Organic Consumers Alliance

October 22, 2024

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Good people, the month of June is here and with it the “chilly” season.

This month we share some “chilling” scientific evidence of the harmful effects of the commonly used chemical, glyphosate, whose scientific name is N-phosphono-methyl-glycine. This manufactured synthetic chemical molecule, invented by Monsanto, and its “inert” additives has been called the “devils molecule” by some scientists….here is why!

New evidence shows that glyphosate, a key ingredient of Roundup formulations, a commonly used weed killer and other agricultural use, is more harmful than previously thought. Here is the evidence: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027869151530034X
New evidence shows that the negative effects of glyphosate are much worse than previously thought: They are intergenerational! A recent publication in Nature confirms the same: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-42860-0
Did you know that glyphosate, in animal feed and water sources, negatively affects the gut microbiome of cows by killing the “good bacteria” and allowing the proliferation of the ‘bad bacteria”? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25407376
Did you know that glyphosate also affects male fertility negatively? Here is the disturbing evidence. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27286640
All this increasing bloating and “glutten intolerance”… did you know that glyphosate negative effects motor activity of rat guts akin to “leaky gut” in humans? Here is the evidence: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1382668916303271?via%3Dihub

What is the way forward? We need to change how we grow food and restrict or ban the use of herbicides and pesticides as used in agricultural formulations with even more harmful additives.

Did you know that the USA, where glyphosate and GMOs are most used has the worst maternal mortality rates, among developed countries? The evidence: https://www.npr.org/2017/05/12/528098789/u-s-has-the-worst-rate-of-maternal-deaths-in-the-developed-world
Is this what we want for Africa, in general and Kenya, in particular? There is evidence that if GMOs are introduced, there will be an increase in use of pesticides, including glyphosate. Here is the evidence of what happened when the USA introducd GMOs: There was a more than 15 fold increase in pesticide use: https://usrtk.org/pesticides/glyphosate-health-concerns/ and more evidence here: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2658306
What is the safer and healthier alternative to use of synthetic pesticides? Evidence that use of glyphosate free organic farming(and other regenerative ecological farming practices) reduces the risk of exposure to pesticide residues and attendant health effects: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935119300246
Is there evidence that the world can exist without glyphosate and other harmful synthetic pesticides? Of course yes. The Case of Sikkhim State in India which is 100% certified organic: Here: http://www.ias4sure.com/wikiias/gs3/organic-farming-sikkim-case-study/
More evidence that agroecological organic farming can feed the world from Australia here:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-18/red-tips:-the-story-behind-the-bananas-with-the/11126862

Finally, the author of this article, based on available evidence, is convinced we can achieve the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) and feed the world organically without using harmful synthetic pesticides. Listen here:
For more evidence on why the world needs to urgently and transformatively change its food production and consumption system, join us in this 1^st International Conference of its kind, where the impact of the pesticide problem will be presented and viable scalable agroecological solution will be presented in the same Conference with viable Organic Trade business, locally and globally, all aligned to the clarion call of the 17 SDGS…”for People, Planet and Profits…leaving no one behind. Click here to register: https://www.agroecologyconference.eoai-africa.org/

Good people, the month of May is here and with it the skies have opened and the rains are, finally, here!

This month we share cutting edge evidence from leading trans-disciplinary experts who, through their independent research, confirm that GMOs and pesticides are UNSAFE, and if left unchecked, they pose a real existential threat to humanity..Dr. Zach Bush estimates that, only 70 years are left before humanity becomes extinct….if we don’t change what we consume...

