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Sorry Gates: GMO Crops Proven to be Ineffective at Fighting World Hunger
Natural Society / News Analysis
Published: Friday 2 March 2012
Bill Gates was fully aware of these findings before going on air to inform the public that GMOs are the solution to world hunger.
Monsanto shareholder Bill Gates has argued that GMOs are the solution to world hunger, going as far as to say that they are actually needed to fight worldwide starvation. Unfortunately for Gates, who back in 2010 bought 500,000 shares of the company he is now promoting in mainstream media as the solution to the world’s problems, a team of 900 scientists have found that GMO crops are actually not effective at fighting world hunger. In fact, the massive team found that Monsanto’s seeds, which have lead to thousands of farmer suicides due to excessive costs and failure to yield crops, were outperformed by traditional “agro-ecological” farming practices.
Funded by the World Bank and United Nations, an organization was created known as the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD). Consisting of 900 scientists and researchers, they set out to examine the complex issue of world hunger. While the issue of world hunger may be quite complex, their results were not. Quite plainly, the group found that genetically modified crops were not a meaningful solution to the problem. In other words, the expert team showed through rigorous analysis and repeated study that the claims made by Bill Gates are completely inaccurate.
Perhaps what is most compelling, though, is the fact that Bill Gates was fully aware of these findings before going on air to inform the public that GMOs are the solution to world hunger. The same GMOs that have been linked to organ damage, mutated insects, and a host of other issues.
Bill Gates Knew of These Findings Beforehand
The findings of the IAASTD regarding the ineffectiveness of GMO crops were published on April 15, 2008. That is long before Bill Gates’ address to the public in late January of this year. Did Monsanto stockholder Gates ignore this information, or does he believe the 900 scientists to be incorrect? Perhaps the evidence generated from the expert team is not enough. In that case, then Gates should look no farther than the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Another massive research organization, the Union of Concerned Scientists also examined the true yield of GMO crops, only to find that the altered crops do not produce increased yields over the long run — despite their excessive cost and extreme danger to health and environment. The lack of scientific support behind the GMO crops was so startling to the Union that they documented all the details in a 2009 report entitled ”Failure to Yield.”
GMO crops are not only ineffective at fighting world hunger, but are a genuine threat to public health. Even if they were effective at feeding more individuals than traditional farming practices, would they really want to consume it? Bill Gates appears to have the interests of massive corporations in mind when perpetuating the myth that GMOs are the answer to fighting starvation.
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ABOUT Anthony Gucciardi
Anthony is an accomplished investigative journalist whose articles have appeared on top news sites and have been read by millions worldwide. A health activist and researcher, Anthony’s goal is informing the public as to how they can use natural methods to revolutionize their health, as well as exploring the behind the scenes activity of the pharmaceutical industry and the FDA.
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By Ronnie Cummins
25 comments on "Sorry Gates: GMO Crops Proven to be Ineffective at Fighting World Hunger"
December 07, 2012 12:45pm
This guy is scary. I see a Brave New World according to Bill Gates. Soon, we will be Genetically Modified humans walking the earth. Technology has so sadly deNatured all that is Nature. But we will never triumph over Nature. It is bigger than us and all our technologies combined. This guy should spend his money to clean up our world of e-waste that is poisoning our landfills. He has completely forgotten he is at least half human, an inhabitant of earth. His solution keeps moving toward manipulation and alteration of Nature, when its delicate balance is on the brink; and that is the source of our problems. We will always have to accept our mortality as fate of all creatures on the planet, as it should be. We should be aiming at balance, equilibrium. He should spend his money for environmental and nature conservation causes instead, and shrink his head.
March 28, 2012 2:07pm
THIS IS TRUE! I have read several books and seen some documentaries on this same subject.
March 03, 2012 6:33pm
WHY Aren't We starting up a petition asking Bill Gates to Stop his support of GMO's?!!! I saw a show where organic farmers in India were providing sufficient crops to freed their families and sell. When they switched to GMO seeds, it was an utter disaster. Farmers get in to debt they cannot pay, and many are committing suicide.
