Monsanto has been called one of the US’s most hated companies (see this, which is credible, and this, which is not). Maybe that’s because the St. Louis-based agricultural giant has enemies who are determined, as well as self-interested. (See this petition to Hillary Clinton from the so-called Organic Consumers Association.) Maybe it’s because the St. Louis-based ag giant historically has done a poor job of explaining itself to the public. Whatever the explanation, Monsanto has been dogged by a series of misunderstandings and outright lies.
As David Friedberg, the CEO of Climate Corporation, wrote in an email to employees after he sold his San Francisco-based data startup to Monsanto in 2013:
Calling a company evil is easy. And if you do it enough times it can become the “reality”—because reality is just the most common perception. Say something enough times and everyone thinks it’s the truth…
When I did my own research—to the source and in the science—I was amazed at how far these inaccurate statements had gone and how wrong so many people were, thinking they were right because they repeated the same things others did.
Recently, I went to see Friedberg in San Francisco to learn more about Climate Corp. and the potential for what’s often called precision agriculture. Precision agriculture is a growth business (pun intended) and that’s a very good thing.
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The Guardian published my story about Friedberg and Climate Corp. explaining how Climate Corp. hopes to deliver environmental benefits as well as financial returns to farmers.
Read full, original article: How “evil” Monsanto aims to protect the planet