Let us start with a quote from Hippocrates:..”all disease begins and ends in the gut”… the opposite of food being “medicine” is food being “poison”…the evidence points to GMOs in combination with pesticides, doing exactly that…here below the evidence.
Evidence from the research findings of Zach Bush, a brilliant triple board certified physician: His research findings can only be described as shocking and revolutionary: Watch and listen to the evidence here:
Evidence from a former biotech scientist, Thierry Vrain, a retired Canadian GMO-Glyphosate Expert:
Evidence from Don Huber, an Emeritus Professor of Plant Pathologist who is a foremost expert on the dangers of GMOs and Glyphosate: He validates Zach Bush’s findings and explains how glyphosate is not only a pesticide and but also a broad spectrum antibiotic which selectively kills the “good bacteria” in the gut while allowing the growth of “bad bacteria”, like clostridium difficile, which cause disease:
More supportive evidence from Steffanie Seneff, an MIT computer expert and biologist, shows epidemiologically significant correlation between introduction of GMOs and increased use of glyphosate with increase of Autism and Cancers, among other chronic diseases, including increasing rates of diabetes. Listen to one of her presentations here:
Evidence from Shiva Ayyadurai, an award winning MIT scientist: His research findings, using computer algorithms, demonstrate that GMOs, unlike non-GMOs, accumulate formaldehyde a toxic carcinogen and further explains that the current GMO safety assessments are inadequate, exposing consumers to unsafe GMO foods:
Scientific prove from Judy Carman, a leading Australian public health researcher and epidemiologist, that GMOs cause gut inflammation and other dysfunctions that trigger ill heath in animals and humans:
And finally, we conclude with breakthrough biomedical evidence from David Perlmutter, a celebrity neurologist, on the link between the gut and the brain. Dr. Perlmutter, is the author the book “Gut brain connection” and numerous publications demonstrating the connection between human gut health; “gut microbiome” and the human brain: Watch this fascinating interview here:

Going forward, what are the safe food alternatives to replace GMOs and pesticides?

The answer is both simple and complex: The simple part is; Encourage, promote and mainstream agroecological and organic food production and consumption and supportive systems, including consumption of local indigenous vegetables, free from GMOs and pesticides:
Here is a presentation from one of the leading promoters of African Indigenous Vegetables(AIVs), demonstrating and promoting AIVs: Mary Abukutsia Onyango:

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The complex part is advocating for mainstreaming of agro-ecological organic practices into the conventional “industrial agriculture biased” agricultural policies and regulations.

In conclusion and for more evidence on why GMOs and pesticides are the PROBLEM and scaling up agroecological organic agriculture and related foods is the SOLUTION, kindly register and attend the Scaling up Agroecology and Reducing Pesticides Conference, June, 18 -21, Safari Park, Nairobi, Kenya; Here: https://www.agroecologyconference.eoai-africa.org/

The month of March is here and with it expectations of the first quarterly report for the year, 2019!

What are we reporting and sharing from Organic Consumers Alliance (OCA)? Here is an overview for the first quarter:

True to our evidence based content, we are reporting that a recent study clearly demonstrates that consuming organic foods, even for short periods of time, reduces exposure to harmful pesticides; as this recent urine tests study demonstrates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=53&v=VnAKuMMv9QM
Sustainable Pulse: https://sustainablepulse.com/2019/02/12/groundbreaking-study-shows-massive-reduction-in-pesticides-in-humans-after-one-week-organic-diet/#.XHuKw8AzbIV
For those who insist on scientifically published sources, here is the publication: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935119300246
Why is the above publication important and relevant to those of us who advocate for SAFE and healthy diets are a key strategy to reducing non-communicable diseases (NCDs)?
Because multiple sources of published literature show that consuming fruits and vegetables significantly reduces the risk of NCDs: But are the fruits and vegetables SAFE?https://www.researchgate.net/publication/291955130_Fruit_and_vegetable_consumption_and_all-cause_mortality_Evidence_from_a_large_Australian_cohort_study
Evidence that young people consume less fruits and vegetables and that this may “fuel” the NCDs epidemic, both locally and globally: The question of food safety persists. https://www.naturalnews.com/2019-02-28-horrendous-food-habits-of-the-young-less-than-half-eat-a-single-fruit-or-vegetable-each-day.html
Any local evidence, from a developing country? A Kenyan study, on dietary risk factors, demonstrated similar results, including that young male adults are most at risk of NCDs, from consuming less fruits and vegetables (and consuming more processed sugar and salt). https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-018-6060-y
Do we have any evidence that pesticide residues are not only a threat to achieving food security but also associated with unhealthy outcomes and specifically linked to NCDs? Yes we do: Read this article about a pesticide called glyphosate found in all formulations of a common weed killer, Roundup Weed killer. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-018-6060-y
Finally, is this notoriously harmful pesticide linked to almost all non-communicable diseases? Yes: It interferes with the “shikimate pathway” in human gut bacteria and works as a ‘catalyst” to aggravate the effects of other toxins that destroy the “good bacteria” : Here: https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/gut-microbiome-risk/

What is the way forward?

