URBAN GARDENS REVOLUTION
SOVEREIGNTY
Agriculture
Overview of Crisis:
Our Opportunity Now
"Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead
This site documents the multi-faceted crisis we face now because of genetically-modified foods referred to as "GMOs" (for genetically-modified organisms). The doctors and researchers on this site document the strong connection between the introduction of Monsanto's GMOs (sprayed with its Roundup herbicide) in the 1990s and the epidemic of disease ravaging Americans. GMOs are banned in 34 countries and are labelled in 68 nations.
Now that America is finally moving toward labeling of GMOs this year, our health and freedom will depend on the choice of each American. If enough people refuse to buy GMOs and choose organic foods instead, the real theat of the collapse of the ecosystem can be avoided and the health of millions of Americans can be quickly and easily restored.
There is great hope now as the site shows that the shift toward organic foods is accelerating quickly now in various ways.
In addition, the site shows that an increasing number of Amerians are growing their own organic foods at home -- including indoors with sprouts or an AeroGarden and in their front and back yards -- with remarkable results like those of Rishi Kumar, founder of The Growing Home and The Growing Club after studying in India at the Navdanya Farm of Dr. Vandana Shiva. The interview in the Sprouts section of the site with 74-year-old Annette Larkins who looks 40 shows that she has found the Fountain of Youth in her garden and sprouts. John Kohler of Grow Your Greens shows his remarkable garden.
Dr. Shiva says "Urban gardens are the greatest revoulution!" Join the revolution!
Doctors Warn About GMOs: Recommend Organic
The doctors on this site warn about the enormous dangers that GMOs pose to our health and survival of humanity.
Their prescription is that we eat organic foods. Some also advocate growing our own foods -- and are leading the way!
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Dr. Joseph Mercola: In the Home section, Dr. Mercola (who has one of the most popular healthcare sites) says that we have to choose what kind of food sysem we want and urges people to grow food at home. He says that even sprouts are incredibly nutritous! Dr. Mercola has converted a large portion of his yard to a garden which he plans to expand.
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Dr. Rick Dina: In The Growing Home section, Dr. Dina is interviewed by John Kohler of Growing Your Greens who helped him create his garden. Dr. Dina discusses his annual Raw For Life Summit. His Raw Food Consulting site is a lab testing and nutrition practice that allows him to work with patients in person or online to run their lab tests and guide their nutritional choices. Dr. Dina's Raw Food Education site points out that Dr. Dina has been thriving on a mostly raw, plant-based diet since 1987. Dr. Dina is the co-author with his wife Dr. Karin Dina of The Raw Food Nutrition Handbook: An Essential Guide to Understanding Raw Food Diets.
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Dr. Stephanie Seneff: In "The Ultimate Killing Machine" in in the Monsanto section, Dr. Seneff, a researcher at MIT, is interviewed by Jeffrey Smith, author of the film Genetic Roulette and the bestseller Seeds of Deception. Dr. Seneff explains how GMOs destroy the beneficial gut bactiera and strengthen the bad bacteria -- leading to the epidemic of diseases author of. She and her husband eat only organic foods.
Dr. Seneff reports that GMOs are possibly "the most important factor in the development of multiple chronic diseases and conditions that have become prevalent in Westernized societies, including but not limited to: autism, obesity, diabetes, gastrointestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, chronic diarrhea, colitis, and Crohn's disease, allergies, cardiovascular disease, depression, cancer, infertility, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, and more."
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Dr. Nancy Swanson: In the Organic section, Dr. Swanson explains that when she became seriously ill 10 years ago and turned to organic foods, her symptoms dramatically improved. That prompted her to investigate GMOs. Her study illustrates the perfect match-up between the rise of GMOS and the incidence of autism.
The data shows that GMOs have caused an increase in super weeds, thyroid cancer, liver and bile duct cancer, obesity, diabetes, kidney failure, autism, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, senile dementia, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, chronic constipation, peritonitis, intestinal infections, and rheumatoid arthritis.
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Dr. Terry Wahls: The article on Dr. Wahls in the Organic section shows that she was confined to a wheelchair for four years. Conventional medical treatments were failing her and she feared she would be bedridden for the rest of her life. However, in 2007, Dr. Wahls adopted the nutrient-rich ORGANIC paleo diet to get her vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids from food rather than drugs. First, she walked slowly, then steadily. By 2008, Dr. Wahls was able to bike 18 miles in a single day! In 2009, she went horseback riding in the Canadian Rockies.In, 2011, Dr. Wahls shared her remarkable recovery in a TEDx talk (linked to below) that immediately went viral. She is now the author of two books.
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Dr. Jeffrey Smith: The article on Dr. Smith in the Organic section says doctors have told him about the improvements they see when their patients switch to organic foods. One doctor talked about the improvement of 5,000 patients. Crohn's disease (which involves debilitating surgery) disappeared in 3 days! Dr. Smith discusses the Tipping Point happening now as companies are forced to move away from GMO foods because of consumer pressure! He says that since 2006, the Institute for Responsible Technology has been training doctors on nutrition. Now, thousands of doctors are prescribing non-GMO diets. Dr. Smith invites the audience and viewers to join the TIpping Point Network!
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Dr. Garth Davis: The article on Dr. Smith in the Organic section says the Dr. Davis, bariatric surgeon and advocate of plant-based eating, partnered with Memorial Hermann Medical Center and the Rawfully Organic Co-Op to open Houston’s first hospital-based organic produce stand. The project is an extension of Dr. Davis’ “Farmacy” program that he launched in 2012. “Along with a recommendation for regular exercise, I write all of my patients a prescription for more fruits and vegetables,” said Dr. Davis, who created “Farmacy” prescription pads for this purpose. “Eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day has been shown to prevent cancer, lower the risk of heart disease and help people live longer.”
