18.09.2012 | permalink
Whatever the arguments around the health risks of consuming genetically-modified food, the conditions under which many GM crop farmers have to toil means this is an issue for anyone who cares about the impact of their purchasing choices. An estimated 270,000 small-hold farmers in the Philippines are being forced to grow GM corn and ending up in debt as a result. These are the findings of a recent study by CI member IBON and MASIPAG, a farmer-led network of people's organisations, non-government organisations and scientists. The farmers are at the mercy of seed suppliers and lenders who are one-in-the-same in the country.