See, none of those genes have ever been used in tomatoes. This is my point, about disinformation.

There are some bacillus genes in other crops (corn, for example). There are no fish or animal genes in any food crops, there never have been, period. Animal genes have been moved around in the lab, and that's all.

Okay, just wanted to make sure I knew what you were saying.

Actually, Big Agro did the same thing for agriculture than big Pharma. They have convinced farmers here and abroad that chemical farming is the only way to go, and so have created a class of farmers dependant on their chemicals. Chemicals to kill the insects, chemicals to treat the soil, chemicals to correct the damage caused by chemicals and techniques. Just as big Pharma did for with drugs.

I read an really interesting article once about how a farmer managed to get his farm to be considerably more productive and profitable AFTER he decided to forego chemicals and intensive farming methods. It's possible to be organic and profitable the organic way just as it is to be healthy without drugs. But you'll never hear Big Corpo say that.

Actually, organic farmers still use some chemicals and pesticides, just not from the 'prohibited' list. They just use different ones that are considered more natural, but are not always less toxic (such as Bt pesticide). And, just because something is labeled 'organic' at your local grocery store doesn't mean it passes the standards you might be thinking it does.

You really have to look at the certification of an organic food - the government standards are generally lower than regional certifying bodies' standards, at least they have been in the past. Here is a list of organic certification bodies in the US (here's a list for the UK in case that's handy for anyone). You would have to then look at the certification body and their standards. Here is an overview of organic certification processes in the US and an effort to create better standards (it's kind of Byzantine at the moment). Here is the home page of the USDA National Organic Program.

I'd be interested as to how Big Ag made farmers all over the world abandon their farming practices, if you have any proof of that.

Consumers have become willing in recent years to pay more for organic products, which is why they have become trendy and profitable. As we see in this thread, people have some completely mistaken ideas, such as organics are always totally pesticide- and chemical-free, and that animal genes are rampant in biotech foods. So I am concluding that some of the reasons why people are willing to pay more, are not based in fact.

As I understand it, they're spraying DDT to kill mosquitoes, not as part of an ag program. With something like a million people dying of malaria each year, the consequences of not spraying are maybe more horrific than the consequences of spraying.

The agriculture being practiced in Africa, is often much the same as its been done for hundreds of years. I read an interesting article in the Smithsonian about banana breeding programs, seems bananas are a staple food in much of Africa.

Agriculture as an industry has definitely seen a consolidation/centralization that has been a common trend throughout all aspects of the economy. Its a result of low energy prices, combined with a need to lower costs. Fewer and larger production facilities are more efficient, whether you are talking farms or cars or TVs. In our free market economy, if you can produce for a lower price you are rewarded, regardless of whether your method of production is environmentally friendly or sustainable in the long term. I don't really blame big ag, any more than I blame any other large corporate entity. But I do think that increased energy costs may start the trend back in the other direction, towards decentralization to put product production closer to the point of usage.

DDT is seen as critical there to eradicate malaria:

http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.asp...sight__africa/#

http://www.fightingmalaria.org/

Here's another viewpoint.

http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/globa...afrmal_ddt.html

Well, as the other articles said, it's a politically charged topic. It's also off-topic, so I'm done.

I found out that if you are allergic to soy you can develop an allergy to peanuts. Which looks like I did.