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A recent ruling in Mexico turned out to be a day of immeasurable cruelty. A judge overturned the 2013 ban on growing GMO corn, in the country that offers us more corn diversity than anywhere on the planet. What do we have to look forward to now?
Several things, I think.
First, fewer of Mexico’s unique landrace varieties will be grown. GMO corn is so seductive to farmers. It’s usually easier to grow, more disease resistant and more productive. Why bother with all the hundreds of local varieties, each evolved to provide Mexico’s grain staple for a unique parcel of land, a unique community?
If we’re only talking productivity, there’s little reason to bother with them. But a myopic pursuit of productivity hasn’t always proven wise. Especially when a crop is so thoroughly identified with a culture.
If (when?) GMO corn eventually blankets all of Mexico, will we see that Mexico’s beautiful diversity has faded into bland homogeneity, bland and characterless as the lab-manufactured corn that’s providing daily nourishment?
Second, no matter what you think of GMOs (I think the topic is way more complex and less straightforward than some may suggest), we can be certain of one thing: Genetic drift from GMO corn will likely contaminate some of the Mexico’s hundreds of unique corn varieties.
And third, I think it’s pretty certain that GMO corn in Mexico will rob us of flavor. Until someone offers me a GMO corn with the wonderful richness of bolita from Michoacan or popcorn nuttiness of tuxpeño from Oaxaca, I think that corn has little to offer.
Preserving heritage preserves not only a way of life, but the opportunity to appreciate the full range of delicious flavor this world has to offer us.
Read full, original post: A Sad Day In Mexico
