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Artwork | Polo Castellanos | Courtesy of artelista Moderator’s Note: At the request of anti-GMO activist networks in Mexico and the U.S. we are posting our translation of an editorial published in the Mexican national daily, La Jornada two days ago (28 November 2014). The statement was prepared by Professor Elena Álvarez-Buyll on behalf of the Mexican NGO known as Unión de Científicos Comprometidos con la Sociedad (UCCS) or Union of Socially Concerned Scientists. This is one in a continuing series of translated works we are posting to keep our English language readers informed on important developments and perspectives in Mexico related to the science, culture, and politics of food and agriculture, with a focus on growing social movements for the protection of Mexico precious diversity of native crops. Mexico is one of the premiere centers of origin for native (land race) crops – including multiple varieties among amaranth, avocado, bean, cacao, chile, corn, papaya,   squash, and...

Cocodrillo rojo . Artwork by Francisco Toledo . Moderator’s Note: Yesterday we posted a letter by Dr. David Schubert , an eminent immunologist from the Salk Institute in La Jolla, CA. It was addressed to Mexico’s President Lic. Enrique Peña Nieto and explained the scientific evidence and logic that Mexico should consider in moving to adopt policies resulting in a permanent ban on future planting of GMO corn inside Mexican territory. Mexico is one of the world’s principal Vavilov Centers and its indigenous farmers have over thousands of years developed the enormous diversity of more than 60 land race varieties of corn, or Zea mays . Schubert also argues that the place of corn as the definitive staple of the Mexican diet has unique health implications and no one else has ever eaten the amount of GMO corn that would be the case if the transgenic varieties are approved for future planting. To follow-up on yesterday’s post, I am sharing a second letter with a link to a Spanish language web...