Genetically Modified (GM) Seeds, Intellectual Property and the Corporatisation of Food

Biotechnology, genetically modified (GM) foods and seeds have become some of the most controversial issues in the world. GM seeds and subsequent crops promise to provide enormous benefits to farmers, consumers and the environment. GM technology is also being touted to developing countries as the key to improved nutrition, health, prosperity, and the eradication of hunger. But there are huge risks involved in tampering with nature's code. GM foods and seeds could have unpredictable effects on the environment and on human health. Besides the risks involved, today, a handful of large corporations increasingly control the global market for seeds. Far from focusing on the needs of poor and vulnerable peoples in developing countries, these companies aim to prevent farmers from freely re-using seeds, by patenting seeds and plants or by utilizing seed sterility technologies. The current global patent rules and the power of transnational corporations promote monopoly control over genetic resources, destroying diversity and eroding farmer's rights. Inconsistency and inadequacy in the regulation of GM technologies as well as issues of biopiracy of traditional genetic and plant resources have all fueled the debate surrounding GM seeds