Sowing the Seeds of Self-Reliance for Forty Years

Welcome to The Ark Institute's new website!  While officially still under construction, we hope you'll find most of what you need is already here and just a button's click away. 

We've added something new:  Geri Guidetti's new Food Supply Update, Part I, below.  Check back for Part II in a few days.  All past and future Food Supply Updates will soon be archived on their own pages, accessible by the button to the left of this box.



Food Supply Update©:  May 16, 2008
Part I: GM Seed Tsunami Is On Its Way
Copyright © 2008, Geri Guidetti

Brace yourself.  Though still largely masked by the media’s election, earthquake and cyclone coverage, a manmade public relations tsunami of unprecedented size is set to saturate a hungry world with a message from the corporate GMO (genetically modified organisms) and chemical giants: “Global food shortage?  Climate change? No problem!  We have seed that will save the world!  In fact, you really have no choice.  It’s GM seeds or starvation.”

Last week, one of the first waves of the pitch hit shore on a major financial television network.  The topic, already in progress, was the global food crisis.  A guest had just suggested that the only way we can produce enough food to feed a burgeoning global population in an era of climate change is for the whole world to switch to high yielding genetically modified seeds (GM seeds).  One of two co-hosts remarked that most Europeans and their governments simply will not accept GM seed.  “Then let them starve!” grumbled the other co-host, obviously annoyed that anyone would reject such seed.  “What?” asked the first, incredulously.  “Let them starve!” he repeated.  “If the Europeans won’t accept GMOs, then let them starve.”  Sadly, he appeared to have meant it.
 
Needless to say, many of us, especially our European friends, find such a callous, even arrogant, position disturbing.  The fact that the program simultaneously airs—live—in Europe likely resulted in more than a few emails and calls to the network expressing the same in less polite language.  Yet, more unsettling than this one person’s opinion is the possibility that it may prove to be prophetic.

From this chair, it appeared that an apparently intelligent man had been completely convinced (how and by whom?) that GM seeds were the solution to the global food crisis, and that all countries and states must either accept and grow them or, in his opinion, be deprived of additional food raised by others who had accepted these “savior seeds.”  Sadly, most governments will soon be similarly convinced by a tsunami of slickly spun promises and backroom, arm-twisting deals, that solutions to their food security nightmares lie in crops containing designer genes that can handle any climate change challenge: extreme heat; drought; cold; salty soils; insect hordes, etc.
 
What will the consequences be for governments and peoples that resist the wares of the designer seed merchants and their sponsor states?  Can GMOs really be “climate change ready?”  What effects will spreading GMOs have on the genetics of conventional crops?  What effects will they have, or have they already had, on organic and wild, related species?  Will my vegetable garden be affected?  Do GMOs affect human or livestock health?  How can nations remain free when their food supply is controlled by a handful of seed engineering and agrochemical corporations and/or foreign governments?  For an ongoing discussion of these and so many other important questions, stay tuned……Geri Guidetti, Director, The Ark Institute

The Food Supply Update© may be reprinted in its entirety, with all attributes, in any media offered free of charge to its readers.  Permission to print edited versions of any of Geri Guidetti’s Food Supply Updates may be obtained by emailing:  arkinstitute@charter.net





Site Construction Update:
We have been multi-tasking as usual, and this new website has been a big part of our ongoing work.

Our test gardens are being planted and carefully labeled and tagged  for plant variety, disease susceptibility or resistance, drought tolerance, adaptability, yield, etc.  Evaluation of old and new varieties of non-hybrid and non-GMO vegetable, garden fruits and herbs is an ongoing process here, as candidates for new Ark Institute seed collections are chosen.  Just click on our Seed button, above, for more details on this season's new collections.  In the coming days, we will be adding detail to all of our pages in the hope that you will find The Ark Institute an outstanding and reliable resource in your effort to achieve robust health and perhaps, greater food self-sufficiency in these very turbulent and worrisome times.

In fact, due to historical food and water supply challenges currently facing our nation and, indeed, the world, The Ark Institute will be posting new information, articles, educational and support materials to this website on a daily basis.  Food supply updates, global water updates and all  issues that affect the availability and access to food and water will be posted under the linked pages in the box on the left side of this page.  We expect that the FAQs, frequently asked questions and answers,  will become a rich resource for those wanting to learn more about self-sufficiency gardening.  See the FAQ button, above.  We hope you will visit often to see if there is something new that will help you in your efforts to stay on top of what could soon become life and death issues.

A big thank you to all of our long-term friends and customers for your continuing support of our work, and welcome to all new friends and customers.  As we continue to build out our new and better website, we hope you will give us a call or email us to ask any questions you don't see posted yet, or to ask for any product  you don't see on the new site.  We are here to help.  Stephen and Kristin will return your phone calls if our lines are busy, so please leave your name and phone number.  We promise it will go no further.  Our toll-free number is 1-800-255-1912.

Okay, back to work with me!  Until my next message, stay safe and well.

Geri Guidetti, Director, The Ark Institute



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