In reaction on the current rise in food prices and the crises in many
developing countries following from that, some scientists claim that genetic
engineering and genetically modified organisms combined with organic
agriculture would be the best way to grow food for a rising population.
The organic agricultural movement and the standards and regulations on
Organic Agriculture clearly reject genetic engineering as it is not
compatible with its principles[1].



Organic and GMO agriculture are based on different values and a
different attitude towards nature. The current environmental crisis, leading
to desertification, biodiversity loss and climate change, has shown that a
controlling attitude of humans toward nature is counterproductive. Gene
technology is not a value free technology but is an expression of a
worldview in which nature can and should be ruled and manipulated as much as
possible to keep agriculture manageable in industrialized agriculture. In
contrast, Organic Agriculture [2] departs from a different attitude towards
nature and aims at cooperating with nature in an ecological way supporting
self regulation and biodiversity within the agro-ecosystem of a farm. In
this way natural resources, the very base of agriculture can be sustainably
maintained instead of getting destroyed and diminished.



The reasons why the organic sector rejects genetic engineering are not
limited to the risk associated with its products, but also include concerns
about the process itself. The current structure and products of the genetic
engineering sector do not serve smallholders or the Organic Principles and
humanities greatest needs. They serve mainly the interest of multinational
corporations.



The International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and
Technology for Development (IAASTD) [3], which was recently concluded in
Johannesburg, clearly calls for an overhaul of the farming system and points
towards organic and other low input systems, that use adjusted traditional
and indigenous knowledge. Gerald A. Herrmann, IFOAM president states: ?GMO,
made for large scale monocultures, is just another expression of the same
thinking that brought humanity in the current crisis. Organic Agriculture
will not accept techniques and traits that deprive humanity from its very
basis: agro-biodiversity?.



[1] [www.ifoam.org] l

[2] Organic Agriculture is a production system that sustains the
health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological processes,
biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of
inputs with adverse effects. Organic Agriculture combines tradition,
innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair
relationships and a good quality of life for all involved.

[3] [www.agassessment.org]