Publications
Attack of the Mutant Watermelons: The Campaign against GMOs in the Phillipines
OCCASIONAL PAPER
It has often been said that biotechnology will feed a hungry world.
That may very well be the case in the future. But at the moment, biotechnology is only feeding hungry activists. As this paper shows, opposing biotechnology is not so much of a cause these days,as it is an occupation. And anti-biotech NGOs have begun to resemble an industry more than a movement.
As the Philippines case study amply illustrates, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are beingassaulted by a sophisticated, well-resourced and co-ordinated campaign conducted by a small clique of highly-networked, media-savvy, professional activists funded by foreign money. The campaign against biotechnology in the Philippines is not a spontaneous grassroots movement, but a carefully planned and orchestrated effort.