With corn prices rising due in part to global climate changes, flooding, and droughts, the question arises: should Mexico use genetically modified seeds to improve crop yields, particularly corn? If a seed species were available that was drought and pest resistant, should it be used? The fact of the matter is that such a miracle seed is available from none other than agricultural behemoth Monsanto.
Even now Mexico has postponed the debate on genetically modified foods. Surely the issue will arise as its population struggles to cope with rising food prices and its agricultural sector is presented with lucrative export opportunities. The country is well-positioned to take advantage of export opportunities to the American market. NAFTA provides the coveted duty-free access of goods into the United States, and vastly simplifies the regulations of agricultural goods.
At the same time, expanding the domestic food supply would lower prices for basic foodstuffs. If such a simple solution as using better seeds were available, why wouldn't it be taken? First are costs for small-scale farmers. The large Mexican agricultural firms can certainly afford to improve yields using GM seeds. However, the average small-scale farmer in Mexico has little or no access to credit and/or technical expertise. Thus, even the option of GM seeds is out of the reach of many.
Nevertheless, cultural barriers may present the strongest obstacle to GM use. With Mexico, along with the rest of Mesoamerica, being the originator of maize thousands of years before Christ, resistance to changing a national staple can be great, particularly when change comes at the helm of a major U.S. corporation. Concerns about GM transfer to non-target species and species monoculture are also very real.
Despite these concerns, GM seeds are catching on. Crucially, their use can reduce the risk-prone and cyclical nature of farming. GM seeds bring a huge increase in crop yields , greatly lowering the relative increase in their cost. As a result of NAFTA, Mexican farmers face especially stiff competition from farmers in the United States, in part due to massive U.S. government subsidies. Using GM seeds would be a significant step to level the playing field, and requires little additional technical know-how, training, or capital investment beyond the purchase of seeds.
Thus, it is only a matter of time before a national debate is faced by Mexico. Crop prices will continue to increase in the near and medium-term and the search for and debate over affordable alternatives will not be far behind.
For further reading (in Spanish): http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/specials/newsid_6317000/6317903.stm
