Awakening of Egypt to Harmful Effects of Chemical Pesticides and Fertilizers
Dr. Nabil Sisostres, Coordinator of Together for Family Development Egypt
March Against Monsanto in Egypt
Woman holding sign at march against Monsanto on March 25, 2013 in Egypt. Photo credit: Dr. Nabil Sisostres
Worldwide, it has become crucial to defend and protect native seeds. In the past 20-30 years, the acts of growing, selecting, saving and exchanging seeds by peasant farmers have come under attack by corporations such as Monsanto seeking to control and commodify the very foundation of life - seeds.
On May 25, 2013, tens of thousands of activists around the world marched against Monsanto. Egyptian activists took part in this global day of protest against Monsanto and its production and propagation of genetically modified (GM) seeds. Four members of the Together for Family Development (TFD) network, the Joining Hands network in Egypt, participated in the march.
For TFD, the march presented a good opportunity to get acquainted with activists and members of other Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) devoted to these issues. It sent a clear message to the ministry of Agriculture to stop importing GM seeds from Monsanto because of the potential hazards, which the chemical fertilizers and pesticides necessary for cultivation, pose to the health of people and the environment, as well as to put a stop to the monopolization of seeds through patenting by Monsanto. The protest marches worldwide exemplified the awakening of a mass movement to the injustices in the agro-food industry.
Watch the march against Monsanto in Egypt
TFD Shifts Focus to the Food System
After we attended the international Joining Hands gathering, Together for Justice, in Chicago in 2012, it became clearer to us that food in Egypt could be healthier and produced in ways which protect the environment and the people producing it. This prompted us to begin studying food policies in Egypt, the emerging small farmers’ movement in both Egypt and worldwide, consumer protection laws, and organizations engaging food issues.
TFD’s participation in the march against Monsanto came after the network had begun this process of studying issues of food sovereignty in Egypt. Through workshops, collecting data, building connections and introductions to groups like Greenpeace, Nawaya, Nabta, 350.org - we became familiar with a campaign called "Bzoor Balady" that seeks to protect traditional seeds. This campaign and the efforts of other groups we met during the march encourage us to join a larger movement of organizations committed to improve the quality of the food we produce and eat, and the policies that protect it.
"If we rely on corporate seeds, we lose food sovereignty, if we lose food sovereignty, we lose political sovereignty." This quote came out of a session at the World Social Forum in Tunisia on Peasants seeds in March 2013 held by La Via Campesina and attended by TFD representatives.
In December 2012, TFD conducted research about the harmful effects of chemical pesticides and fertilizers on the land and the food produced. The study revealed that some imported chemicals used in food production in Egypt are counterfeit and dangerous for the health of consumers. It also discovered some risks associated with the consumption of those chemicals, including: cancers, endocrine complications, infertility and sterility, brain damage, birth defects, respiratory disorders, etc. The study warned about weak government supervision of the pesticide market and the expansion of its illegal outlets.
