Press release from Dr Vandana Shiva , Navdanya
Today, 16th October is World Food  Day, a day when people all over the world are reminded of the shameful fact that over one billion people in the world are hungry and another billion are malnourished - this despite  the fact that government institutions and multinational seed and food conglomerates have repeatedly over the decades declared to have the solution - one based on industrial agriculture, chemicals, GMOs and monocultures ...
The FAO tells us that more than 70 % of food comes from small farms and small farmers.
Only 10% of the GMO corn and soya grown by Monsanto is eaten directly. (and this  because that 10% is not labelled  and would be 0% if people had labelling and food freedom). The ohter 90 percent goes to feed cars  and animals.
Contrary to what Monsanto proclaims,  GMOs have led to a decline in yields and an increase in pesticide use, soil deterioration and farmer indebtedness and suicides.   In India  most of the 284,000 farmers suicides are in the cotton belt -  Monsanto controls 95% of the cotton seeds.
In a just world, Monsanto should be tried for ecocide and genocide.
Yet on October 16th, with the full support of powers most responsible for the state of hunger in the world,  Monsanto is giving itself the World Food Prize!
We condemn this self congratulatory accolade  -  the GMO emperor has no clothes....
We will not allow our Seed and Food Democracies tp be hijacked by the current outmoded, reductionistic mechanistic paradigm.
Let us honour all the REAL FOOD HEROES who bring us real food by defending  our food freedom- small farmers and gardeners, mothers and chefs, honest and real scientists.   Let us celebrate those who save and exchange seed, preserve biodiversity and enrich our soils, and who through their actions are building food security all over the world and in communities everywhere with VIBRANT ALTERNATIVES based on SEED FREEDOM  and FOOD FREEDOM.
Please see The GMO Emperor has No Clothes report (www.seedfreedom.in, www.navdanya.org for  data on the dismal failure of GMOs. See Health per Acre from navdanya for data on biodiverse small farms as the answer to food and nutrition insecurity.