Dr. Vandana Shiva's Global Perspective
Dr. Vandana Shiva, in her 21 books and her international conferences and presentations (many captured on YouTube), warns that the patented genetically-modified seeds threaten both ecocide and genocide. Since the introduction of GMO crops in India, 25,000 farmers have committed suicide each year -- with a total now of over 300,000 suicides. She warns that corporate control over seeds and food undermines biodiversity and democracy.
Dr. Shiva focuses on the health of Planet Earth, the ecosystem, humanity, all species, our freedom, democracy, the rights of farmers, and the unpaid productivity of Nature and women that is not counted in the market economy but sustains life. She focuses on the sanctity and biodiversity of the seeds inherited from our ancestors that ensure our survival. She stresses the importances of peace with Earth, collaboration, and cooperation. between peoples and species.
In founding the Navdanya Farm in collaboration with more than 20,000 farmers, Dr. Shiva has created a huge seed bank. The April 2015 Nepal earthquake killed over 8,000 people and injured more than 21,000. Before the monsoon started the next month, farmers had to prepare rice nurseries and sow millets, beans, and vegetables. Just as Navdanya’s seed banks helped Orissa after the super cyclone in 1999, Tamil Nadu after the tsunami in 2004, Uttarakhand after the floods of 2013, Navdanya was ready to help and delivered10 tons of organic seeds the farmers of Nepal!
Navdanya is having an effect in the US through the work of Rishi Kumar, one of Dr. Shiva's students, who founded The Growing Home and The Growing Club shown on this site. As an extension of Navdanya, Dr. Shiva created the Earth Univeristy where people from around the world come to learn how to ensure biodiveristy and food security.
Dr. Shiva's Earth University teaches people the importance of saving organic seeds for future generations. She says, "We must all be (organic) seed savers and gardeners. The scale doesn't matter -- the principle matters. It could be one seed." She adds, "Urban gardens are the greatest revolution today." In The Growing Home section of this site, Rishi Kumar shows how to save various kinds of seeds and gives a tour of his suburban garden which produces 15,000 pounds of food yearly.
John Kohler of Growing Your Greens shows in The Growing Home Section that Seed Sharing Libraries in the US are being threatetened by a new law and links to a petition to support seed sharing.
The article (with video) Seed sharing and seed libraries deemed illegal in many American states says:
The sharing of seed is an ancient practice, ensuring the survival of the human species, the local biodiversity of life, as well as local food security....one could say that the seed embodies a traditional, holistic knowledge of life that is as unbroken as the existence of the seed itself. But informal seed sharing -- a favourite pastime of gardeners everywhere -- may be considered illegal by some American states. For small-time gardeners, informal seed swaps and seed libraries are a way to share in the spirit of cooperation, and as a way to preserve the legacy of local plant biodiversity. Seed libraries have emerged to protect our food sources and ensure access to locally adapted and heirloom varieties.
The public’s access to seeds has been decreasing since a 1980 Supreme Court ruling that a life-form could be patented. Since then, big seed companies have shifted away from open-pollinated seeds to patented hybridized and genetically engineered varieties. The companies prohibit farmers from saving and replanting such seeds, requiring that they buy new seeds each year. Counter to this trend, seed libraries give members free seeds and request that members later harvest seed and give back to the library thereby growing the pool of seeds available to everyone.
It's clear that the recent spread of seed libraries and interest in growing one's own food is coming head to head against big agri-business. Seed sharing is a simple act that ensures food security, nurtures a culture of cooperation, shares traditional knowledge and grows a direct connection to nature -- but it is something that should be protected from corporate agendas, and should be the right of every small-time gardener and farmer out there. So, how can we ensure the survival of this ancient practice that still has relevance today? First, get informed. Secondly, act by participating in local seed libraries, seed swaps, or by starting a local seed library. Sign the Save Seed Sharing petition. And of course, try growing your own food!
Seed Libraries: And Other Means of Keeping Seeds in the Hands of the People is by Cindy Conner who is a permaculture educator, founder of Homeplace Earth, and producer of two instructional gardening DVDs. A former market gardener, Cindy establised a sustainable agriculture program which she taught for over a decade at her community college. She is also the author of Grow a Sustainable Diet: Planning and Growing to Feed Ourselves and the Earth.
Seed LIbraries points out:
Historically, seed companies were generally small, often family-run businesses. Because they were regionally based, they could focus on varieties well-suited to the local environment. A Pacific Northwest company, for example, would specialize in different cultivars than a company based in the Southeast. However the absorption of these small, independent seed businesses into large multinationals, combined with the advancement of biotechnology resulting in hybrids and GMO seeds, has led to a serious loss of genetic diversity.
The public is now at the mercy of the corporations that control the seeds. In the past few years, gardeners have realized the inherent danger in this situation. A growing movement is striving to preserve and expand our stock of heritage and heirloom varieties through seed saving and sharing opportunities. Seed Libraries is a practical guide to saving seeds through community programs.
Whoever controls the seeds controls the food supply. By empowering communities to preserve and protect the genetic diversity of their harvest, Seed Libraries is the first step towards reclaiming our self-reliance while enhancing food security and ensuring that the future of food is healthy, vibrant, tasty, and nutritious.