, the main component of RoundUp herbicide spray.

When the crop field is treated with RoundUp, the GMO plant survives, while the surrounding weeds and pests are eliminated.

This enables humans to manage vast areas of farmland with the help of tractors and planes, reducing the need for manual labor.

It's great that we can feed more people, but are there any drawbacks?

DISADVANTAGES TO GMO SPRAY

We are assured that glyphosate residue on food does not pose a health risk to us. However, farmers who handle it must wear protective gear, and we can detect glyphosate levels in an average mother's breast milk.

We observe negative effects on wildlife. There has been a general decline in pollinators that collect pollen from treated flowers, and local fish in streams with runoff from spraying have died. I've witnessed bees shaking and dancing before dying shortly after, as their nervous systems are poisoned, near a GMO field.

In mono-crop farming, the machinery compacts the soil, harming small burrowing creatures. Additionally, the removal of native weeds affects biodiversity in adjacent ecosystems.

Without traditional farming methods like crop rotation, natural amendments, and diversity, the soil becomes exhausted, increasing the dependence on fertilizers annually.

Combined with the weight of the machines, the soil's drainage pattern becomes problematic, as the soil turns into dirt or clay. This makes the land less porous, reducing drainage and increasing the likelihood of flooding during heavy rain.

Did you hear that quote by Einstein? "If the bee disappeared off the face of the Earth, Man would only have four years left to live".

Why organic?

Traditional practices of agriculture, such as crop rotation, manure, cover crops, crop pairing, etc. all have the goal of nurturing, preserving and promoting quality soil and a dynamic ecosystem. This in turn produces a more nutritious and resilient plant.