The Gaia Reports By Theodora Filis - Environmental Journalist

By Theodora Filis Entrenched in action and always on the front lines of saving the world and feeding the hungry, Bill Gates gets right to the “root” of solving the world's food shortage by putting his money where his friends at the Rockefeller Foundation tell him to. This week, The Associated Press said Bill Gates believes “Countries can embrace modern seed technology and genetic modification or their citizens will starve.” This comment was directed at the naysayer's of genetically modified (GM) seeds and the belief that “high-tech” solutions to world hunger are bad for the environment. Why are Bill Gates and The Rockefeller Foundation supporting the proliferation of patented seeds, GMOs, and at the same time, investing tens of millions of dollars to preserve every natural seed variety on this planet in a bomb-proof doomsday vault? Wouldn't it be best to cultivate the world's natural seeds, while preserving them, and nourishing and nurturing our world's

By Theodora Fili A recent report claims that, Walmart, a US multinational retail corporation that runs large discount department stores and warehouse stores, is set to sell a new form of genetically-engineered (GE) sweet corn as early as this summer. Monsanto’s Bt sweet corn contains three GE traits that have never before been consumed directly by humans and have not been subjected to thorough safety testing. There will be no labeling telling consumers that the corn is a GMO (genetically modified organism), or that Monsanto’s GMO corn has been tied to numerous health issues, including organ disruption. Petitions urging Walmart to drop or label the Bt corn as GE are being circulated in the hope that Walmart will refuse to sell the Bt sweet corn, and that other food retailers will follow. Half of all US farms growing corn for Monsanto are using genetically modified corn, and most of it is intended for human consumption and will be sold to consumers as whole ears on the cob

By Theodora Filis Despite claims that their very expensive, patented, genetically modified (GM) seeds are the best thing since sliced bread, chemical seed giant Monsanto is fighting awfully hard to defeat California's Proposition 37 on November 6 – and paying millions of US dollars to do so. The biotech industry and Big Ag have already dumped $25 million into the pot - $4.2 million from Monsanto alone. Other major contributions against Proposition 37 were given by: E. I. Dupont de Nemours – $1,273,600 Dow Agrosciences – $1,184,800 PepsiCo – $1,126,079 "The giant pesticide and food companies are afraid of the mothers and grandmothers who want the right to know what's in our food," said Stacy Malkan, media director of California Right to Know. "These companies will try to buy the election, but it won't work. California moms and dads will prevail over Monsanto and Dupont." As of today, the "Big 6" pesticide c

By Theodora Filis Public health concerns beyond food borne illness are created when over-crowded animals are susceptible to infection and disease. Industrial livestock facilities treat animals with low-levels of antibiotics to prevent illness and promote weight gain. This creates a breeding ground for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The sub-therapeutic dosages used on millions of factory-farmed livestock can reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics for human patients. The feed used for livestock can also introduce public health threats. Broiler chickens often receive arsenic-based feed additives to promote pinker flesh and faster growth, and beef cattle continue to be fed with animal byproducts, which increases the risk of mad cow disease. A ccording to the FDA, approximately 80% of all antibiotics used in the U S  are fed to farm animals for  non-therapeutic  purposes. Routine administration of antibiotics has the harmful effect of promoting the development of antibioti

UN Confirms Small Scale Farming Can Feed The World by Theodora Filis A new report from the U.N. calls for changes in agriculture. The new report includes contributions from more than 60 experts from around the world. Warning us that we need to change and transform our  agriculture , food, and trade systems so we can start to i ncrease diversity on farms , cut back on fertilizers and support  small-scale farming . Global security  and rising conflicts are noted causes in an urgent need to transform our  farming methods . The report refers to this as "ecological intensification", and goes on to say, "This implies a rapid and significant shift from conventional, monoculture-based and high-external-input-dependent industrial production toward mosaics of sustainable,  regenerative production systems  that also considerably improve the productivity of  small-scale farming. Eco-Farming Can Feed The World Key indicators reported by the U.N. for transformation in