References: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av6dx9yNiCA.
http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16112805.
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-01-05/world/india.farmer.suicides_1_farmer-....
March 28, 2012 2:10pm
As an environmental sustainability major at college, I have read several books and did a report on this subject. It's infuriating what corporations are doing, not just to this country but to the entire world. BTW: were you aware that, while we have no standards in place for labeling foods that are genetically modified, in Europe it is the law?
March 03, 2012 6:33pm
WHY Aren't We starting up a petition asking Bill Gates to Stop his support of GMO's?!!! I saw a show where organic farmers in India were providing sufficient crops to freed their families and sell. When they switched to GMO seeds, it was an utter disaster. Farmers get in to debt they cannot pay, and many are committing suicide.References: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av6dx9yNiCA.http://news.sky.com/home/worl.... http://articles.cnn.com/2010-01-05/world/india.farmer.suicides_1_farmer-....
March 03, 2012 11:49am
Another grand scheme of things . . GMOs are the solution to world hunger
KEEPING SMOKING IT IS GOOD FOR THE ECONOMY - LOOK AT THE TAXES COLLECTED
March 03, 2012 2:05am
Thanks to Anthony Gucciardi for an excellent article on an issue that affects each and everyone of us and the coming generations. If we mess with our food we are in danger of doing serious damage to our bodies etc.
Monsanto's products are known to be dangerous to human life and animal life, I name but two: GMOL and Agent Orange. In the case of the latter 80-million litres were sprayed over Southern Vietnam for a period of ten-years causing many thousands of deaths of unborn babies. Those who survived are suffering from various illneses and horrific deformities. Today in Vietnam there sre near to four million suffering from the effects of Agent Orange, do we want to add more through the use of GM.
Ask any US Veteran who served in Vietnam and has come down with some of the illnesses relating to Agent Orange, ask them about their children. The call to ban GM and all products of Monsanto must be loud and clear.
Readers wishing to know more should visit: www.aoag.org
March 28, 2012 2:16pm
and the invention of the plant pesticides we use on our crops today came from a product, (similar to agent orange), that Germany was attempting to use during WWII!
March 02, 2012 11:03pm
The investment in Agriculture R&D 25 years ago has been too good and food got too cheap. that plus the heresy of 'small government' has cut off public funds for R&D and extension for agriculture. So the Monsanto's of the world have been able to dominate.
Crop breeding for the common good, still can yield benefits as fast or better than the Corporations. Mainly, as there is greater diversity in the labs and situations together with the difference in aim. Capturing the benefits is the aim of private breeding, yet public good issues are also included in publically funded R&D. Ie do not expect good varieties for Western Australia from the USA. The climate is different.
While there are serious objections to ‘GMO’, modern breeding technology which is not using the classical GMO methods is able to move genes from organisms which are less like the crop. Also the use of DNA probes to identify the presence of desirable genes is allowing for better pre field trial selection methodology. Where does one stop and the other start.
Note that common bread wheat is the hybrid of 3 grasses.
What is needed is good transparency of the breeding systems and of the properties of the varieties being made. Copyright, ‘commercial in confidence’ and patents as well as attempts to prohibit ‘unauthorised researchers’ to access and work with those varieties gets in the way of good reviewing of the material. One needs to ask farmers to break their contracts to obtain a few kg of RoundUp Ready Seed. I know, when I was working for a small generic pesticide firm, we were trying to get some for testing to confirm that our glyphosate did not kill those varieties.
March 02, 2012 7:48pm
How can such an inteligent guy be so dumb !!!
March 02, 2012 7:43pm
You want to fight world hunger,give the third world countries and the morons in this country that keep breeding like cockroaches an education on birth control.
March 02, 2012 6:45pm
Gates owns little of Monsanto which is controlled by the Rockefeller trusts--truly pernocious wealth. The Rockefellers have supported eugenics since the 1930s as has Gates' father.
