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Indigenous Sustainability: The Benefits of planting crops without GMOS or Pesticides

Alexandra Gomez


Ever wonder why the produce at your local supermarket might be restocked more frequently? Why sometimes the fruits and veggies may look abnormally shaped? Genetic modification (GM) and pesticides are to thank for this speedy response to high demand. However, the underlying impacts of GM and the use of pesticides threaten the environment and can jeopardize human health in the long run. Genetic modification, as defined by the National Human Genome Institute, is “a process that uses laboratory based-technologies to alter the DNA makeup of an organism.” It is a mechanism that farm owners consistently use to grow crops at a faster rate in order to get more stock in markets and therefore, make more profit. Similar in purpose, pesticides, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, are substances that work to “kill, repel, or control forms of animal and plant life considered to damage or be a nuisance in agriculture and domestic life.” GM and pesticides are used to render an environment where the process of agriculture production is uninterrupted and instead, quickened.


Pros and Cons of Genetic Modification vs. Pesticides:


With the U.S’s population growing rapidly, GM looks to be necessary for accommodating every household with food in their pantries. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are mostly resistant to bacteria, viruses, herbicides, and insects, which often affect crops that are bred normally. Additionally, consumption of GMOs has not been shown to cause any notable effects on human health. However, while GM technology progresses, weeds and insects too are becoming resistant to the process and adapting to its advancements, employing the use of harmful pesticides by farmers to keep the GMOs thriving. GM administered to certain crops does not account for its surroundings organisms, in which water pollution and soil degradation are constant threats to those other plants, potentially leading to a total loss of food security. The change in interactions between GMOs and the environment are especially concerning because of the resulting variation in climate resistance, loss of biodiversity, as well as the transferring of disadvantageous genes from one organism to another.


Pesticides are responsible for protecting more than half of the crops grown across the globe from pests and allows farmers to grow more product on small plots of land, saving them tons of money and preventing deforestation efforts. Some animal organisms can be carriers of vector-borne diseases, like malaria and dengue fever, which can be transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. Although, pesticides are arguably more dangerous than GMOs for both the environment and human health. Pesticides can cause soil, water, and turf contamination (National Institutes of Health). The substances decrease primarily animal and plant populations, some invasive species, but others important for the land. Exposure to the effects of pesticides is far more common, in which pesticide users and children are most likely to develop chronic diseases and acute level health concerns, to name a few, cancer, birth and neurological defects.

If farm owners were to also include the need for creating a healthy environment out of respect for their workers and consumers, along with their focus for generating profit, they could look to the original tactics used to sustain large quantities of food without the use of modern methods on American soil. The farming practices of the Indigenous people that the U.S has, for a long time, neglected.


Indigenous Practices of Food Preservation:


Dating back to 2100 BCE, Indigenous people have put into practice numerous agricultural techniques, like “inter-cropping, terracing, mixed cropping with legumes to increase reliance on biological fertility, and adaptation of agroforestry”, according to PubMed Central. During intercropping, two or more plants are grown close together, like in agroforestry, where crops are intentionally planted with trees and shrubs to meet economic, social, and environmental interests. These techniques were executed without the use of modern developments, which now heavily rely on toxic chemicals that are detriments to the environment. Indigenous methods for food preservation helped substantially reduce the planet’s water and carbon footprint, but soon lost their popularity to make way for newly proposed agricultural advancements by the Europeans, who aspired to override Native methods.


Today, however, there are various initiatives that are dedicated to reviving indigenous agricultural practices and keeping the soil healthy. “It’s about working with nature, rather than against it,” says Isalena Amador, an Indigenous-identifying senior at Lick-Wilmerding High School who is the co-president and founder of the school’s Indigenous Alliance Club. Amador attended the Sustainable Food Institute program at Barnard College, where she learned more about the agricultural practices dear to her community and her culture's values. In recent times with industrialization on the rise, most farmers are choosing modern, but destructive agricultural tactics over Indigenous farming methods, which are known to benefit the earth greatly. It’s easier for farmers to resort to pesticide/GM grown food because it’s generally the less timely and expensive option, but instantly surrendering to these unsustainable methods takes away from the possibility of Indigenous people being able to rebuild formidable cropping areas with nutrient-infused soil. Amador emphasizes how many Indigenous peoples feel that one should be thankful for food, from the clean production to enjoying it with family and friends because it’s crucial to “treat the land, its organisms with care, as it’s an extension of us humans”.



Benefits of not using GM and Pesticides:


Both GM and pesticides help farmer owners put more money into their pockets faster, sacrificing their employees and consumers’ quality of health. However, farming techniques that don’t use GM and pesticides are able to work towards increasing biodiversity and maintaining soil health, ensuring that crops carry more vitamins and minerals. These higher levels of nutrients contribute to the strengthening of your immune system and reducing your chances of developing chronic diseases, which one may be more susceptible to attaining from GMO or pesticides.


Although pesticides do kill pests on a whim, they don’t actually get to the root of the problem and determine why the animals are gravitated towards certain crops in the first place. Studies from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation reveal that less than 2% of insects are actually disrupting plant growth, meaning other species have no viable reason to be killed off by the pesticides. Minor scuffs in plants are actually good signs of ecosystems functioning properly, so they are not a cause for concern and shouldn’t entail the need for pesticides, in which there are other environmentally-friendly options.

Farmers making the change to pursue agricultural techniques, like those created by Indigenous peoples, are guaranteed to help refine our food quality and shift the world towards improving both human and soil health for the long run! As Amador puts it, “Well-made food can push forward ideas, push the fact that Indigenous farming practices are great for the environment and encourage people to recognize the significance of food”.


Possible Alternatives to GM and Pesticide use:


Many, without knowing it, still rely on GMOs and food that has been grown with pesticides because the information is not often explicitly disclosed or is stated very discreetly on food packaging. There are numerous alternatives to buying GMO and pesticide products that will not only maintain the cleanliness of the environment, but foster healthy environments. If you have a backyard or a similar outdoor area, you can make a garden of your own to plant your favorite fruits and vegetables. Building your own garden means you are fully aware of any chemicals or substances that may be added to the crops. On the other hand, if you don’t have the space for a garden, you can find organizations based in your area that take volunteers and together, take care of a communal, agricultural space where you can obtain food. Some organizations in the Bay Area that are notorious for distributing food to locals are the Florence Fang Farm and the Alemany Farm. Genetic Modification and Pesticides don’t have to make it into your food, it’s avoidable!




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