---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Braden <[email protected]> Date: Sun, Aug 14, 2011 at 5:20 AM Subject: genetic diversity or genetic engineering If you want to make money in agriculture, then, you must discover something patentable and convince the rest of us that buying from you is better than just doing it the old way. The feed back loop is that, since that is were the money is, that is the option that gets advertised, and the rest of us come to believe that is the best alternative. The only problem is that it reduces genetic diversity in the system . . . making the system vulnerable to things like new plant diseases and pesticide resistance. Our society as a whole is better off if we understand the value of genetic diversity. Sustainability will require it. The money in not buying into the chemical agricultural paradigm is the money you can save by letting nature perform those functions. But more importantly, genetic diversity means that each element of the system has multiple ways to respond to any given change. Hopefully, some of those responses will be successful . . . or that element goes extinct . . . and that is what makes the system resilient. One step that we can all take toward sustainability is to *STOP SPREADING POISONS* If you have any influence with people who still believe the marketing on pesticides, use it to explain that point. The creature eating your plants is not a pest. It is food for the creature who wants to protect your plants. You cannot have lady beetles unless you grow aphids for them to eat and, if you have lady beetles, the aphids will not be a problem for your plants. That is just the way it works. Poisons are never a good idea because they reduce the genetic diversity of a place. Please join the discussion http://transitioninaction.com/**group/whole_person_paradigm/** forum/topics/start-the-**collaboration<http://transitioninaction.com/group/whole_person_paradigm/forum/topics/start-the-collaboration> http://transitioncolorado.**ning.com/group/**frontrangegardeners/forum/** topics/start-the-collaboration<http://transitioncolorado.ning.com/group/frontrangegardeners/forum/topics/start-the-collaboration> In Community David Braden -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens