For over 20 years, Monsanto has exercised almost dictatorial control over American agriculture. But many people now believe the company is contaminating our food supply and destroying the environment–and public opinion has increasingly turned against the company.
Now, for the first time in those two decades, the number of acres planted with genetically modified (GMO) crops is down. Efforts to label GMO foods are gaining momentum. Family and community farms are taking off. Nearly 40 countries have banned GMO crops and use of Monsanto’s keystone product, Roundup (glyphosate), may not be re-approved by the Food and Drug Administration, while the European Union has done so on a restricted basis.
Photo credit: Anztowa / Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
In marches across the world Saturday, May 21, critics plan to draw even more attention to the agriculture giant and its practices.
In this podcast, one of the leaders of the March Against Monsanto, Ronnie Cummins, speaks with WhoWhatWhy’s Jeff Schechtman about the company’s rise and potential fall. Cummins discusses these developments in the context of the social justice movement; the conversion to organic agriculture; and an end to factory farming that opponents contend both threatens public health and exacerbates global climate change.
Newsflash: embattled Monsanto has just announced that the giant German firm Bayer hopes to acquire it.
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