Ecological Implications
Terminating Seeds, continued
What is the controversy?
Those who are opposed to Terminator Technology see it as a biased technology which will benefit already prospering countries while hindering countries that already have economic problems.They believe that the technology, if licensed, will have far-reaching economic and cultural effects in poor countries where the technology is aimed, since many small farmers do not have the money to by new seeds every year. Many farmers rely on the practice of harvesting seeds every year for replanting. Hope Shand, research director of the Canadian RAFI group warns, "It's terribly dangerous. Half the world's farmers are poor. They provide food for more than 1 billion people but they can't afford to buy seeds every growing season. Seed collection is vital for them." The more vehement critics of Terminator Technology fear that it could lead to wide-spread famines, the magnitude of which we have never witnessed. Furthermore, terminator technology seems to contradict the supposed goal of agricultural technology which is to feed as many people as cheaply as possible. In response to the wide-spread outrage and ethical concerns over this proposed technology, Monsanto has delayed introducing it to the agricultural market.
