To saddle hungry Haitians with American romanticism about agriculture is the worst kind of imperialism.
6th July 2010
Monsanto Company, the Missouri-based biotechnology firm, has donated seeds to Haiti to help kickstart food production in the earthquake-ravaged country. In so doing, they’ve stirred up the kind of controversy that seems to follow the company. The 475-ton donation has sparked a storm of protest not only in Haiti but also in the United States. A coalition of Haitian peasant groups organized a protest march in June and have vowed to burn the donated seed.
This is not Monsanto’s first rodeo, as we Missourians would say, so the company has made it clear that no genetically modified seeds were included in the donation. This delicacy did not impress the marchers, who protested under banners of “Down with GMO and hybrid seeds.” Genetically modified seeds have long been controversial, but it’s a surprise to find that hybridization, around since Gregor Mendel’s time in the 1800s, can also inspire protest marches. Somehow, it doesn’t seem obvious that hybrid broccoli seeds are the 82nd Airborne of cultural imperialism.
Fine. Let them plant the seeds that they brought with them. Or starve. I fail to see what contribution Haiti has made to world progress or culture that would justify giving them two seconds’ thought, much less all of the handwringing we see in the lamestream media.