March 02, 2012 6:17pm
Seems as tho Bill Gates couldn't avoid the Bottomless Pit of Greed for Power. Enough is never enough. Isn't that a Bottomless Pit?
March 02, 2012 5:58pm
No wonder Monsanto won in court - Bill Gates was able to buy it off! With the evidence the farmers had, without the judge being coerced, there is no way she could have found in favor of Monsanto.
March 28, 2012 2:27pm
Hit this nincompoop in the wallet where it hurts. Don't buy Microsoft products anymore! My son has an Apple and, after a year still loves, loves, LOVES it! When you buy an Apple product it comes with the software it needs. Bill Gates gets big bucks for letting software companies advertise their products on his computers. Just more $ for him. Why did Steve Jobs, a true humanitarian, have to be the one to go? BTW: As soon as I can afford it I'm going to get an Apple. Everyone who has switched to on says it well worth the price. PS: just in case you were think it, I do not work for apple.
March 02, 2012 5:20pm
This comes as no big surprise. GMO is not about increasing yield as much as it is about big corporations making money from intellectual property e.g. patents. GMO has also increased incidents of food allergies... so we can line the pockets of big pharma while we are at it.
March 02, 2012 5:08pm
From ignorance to greed, fame and fortune... killing us softly with their food ho ho hooo..... what a shame!Health the greatest of our blessings...Trusth the best that people can posses...Truth the savior of the world... , the sweetest of the sweet, sublime, whole and everlasting... truth alone exist forever!... Love All.
March 02, 2012 5:04pm
It's highly unlikely that Bill Gates has an ulterior motive for promoting GMO crops. He already has more money than he could spend in several lifetimes and is busy finding ways to give it away to charity (he's only passing 10% down to his children). He probably truly believes that GMO crops are a good idea. He may be wrong, of course.
March 28, 2012 2:31pm
DOES IT INFURIATE ANYONE ELSE THAT THE GOVERNMENT DOESN'T SUBSIDIZE ORGANIC FARMERS? They subsidize all others; why are the good guys being penalized?
March 28, 2012 2:29pm
I agree with you. But maybe such an intelligent man should do a little research before he changes the course of everyone and everything on the planet?
March 03, 2012 4:56am
He is aware of the studies that contradict what he promotes. No "ulterior motive"? I would say 500,000 stock shares in monsanto is a reason. That 10% is of his total worth and increasing it means a whole lot of $ for his children. He also is promoting the charter schools, the publically funded and privately owned schools. He is one of the 1%, don't fool youself about his altruism.
March 03, 2012 1:52pm
Sorry, but you don't know what you're talking about. The Gates family are active supporters of extending the estate tax to the wealthiest individuals. Gates has pledged to give 95% of his wealth to charity and he's well on the way to doing so. If Gates invests in GMO and promotes charter schools, it's almost undoubtedly because he thinks they're good ideas. He may be wrong about this, but it's silly to think that his support is simply padding his wallet when it's clear the guy is simply not motivated any longer by the accumulation of wealth or the passing of the bulk of his fortune to his children.
March 02, 2012 4:37pm
We need Tax Reform more than anything in order to get our great country back to Greatness. "Tax Em Like 1938" is my motto. We had 33 brackets to cover all the different classes of income. In 1938 the rates were from 4% for income up to $64,000. all the way up to a top marginal rate of 79% for all income over $79,000,000. This worked great to bring us out of the "Great Depression", and it would work great today. Many economists believe that income inequality was one of the main causes of the "Great Depression".
March 02, 2012 1:31pm
Along with immunizations which will (oops!) turn out to leave people infertile, GMOs are part of the plan for population reduction, or at least enforced birth control. I used to believe this was crazy talk, but it is hard to doubt it these days.
March 03, 2012 9:57pm
Don't you have immuniztion thing backwards? Lack of will decrease population .