Photo Credit: Monsanto

Long live native seeds”

Down with Monsanto. Down with GMO and hybrid seeds.”

Those were the chants of the peasants who protested against genetically modified seed “donator” Monsanto. Their one harvest seeds would spell disaster for the still ailing nation, plunging the farmers into a kind of “green slavery” and destroying the nations ability to feed itself. On June 4th, World Environment Day, Haitian farmers, national and international peasant groups came together to burn the toxic donation and voice their opposition to the Haitian president, Rene Preval.

Find out why this seemingly kind gesture is so sinister in the previous posts Haitian Farmers Vow To Burn Monsanto Hybrid Seeds Part 1 and Part 2.

Nicole Vulcan of Bay of Rainbows Productions interviews farmer Sem Cadet about growing practices in Haiti, and the May 2010 donation of 470 tons of hybrid seeds by Monsanto. Translation by Rosedanie Cadet and Gustave Cadet. Part of Bay of Rainbows’ work with Helping Hands Noramise. Video via bayofrainbows.com & noramise.org, a service program focused on rebuilding issues and sustainable development in the town of Limbé, Haiti.

In this video our translator Rosedanie Cadet makes it plain when discussing the diet of many of the Haitian people, the malnutrition that follows and what that has to do with farming. The diet issues have many parallels to our own diet issues in the US. Too many carbs, not enough veggies.

On June 4 thousands of peasants and their allies marched under the banner of Mouveman Peyizan Papay, a decades-old farmers organization in Haiti, against a donation of hybrid corn seeds by agro-giant Monsanto. Mark Hare, an agronomist working with the MPP, explains why they’re upset with Monsanto. They marched for three hours, from Papay to Hinche. Video via mediahacker.org

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