WELL AS THE WORLDS POPULATION CONTINUES TO GROW FINDING FOOD
SOURCES IS A PRIMARY CONCERN.
THE
GOOD NEWS IS THERE ARE ADVANCEMENTS BEING MADE IN PLANT
BIOTECHNOLOGY, ALLOWING MORE FOOD TO BE
GROWN IN MORE PLACES USING FEWER CHEMICALS AND FEWER
NATURAL RESOURCES, AS THE NEXT PART IN OUR
CONTINUING FAMILY TIES SERIES, WE'RE EXPLORING
THIS CONTROVERSIAL AND OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD
PROCESS.
JOINING US TODAY IS SARA ROSS, A FARMER FROM IOWA AND VOLUNTEER
FROM COMMON GROUND.
A
GRASS ROOTS ORGANIZATION THAT WAS CREATED TO FOSTER
CONVERSATION BETWEEN WOMEN WHO GROW THE
FOOD ON FARMS AND THOSE WHO ARE CONSUMERS LIVING IN
CITIES.
GOOD MORNING SARA.
GOOD MORNING.
YOU
DON'T LOOK LIKE A FARMER...
(LAUGHS).
I'VE HEARD THAT BEFORE.
AH, BEAUTIFUL LADY, YOU LOOK GREAT
TODAY BY THE WAY.
THANK YOU.
AND I KNOW YOU KNOW, WE TALK A LOT ABOUT BIOTECHNOLOGY.
IT'S BEEN
IN THE NEWS A TON.
IT DOES STIR UP A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS RIGHT?
CAN YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT EXACTLY WHAT BIOTECHNOLOGY IS
AND WHAT IT MEANS IN REGARDS TO OUR FOOD?
YES I CAN.
THE WORLD
HEALTH ORGANIZATION ACTUALLY DESCRIBES GMOS WHICH IS
A GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS AS
ORGANISMS THAT HAVE BEEN ALTERED IN A WAY THAT DOESN'T
OCCUR NATURALLY, WHAT SCIENTISTS CAN DO
IS THEY CAN TAKE GENES OR TRAITS FROM ONE PLANT AND PUT
THEM INTO ANOTHER, AND THAT CREATES A
GMO PLANT WHICH THEN CREATES A GMO CROP AND THIS
WHOLE PROCESS IS CALLED BIOTECHNOLOGY.
I THINK
YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE CONCERN RELATED TO BIOTECHNOLOGY
IS THAT IT'S CONSIDERED NEW, IT'S
CONSIDERED UNPROVEN, BUT YOUR SAYING THERES NO TRUTH TO
THAT.
NO, ACTUALLY ANCIENT FARMERS HAVE
BEEN GENETICALLY MODIFYING CORN FOR LIKE TEN THOUSAND YEARS
SO IT'S NOT A NEW PROCESS.
SOME OF
THE CROPS THAT WERE GENETICALLY MODIFYING NOW A DAYS
ARE CORN, SOY BEANS, CANOLA, COTTON, UM
AND ALFALFA.
MM ALFALFA, I HAVEN'T HEARD ABOUT THAT IN A WHILE, TALK
ABOUT SOME OF THE BENEFITS
OF FOOD BIOTECHNOLOGY AND
AGRICULTURE.
YES THER'S ACTUALLY A LOT OF BENEFITS.
GENETICALLY
MODIFIED PLANTS CAN CREATE BETTER TASTING FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES.
THEY STAY FRESH LONGER, WHICH
IS NICE WHEN YOUR BUYING A BUNCH OF
GROCERIES; THEY DON'T GO BAD AS FAST AND ALSO MAKE PLANTS
RESISTANT TO DISEASES, DROUGHT, INSECT INFESTATIONS.
YOU CAN TAKE CERTAIN CHARACTERISTICS AND
ENHANCE THEM, LIKE IN RICE YOU CAN
INCREASE A LITTLE OF THE BETA CAROTENE WHICH HELPS IN
POVERTY STRICKEN COUNTRIES AND ALSO IN
THE WORKS ARE GMOS THAT WILL HELP WITH FOOD ALLERGIES IN
THE FUTURE.
