Thursday, October 15, 2009
The Seattle Times

Bill Gates calls for new green revolution in agriculture
By Kristi Heim

Seattle Times business reporter

More than 50 years ago, U.S. philanthropy funded the first "Green Revolution" to
grow more food for the world, but with a billion people going hungry today, the
job is hardly complete.

Now the world's richest philanthropist is backing a new green revolution, and
telling the world it should be "greener than the first."

On Thursday, Bill Gates is outlining his own vision in his first major address

Monsanto Forecasts Africa to Increase Biotech Crop Planting

By Aya Takada

Oct. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Monsanto Co., the world’s biggest seed producer, expects African countries to increase planting of genetically-modified crops to boost food security and economic development as the region is affected by climate change.

International Training Workshop: Methods and Processes for Establishing Indigenous Biocultural Territories (IBCT) as Agrobiodiversity Conservation Areas

20-29 September 2009
The Potato Park, Pisac, Cusco, Peru
http://www.andes.org.pe/web_001/

Declaration on Agrobiodiversity Conservation and Food Sovereignty

Media Release by the African Centre for Biosafety

Johannesburg 1 October 2009

The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) has today released a report
exposing the patents and players involved in appropriating key African
food crops to produce genetically modified (GM) climate crops.
According to the report, biotechnology is being used to identify
“climate genes” in African crop plants, which are able to
withstand the stresses that are likely to become prevalent as the
world’s climate changes. By patenting

genes that can withstand stresses like drought, heat and salinity

Africa is Heading for an Ecological Disaster

http://www.capetimes.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=5177780

September 25, 2009 Edition 1

Mariam Mayet

First introduced commercially in South Africa in 1998, genetically
modified (GM) seeds are used extensively in our agriculture. In just
over 10 years, 56 percent of South Africa's white maize and 72 percent
of its yellow maize have been converted to genetic modification.

A staggering 96 percent of the area planted to cotton is comprised of GM

Report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food

The present report explores how States could implement seed policies that contribute to the full realization of human rights. It identifies how research and development could best serve the poorest farmers in developing countries, and how commercial seed systems could be regulated to serve the right to food and ensure the right of all to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress. Finally, it examines how farmers’ seed systems could be best supported, in order to serve the interest of all in the preservation of agrobiodiversity.

Click here to read the full report