Behind the Lines - April 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Most journalists believe it is important to stay out of the story. Others believe they can be, and become, an integral part of the story they are covering. That seems to be how British environmental activist/journalist Mark Lynas views his role.
Lynas, who is the speaker for the Wm. A. Stewart Public Lecture in early April in London ON, admits that during the 1990s he helped rip up test plots of genetically modified crops in Europe. He says his writings helped to foster an anti-science culture that led to a public outcry and ultimately regulations against Genetically Modified foods on that continent. It is years later and now Lynas, more famous as a writer of books about climate change than about GMOs, says he learned how science works and decided there is nothing wrong with this technology. Indeed, it will be increasingly necessary in a world with a fast-growing population where technology must get better and grow bigger crops faster or people will starve.
The Lynas story is a backdrop to a new GM crisis facing Ontario agriculture now. Senior Staff Editor Don Stoneman writes about the dilemma facing the Canadian forage industry, untouched by the GM controversy until now, as it seems likely that a Genetically Modified alfalfa will be introduced into Canada. Squeezed out by more profitable corn and soybean crops that are Genetically Modified, the seed industry and forage growers, many of whom sell into markets where GMOs are unwelcome, must decide how to proceed in a way that lets all elements of Canada's widely diverse agriculture sector co-exist and continue profitably and sustainably. That story begins on page 12.
It's no secret that soils are degrading in countries like China, Africa, India and parts of South America but how are we doing in Ontario and how can we improve? Part of the answer might lie in a more reliable soil test, another part might be incentives to build organic matter. For the complete story see the Is our soil at risk? feature by Dana Snell on page 30.
And still on the subject of sustainable farming, we bring you a Crops feature that explores income opportunities associated with sustainability. Producers may soon become more accountable to commodity buyers for a range of practices that could include labour conditions and environmental standards. Unilever, for example, a company that buys an estimated one per cent of the world's soybean and two per cent of the world's canola and sunflower oil, has pledged to source all its materials sustainably by 2020. The last thing you may want to hear about is more red tape which is actually the best reason to read Agriculture jumps on the sustainability bandwagon by Mary Baxter on page 36. How sustainability will be measured and who will do the auditing is crucial to producers.
Sharon Hart, the subject of our Up Close feature this month, describes her approach to farming as "faith in teamwork and diversification." Hart, who farms in partnership with her daughter Valerie Hobbs, lists safety as one of her top priorities. For a truly inspirational approach to farming see page 34. BF
ROBERT IRWIN & DON STONEMAN