About the Book

Farmers around the world are being pressured by half a dozen giant corporations to grow genetically engineered crops. What are the possible downsides for them, particularly for those hundreds of millions of farmers living in developing countries? On their environment? On their health? On their independence? On their traditional export crops? On their access to the marketplaces of their own countries?

This important book comes out of a dialogue between farmers‘ representatives and experts. The result is a clear statement of principles and urgently needed measures which should guide governments and communities in bringing this profit-motivated deployment of scientific power under democratic control.

About the Author

Robert Ali Brac de la Perriere and Franck Seuret

Contents

Introduction
1. Seeds Belong to Farmers: The Downsides of GM Seeds for Agriculture in the South
2. Terminator, Out! Farmers‘ Autonomy Jeopardized by Sterile Seeds
3. The Precautionary Principle: The Ecological and Health Risks at Stake
4. Greater Transparency: The Politics of GMO Secrecy
5. About Ethics: Tampering with the Foundations of Life
6. Moratorium on Commercial Exploitation: Setting the Rules
7. The Battle over Intellectual Property Rights: Living Matter Turned into Private Property
8. Conclusion: Rishikesh at the Crossroads

Commendations

"Seeds belong to farmers - the discoverers, selectors and protectors of humanity‘s agricultural biodiversity for the past eight millennia. The present push by big business to enslave farmers and put both their livelihoods and the very existence of humankind in peril needs to be exposed…. The authors are particularly to be congratulated for putting farmers first in this debate and providing a clear explanation of the terminology being used by the media, policy makers and scientists." - Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher, spokesperson for the ‘Like Minded Group‘ in the negotiations of the Cartagena Protocol on Safety in Biotechnology

"An impressively cogent summary of the hazards of GMOs and the urgency of worldwide action. Brave New Seeds embraces the central contributions of farmers in the South to the integrity of our food and the diversity of world agriculture." - Brian Tokar, editor of Redesigning Life? The Worldwide Challenge to Genetic Engineering