Lou says:
>Yoshie:
>>I'm not presenting Cuba as a model, however attractive & promising
>>its combination of organic agriculture & genetic engineering may be.
>>I'm simply saying that one-dimensional opposition to genetic
>>engineering (& science in general) is counter-productive. Genetic
>>engineering can be a very useful tool in socialist hands, whereas in
>>corporate hands it will be mainly used to further corporate monopoly
>>of intellectual properties.
>
>We have different assessment about the value of industrial farming
>techniques. Genetic engineering, along with pesticides, irrigation,
>chemical fertilizers and all the rest can not be simply appropriated by
>socialists. The reason they are counter-productive is that they go against
>the basic principles of soil chemistry, which is a branch of science. This
>is not about "gaia". It is about overcoming the "metabolic rift", one of
>Marx's main preoccupations.
Genetic engineering is not limited to agriculture -- it can be & has
been used for production of medicines (in Cuba as well). As for
genetic engineering in agriculture, it may be very well used to
decrease the need for pesticides, irrigation, & chemical fertilizers.
What's wrong with pursuing such an objective once we abolish
capitalism & build socialism?
Farming without industrial inputs & equipment tends to be very
labor-intensive, often involving back-breaking labor for tilling,
sowing, weeding, watering, & harvesting. Peasants & agricultural
workers themselves would benefit from & probably desire labor-saving
technology in the absence of fear of unemployment.
Yoshie
