What's the Future of Food? GM Awareness Evening with Costa

On 3 July 2011, Beatrice, together with the Transition Bondi, organised the event "What's the Future of Food - GM Awareness Evening of Costa". The trigger for organising this event was watching the US documentary "The Future of Food" by Deborah Koons Garcia which shows all the different problems related to Genetically Engineered Organisms (GMOs), GM food and GM crops.

In the documentary, reference is made to the plight of the Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser whose conventional canola crop was contaminated with GM canola with the consequence that he was sued by Monsanto for breach of Monsanto's patent on GM canola. Incredibly, the appeal court held that Percy Schmeiser was indeed in breach of Monsanto's patent on GM canola despite the appeal court's finding that there was no evidence, and it did not matter, as to how the GM canola came to be on Percy Schmeiser's canola fields. With all due respect, the court decision is unjust and nonsensical, and the writer would argue, incorrect. 

The terrible plight of Percy Schmeiser, a farmer who had been minding his own business but who was drawn into lengthy, costly and stressful court proceedings by the greed of Monsanto, is the writer's inspiration for her vision for an Australia with a Sustainable Agriculture - without GMOs and pesticides.

The event "What's the Future of Food" was created to "translate" the content of the US documentary "The Future of Food" to Australia, to find out whether the Australian legal landscape is similar to the the one in the United States. Watch the speakers, below, to find out more.

What's the Future of Food - Part 1 of 4 - Fran Murrell of MADGE

What's the Future of Food - Part 2 of 4 - Fran Murrell of MADGE

What's the Future of Food - Part 3 of 4 - Dr Luigi Palombi, Lawyer

What's the Future of Food - Part 4 of 4 - Panel Session

Take action!

1. Organise a movie night with your friends and watch the documentary "The Future of Food" . 
2. Buy organic food at the farmers market or directly from a farmer.
3. Join a community garden.
   
4. Save and share heirloom seeds.
   
5. Design and plant a food forest instead of a lawn.

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