The Ubiquity of Corn
October 20, 2021 7:39 AM Subscribe
There's something in the air, your food, your fuel, your lipstick... Most of this will not surprise many of you, but it is shocking that Colombia mandates patented corn and their agricultural institute has destroyed thousands of native seeds.
There are a lot of legitimate issues with pervasive corn, GMOs and trade from the US, but this article is just full of bullshit. First, there's the claim that native corn, squash, beans and chiles are "becoming almost elite consumer goods" in Mexico. Chiles, squash and beans remain quite inexpensive in Mexico and very widely available. Native corn is certainly more expensive and a little harder to find, but it is also much more expensive to grow due to lower yields. To call these elite consumer goods is way off the mark. There are certainly interesting things to say about native crops and large-scale agriculture in Mexico, but this is silly.
Then we have this: "Since 2006, Colombian law mandates that campesinos and agricultural producers exclusively use patented seeds". This is not the case and is not what the reference provided says. I imagine there may be issues with seed laws in Colombia, but this is definitely not what the law says.
I think these issues deserve serious discussion, not grand claims that aren't reflective of reality.
posted by ssg at 10:10 AM on October 20, 2021 [4 favorites]
Then we have this: "Since 2006, Colombian law mandates that campesinos and agricultural producers exclusively use patented seeds". This is not the case and is not what the reference provided says. I imagine there may be issues with seed laws in Colombia, but this is definitely not what the law says.
I think these issues deserve serious discussion, not grand claims that aren't reflective of reality.
posted by ssg at 10:10 AM on October 20, 2021 [4 favorites]
This came across my newsreader today. Upstart Corn Activists in Mexico Just Beat GMO Goliath Bayer-Monsanto: Mexico's Supreme Court voted down an appeal by several chemical and seed companies to allow them to cultivate genetically modified corn.
The legal fight began in 2013 when a group called Demanda Colectiva en Defensa del Maíz Nativo, or the Collective Lawsuit in Defense of Native Corn in English, petitioned the Mexican government to halt the use of genetically modified corn because the country's constitution guarantees the right to a clean environment. The coalition of farmer, consumer, and environmental groups that makes up the collective argued that genetically modified corn causes cross-pollination and endangers native corn varieties, which is a staple of Mexican culture, cuisine, and its environment.posted by bleary at 10:31 AM on October 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
Largest Corn Production by Country 1960–2020 (YT, animated bar chart).
posted by cenoxo at 10:32 AM on October 20, 2021
posted by cenoxo at 10:32 AM on October 20, 2021
Yes, that Mexican decision is a fucking disgrace. Linking GMOs with an "unclean environment" is total bullshit. If cross-pollination from GMO corn "endangers" native corn varieties, then cross-pollination from non-native non-GMO corn does exactly the same thing. There's nothing magic about GMO, nor is it dangerous.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 10:44 AM on October 20, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 10:44 AM on October 20, 2021 [5 favorites]
Yes, that Mexican decision is a fucking disgrace. Linking GMOs with an "unclean environment" is total bullshit. If cross-pollination from GMO corn "endangers" native corn varieties, then cross-pollination from non-native non-GMO corn does exactly the same thing. There's nothing magic about GMO, nor is it dangerous.
I would be interested to know how much you have traveled in Mecico and where the information you are basing this statement comes from. I grew up in the Sonoran desert region (in the US though, not in Mexico). Corn and other crops that are adapted to live in arid climates are absolutely threatened by cross breeding with non adapted varieties. Many of the regions where this native/arid adapted corn is grown are remote, and would not otherwise be exposed to crossbreeding with non adapted plants.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 1:42 PM on October 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
I would be interested to know how much you have traveled in Mecico and where the information you are basing this statement comes from. I grew up in the Sonoran desert region (in the US though, not in Mexico). Corn and other crops that are adapted to live in arid climates are absolutely threatened by cross breeding with non adapted varieties. Many of the regions where this native/arid adapted corn is grown are remote, and would not otherwise be exposed to crossbreeding with non adapted plants.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 1:42 PM on October 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
And F***!!! That corn animation is absolutely terrifying! Think of the complete destruction of all our soil in the US caused by the production of endless tons of nothing but corn. It's horrific.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 1:55 PM on October 20, 2021
posted by WalkerWestridge at 1:55 PM on October 20, 2021
The rich variety of Mexican corn is definitely worth protecting, for cultural reasons, for purely gastronomical reasons, for diversity and for not putting all our eggs in one basket reasons and for health reasons too. But I'm not convinced that imports of US corn are a significant factor. As I understand it, almost all of the corn eaten in Mexico is grown domestically, while the imported US corn is largely used for animal feed. A lot of corn and tortillas in Mexico are bland, but I'm not sure US corn is to blame. I'd imagine the potential competition may be a factor, but I think the desire to feed a lot of people very cheaply is probably more significant. Corporate control of food systems is definitely a huge problem, but that's a lot more complex than just corn.
I think the situation is largely the same in Canada and the US too, where a lot of varieties of vegetables, of wheat, of livestock, etc. are basically impossible to find because only a few varieties are grown or raised on a commercial scale and sold through supermarkets. There is a growing market for some of these varieties at a premium price. I think we should do a lot more to protect food diversity and accessibility.
It looks like this article is largely based on Episode 1 of MOMA's Broken Nature podcast, which provides a lot better contextualized information. The people interviewed in the podcast seem to have a much more intelligent and realistic view of these issues than is found in this article (though one could certainly disagree with them on some points).
posted by ssg at 4:32 PM on October 20, 2021
I think the situation is largely the same in Canada and the US too, where a lot of varieties of vegetables, of wheat, of livestock, etc. are basically impossible to find because only a few varieties are grown or raised on a commercial scale and sold through supermarkets. There is a growing market for some of these varieties at a premium price. I think we should do a lot more to protect food diversity and accessibility.
It looks like this article is largely based on Episode 1 of MOMA's Broken Nature podcast, which provides a lot better contextualized information. The people interviewed in the podcast seem to have a much more intelligent and realistic view of these issues than is found in this article (though one could certainly disagree with them on some points).
posted by ssg at 4:32 PM on October 20, 2021
I was surprised that the moma article didn’t feature this project from Fernando Laposse, a London based Mexican designer. Laposse has been preserving heritage corn varieties and working with Mexican farming communities to do so.
posted by The River Ivel at 10:58 PM on October 20, 2021
posted by The River Ivel at 10:58 PM on October 20, 2021
WalkerWestridge: I've been living in Mexico for 23 years, that is, more than half my life. The vast majority of Mexican corn is not grown in "arid climates", most of it is from not particularly desert-dominated Jalisco, Chiapas, Mexico State, and Oaxaca.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 10:54 AM on October 25, 2021
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 10:54 AM on October 25, 2021
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