There is urgent need for MORE awareness creation and promotion of consumption of SAFE, nutritious and diverse diets, which are pesticide FREE, also referred to as organic foods: especially fruits and vegetables, for all people, in general and in particular, among male youth.
Lastly, while creating organic wellness “content”, with and for young people, we don’t forget to have fun!

Good people,

The month of April 2019 is here and with it the beginning of the 2rd quarter of the year. The much awaited long rains are yet to start. The manifestations of the Equinox – unusually high temperatures - have been particularly punishing…there is a sense of gloom and doom… the negative socio-economic effects are evident; from famine to high inflationary rates…and more.

Here are some of the reasons why we should urgently shift away the conventional “industrial-chemical-monoculture” food production model…before it is too late.

More than six years ago, a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report published on September 18^th, 2013 called for radical changes in agriculture and food production stating that: “Farming in rich and poor nations alike should shift from monoculture towards greater varieties of crops, reduced use of fertilizers and other inputs, greater support for small-scale farmers, and more locally focused production and consumption of food”, the report recommends.
The same document urges world leaders to “wake up before it is too late”: http://www.arc2020.eu/unctad-wake-up-before-its-too-late/
World renowned environmental thinker and activist, Dr. Vandana Shiva, has constantly warned humanity of the inequality and disparity created by the “Billionnaires Club” who, increasingly, seek to control global resources and power, to the detriment of 99% of humanity, in her new book: Oneness: https://www.alliance-editeurs.org/oneness-vs-the-1-shattering,1540?
Here is a short video of Vandana Shiva explaining the unfolding ecological disaster with this unsustainable model:

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Do we have evidence that these “toxic foods” from synthetic chemical farming not only harm the environment but also harm human health? YES, we do: Here is the scientific evidence from two leading scientists and researchers, Prof. Gilles-Eric Seralini and Dr. Judy Carman: Their links here: https://www.gmoseralini.org/en/ and https://gmojudycarman.org/

Why should these detrimental food systems concern us locally? Africa and Africans should be concerned because these food systems are not aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework which should inform food production systems and requisite farm inputs.

These models instead promote MORE fossil fuel manufactured synthetic chemical fertilizers and synthetic herbicides/pesticides which are increasingly associated with cancer and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs); https://www.nation.co.ke/news/US-court-ruling-herbicide-sends-shockwaves--Kenya/1056-5050144-129xuo8z/index.html

And more…

What is the way forward?

The IAASTD Report: An authoritative watershed UN-FAO/World Bank Report on way forward for agriculture: A link here: https://www.globalagriculture.org/fileadmin/files/weltagrarbericht/IAASTDBerichte/IAASTDExecutiveSummarySynthesisReport.pdf and The UNCTAD report;http://www.arc2020.eu/unctad-wake-up-before-its-too-late/, recommend a shift to diverse, local agro-ecological food production systems, including organic agriculture, as the solution.
As part of the way forward, we continue to share evidence for policy advocacy and awareness creation with various stakeholders, including policy makers, farmers and consumers:
We advocate for agroecologicl food production systems as able to feed the world.
Together with other like-minded groups, we continue to educate and involve everyone, especially the youth-the millennial. They are the greatest losers(or winners) from this asymmetrical power and control of the food system:

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In conclusion, we have an obligation to bequeath our children a safer and more livable future devoid of ill health and enslavement from the 1% who own the “toxic herbicides/pesticides” which help grow the “patented monocultures”, as commodities for trade, rather than as safe, nutrient rich foods: The upcoming 1^st International Conference on Agroecology is about the WHY and more: Register here; https://www.worldfoodpreservationcenterpesticidecongress.com/

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New evidence that glyphosate, a key ingredient in Roundup and other herbicides formulations, is more harmful than previously thought

Did you know that genetically modified foods (GMOs) and synthetic pesticides work synergistically to destroy both the external ecosystem and the internal ecosystem aka the gut microbiome? Listen to the scientific evidence…

Did you know that organic foods are a “one stop shop” solution to consuming pesticide contaminated foods and addressing non-communicable diseases?

Why we must shift from “industrial-chemical-monoculture” food systems to “local, diverse, agro-ecological ” food systems…before it is too late.

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