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Re:As Kenya’s crops fail, a fight over GMO rages by bluGill on Sunday March 05, 2023 @10:33AM (#35030466)
Since the 1940s farmers have preferred hybrid seeds that don't breed true. Saving seeds is an extremely stupid thing to do, so no farmer hesitates to sign the agreement.
Re:As Kenya’s crops fail, a fight over GMO rages by mistrial9 on Sunday March 05, 2023 @10:41AM (#35030545)
> Since the 1940s

sales totals as evidence?

> farmers have preferred

Which farmers, in what markets?

> hybrid seeds that don't breed true

does this apply to the Organic markets as defined by the legal definition of Organic ?

> Saving seeds is an extremely stupid thing

extremely stupid statements quickly accuse others of being extremely stupid, in my experience

> so no farmer hesitates

hesitation.. you mean understanding the agreement? then deciding on your own, with your own counsel ?

> sign the agreement

which legal jurisdiction ? what language is the agreement in ? where is the venue for resolution of conflict?

Re:As Kenya’s crops fail, a fight over GMO rages by jcampbell1 on Sunday March 05, 2023 @11:28AM (#35031045)
Heterosis.
Re:As Kenya’s crops fail, a fight over GMO rages by AlbertCory on Sunday March 05, 2023 @11:48AM (#35031289)
It's a dick move to demand a citation for everything. Do you do that for all the posts you AGREE with?
Re:As Kenya’s crops fail, a fight over GMO rages by qz_kb on Sunday March 05, 2023 @12:19PM (#35031630)
hybrid seeds don't breed true. You need to research what hybrid means, I have no idea why you bring up "organic markets" as if the market/growing conditions affect the genetics of a plant??
Re:As Kenya’s crops fail, a fight over GMO rages by Symbiote on Sunday March 05, 2023 @10:45AM (#35030573)
The British government has 10 pages of rules and procedures for seed saving. Are farmers in Britain also "extremely stupid"?

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/farm-saved-seed

I know nothing about this field, but people who do understand the situation in Kenya seem to disagree with you.

https://afsafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/kenya-engli...

Re:As Kenya’s crops fail, a fight over GMO rages by xyzzyz on Sunday March 05, 2023 @11:51AM (#35031323)
Your first link explains that when you’re a UK farmer and you save seeds, you must pay the government some kind of tax for the privilege. Oh, and also you cannot give or sell other people the seeds you saved.

Your second link is some kind of NGO the whole agenda of which is to promote seed savings. Hardly an objective source to learn the attitudes to seed saving of Kenyan farmers.

Re:As Kenya’s crops fail, a fight over GMO rages by hgsgm on Sunday March 05, 2023 @12:24PM (#35031689)
The point is that enough UK farmers do save seeds, that the UK government feels it important to charge them royalty fees. So apparently the seeds work.
Re:As Kenya’s crops fail, a fight over GMO rages by bluGill on Sunday March 05, 2023 @06:59PM (#35035652)
The seeds work. They just don't work as well. Sometimes you can sell heritage crops for more and it works out. Not all crops of hybrid variants so there is it makes sense to save seeds.

I have no idea what the UK is trying to accomplish with that paperwork, so I can't comment on it.

Re:As Kenya’s crops fail, a fight over GMO rages by modo_mario on Tuesday March 07, 2023 @05:03AM (#35053586)
>Saving seeds is an extremely stupid thing to do, so no farmer hesitates to sign the agreement.

Hard disagree. I know of a good few farmers seedsaving. They mostly do relatively small scale and/or organic and one I'm particularly close to's business is mostly centered around selling seeds so that's definitely not representative....but I dare say it's still a dumb statement. Especially in the context of Kenyan farmers where the majority of farms are comparatively small as per quick google.