Tierramérica

Issue of February, 03, 2003



	Current Edition

	Report

	Accents

	Analysis

	Dialogues

	Notable Writings

	Eco-Briefs

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There are some 500 banana varieties in the world, but the most exported is the Cavendish.
Credit: Mauricio Ramos.

Report
Transgenics will not save the banana"
By Julio Godoy
In the wake of the storm caused by an article in New Scientist magazine, which predicts the disappearance within 10 years of a leading variety of the banana, the international organization tracking this fruit clarifies its stance in an exclusive dialogue with Tierramérica.

Credit: Cenini/FAO

Connect Yourself
Bananas and Plantains
By
Bananas and plantains are fruits thousands of years old that have become an important food for humans. The banana trade is a dynamic market and has led to scientific delving into its genetics and its possibilities for ecological production.

The border river Usumacinta.
Credit: Mauricio Ramos

Accents
Specter of Usumacinta Dam Lingers
By Edin Hernández
The hydroelectric dam mega-project on the river dividing Mexico and Guatemala is keeping environmental groups on edge, despite reassurances from authorities that it has been canceled.

Eco-Briefs

GLOBAL: Transgenic Soy Depresses Prices
International soy prices fell 67 percent since the biotech giant Monsanto began commercial production of genetically modified seeds seven years ago, says Peter Rosset, co-director of the U.S.-based Food First and participant in the World Social Forum here last week.

CUBA: More Organic Coffee
Cuba hopes to achieve annual organic coffee yields of 800 tons within a few years in the eastern region of Guantánamo, the product of agro-chemical-free growing techniques and in high demand in Europe.

VENEZUELA: Strike Heightens Threat of Oil Spills
An environmental organization is blaming the strike leaders of the state-run Petróleos de Venezuela for the oil spills occurred since Dec 2, when the massive work stoppage began in protest against President Hugo Chávez

EL SALVADOR: Water Festival
The public will join activists, authorities and business leaders in celebrating at the Festival of Water, Mar 17-23, in El Salvador, where they will also have the chance to express their concerns about this vital resource.

VENEZUELA: Food for Garbage
- The "Garbage is not garbage" campaign for the collection and recycling of waste in exchange for food vouchers reaches the one-year mark this month, a success in this northwestern Venezuelan city.

GUATEMALA: Business under Control
The Guatemalan Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources will enact a regulation requiring environmental impact studies prior to construction of factories or other productive installations.

Lessons From a Unique Decade - José Graziano da Silva *
Rio+20 and Beyond: Together for a Sustainable Future - José Graziano da Silva *
Why Inclusive Green Growth Can Sustain Recent Gains in Latin America - Hasan Tuluy*
The Global Food Crisis and the Latin American Paradox - Pamela Cox