VERY INTERESTING BUT AS YOUR SITTING HERE TALKING ABOUT THIS,
I'M THINKING ABOUT
THIS QUESTION THAT I'M SURE A LOT OF OUR
VIEWERS ARE THINKING ABOUT AS WELL IS SAFTEY.
TALK
ABOUT THE SAFTY IN GMOS?
THE PROCESS TAKES ABOUT THIRTEEN YEARS TO GET A GENETICALLY
MODIFIED
PLANT APPROVED.
IT GOES THROUGH A PROCESS THAT THREE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE
TO APPROVE.
IT'S
THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT EG, THE ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY AND THE FOOD AND DRUG
ADMINISTRATION.
THEY REVIEW ALL FOODS WETHER IT'S FOOD THAT HUMANS EAT OR
THAT THE ANIMALS,
LIVESTOCK EAT.
AS A FARMER, AND A MOTHER OF TWO KIDS, THE FOOD THAT WE GROW ON
OUR FARM I FEEL
THAT IT'S SAFE TO FEED OUR KIDS, UM I WANT
CONSUMERS TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S SAFE TO FEED THIER
FAMILIES ALSO.
BEING A MOTHER I WANT TO GIVE MY SON'S THE BEST FOOD POSSIBLE.
I THINK SHE WANTED
TO SAY IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR MY KIDS...
(LAUGHING).
WELL YOU KNOW I THINK IT'S GOOD INFORMATION BUT HERE'S THE OTHER
THING I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT I'VE ALSO HEARD.
AS A MOTHER MY
SELF OF THREE BOYS, I'VE HEARD THAT THERE
COULD BE YOU KNOW, INCREASE INCIDENTS OF THINGS LIKE
ADHD, FOOD ALLERGIES, EVEN CANCER IN
GMO FOODS.
UM, ACTUALLY THOSE MYTHS ARE UNTRUE.
THE
EXTENSIVE PROCESS THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH, THOSE THIRTEEN
YEARS, THAT'S ALL LOOKED AT AND THERES BEEN NO PROVEN REPORTS.
YOU KNOW I THINK WHAT COMMON GROUND IS DOING IS SO IMPORTANT
BECAUSE I THINK EDUCATING PEOPLE IS PROBABLY THE KEY FOR YOU,
RIGHT?
YES, AND THAT'S WHY I
BECAME INVOLVED IN COMMON GROUND, AS A
FARMER OUR STORIES WE'RE GETTING TOLD BY OTHER PEOPLE
AND THERE WAS A LOT OF MISINFORMATION OUT
THERE AND WHAT OUR GOAL AS A COMMON GROUND VOLUNTEER
IS, AND A FARMER IS TO TALK TO THE
CONSUMERS ONE ON ONE.
WE FOUND THAT THE WOMEN IN THE FAMILIES
ARE THE ONES THAT USUALLY MAKE THE FOOD DECISIONS
SO IT'S FUN TO TALK MOTHER TO MOTHER, WIFE TO
WIFE ABOUT WHAT THEY BUY IN THE GROCERY STORE
AND WHAT WE PRODUCE FOR THEM TO BUY IN THE
GROCERY STORE AND THERES A LOT OF INFORMATION ON
OUR WEBSITE FINDOURCOMMONGROUND.COM ON THIS
TOPIC AND MANY OTHERS.
GREAT POINT YOU MAKE BECAUSE I THINK THERE ARE TWO SIDES TO
EVERY
STORY.
SO IT WAS GREAT TO HEAR THIS SIDE OF THE STORY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
YUP, THANK YOU.
PLEASURE TO MEET YOU SARA, AND TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW YOU CAN
FIND YOUR OWN COMMON GROUND
AND JOIN IN ON THE CONVERSATION
ABOUT FARMING AND FOOD AND LEARN MORE ABOUT BIOTECHNOLOGY AND
GMOS YOU CAN GO TO OUR WEBSITE THATS THEBALANCINGACT.COM, ONCE
AGAIN THAT'S THEBALANCINGACT.COM.
OH, AND WE'RE ALSO ON FACEBOOK, WE'RE ON TWITTER SO REACH OUT TO
US THERE
AS WELL.