Earth Democracy by Vandana Shiva

Author:Vandana Shiva
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
Published: 2015-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Toxic Pollution

Industrial farming is based on the use of toxic chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides. These chemicals were designed, like Agent Orange, as weapons for mass destruction. The Bhopal disaster is a tragic reminder of the hazards of toxic agrochemicals. These chemicals are produced because the new varieties are prone to pests and disease.

Whenever the new varieties of rice have been introduced in Asia by the International Rice Research Institute, the global gene bank for rice, they have proven to be susceptible to diseases and pests. IR-8 was attacked by bacterial blight in Southeast Asia in 1968 and 1969.12 In 1970 and 1971, it was destroyed by the tungro virus. In 1975, half a million acres under the new rice varieties in Indonesia were destroyed by pests. In 1977, IR-36 was developed to be resistant to eight major known diseases and pests including bacterial blight and tungro. But this was attacked by two new viruses, ragged stunt and wilted stunt.

In Punjab, the experience with the new varieties was no better. They created new varieties of pests and diseases. The Taichung Native I variety, which was the first dwarf variety introduced in 1966, was susceptible to bacterial blight and white-backed plant hopper. In 1968 it was replaced by IR-8, which was considered to be resistant to stem rot and brown spot, but proved to be susceptible to both. Later varieties such as IR-103, IR-106, IR-108, and IR-109, which were released after the failure of earlier dwarf varieties, were specially bred for disease and insect resistance. IR-106, which currently accounts for 80 percent of the rice cultivation in Punjab, was considered resistant to white-backed plant hopper and stem rot disease when it was introduced in 1976. It has since become susceptible to both, as well as to the rice leaf folder, hispa, stem borer, and several other insect pests. The miracle varieties have eroded the diversity of traditionally grown crops and have become a mechanism for introducing and fostering pests.

According to the Indian Council for Agricultural Research, only 1 percent of pesticides actually reach the target pest with the remainder impacting non-target sectors. It has also been estimated that despite heavy pesticide use, pests are now causing damage to some 35 percent of the crops, compared with the pre-pesticide era rate of 5 to 10 percent. The number of damaging insects is also increasing. The estimated number of insects damaging rice paddies increased from 40 in 1920 to 299 in 1992. Likewise, it increased for pulses from 10 to 240 and for wheat from 10 to 120.13 Nevertheless, the development and use of pesticides continues to increase.

The recent report of the joint parliamentary committee on pesticides in soft drinks shows how pervasive these toxins have become by reporting on the high percentage of pesticides found in all varieties of Coca-Cola and Pepsi beverages. An environmental problem has been transformed into a public health emergency.

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