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M.R. Subramani

How Mr Petersen manages all the three forms of farming is that he has a buffer zone that separates the organic crops from conventional and GM ones.

Philadelphia , June 27

MR Jim Petersen, a fourth-generation US farmer, can be a David or Goliath, depending on which side of the argument you are. He is neither an advocate of genetically modified (GM) organism nor for organic crops or for that matter conventional agriculture. In fact, he is a man who practices all three forms of cultivation in his huge farm of 600 acres in Knoxville, Iowa.

His story, as farm scientists, advocates and analysts see, is one that favours co-existence of conventional, organic and GM farming.

"Till 2002, we were doing 50:50 of conventional and GM crops in the 400 acres we hold. Then, a family known to us approached and offered to allow us farming in 160 acres onthe condition that we do only organic cultivation. We agreed to it," Mr Petersen said at a session of the international convention of Biotechnology Industry Organisation.

"So in 2003, we began cultivating organic oats and a bit of soyabean. We, in fact, did a little bit of maths to go about our farming. First we planted oats in March, then we went in for conventional and GM corn in April. In early May, we planted conventional and ready roundup soya and in the middle of May, we planted organic corn and followed it up with organic soya," he said.

In 2003, he couldn't clear the weeds in the fields where organic crops were sown and that affected the production. But the other crops gave him a good yield. Last year, he got good results from all the three. How Mr Petersen manages all the three forms of farming is that he has a buffer zone that separates the organic crops from conventional and GM ones.

"We have a 25-foot buffer area for corn and grass that acts as buffer for soya," he said. But there is one thing that he clarifies. "I am not in the export market and, therefore, am not certain about its prospects," he said.

It is certainly possible for co-existence of all the three forms of farming, says Mr Drew L. Kershen of the College of Law, University of Oklahama. He was part of the panel that discussed on co-existence of these crops and is a legal expert on the issue.

"Farmers will have to have the choice to the technology they think is the best. Studies say that even in pure hybrids, there is presence of broken and foreign material to the extent of 2 per cent," he said.

In the global market, there is an allowance of 2 per cent and this can ensure peaceful co-existence of all sorts of farming in any part of the world.

Quoting a study of the Organic Farm Research Fund of the US, he said 92 per cent of organic farmers faced no problem from GM crops.

"But four per cent of the farmers said they suffered loss in terms of market price," he said, adding that this was due to the contract they had entered into with the buyers. Remember, the conflict is more where the tolerance level is zero," he said.

It is an accepted norm that speciality producers should bear costs to implement measures to avoid foreign or GM material to get premium for their produce, according to Mr Kershen.

"Even the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) has issued a guideline that says organic certification does not imply that a produce is free of genetic material. The certification can guarantee a product without genetic material but not in totality. Therefore, when sellers or growers sign a contract, it is necessary that they keep these things in mind," Mr Kershen said.

"Growers should understand that they get paid for production protection and not for purity," he said.

According to Mr Fred Yodder, a former president of the US National Corn Growers Association, it is not difficult for different forms of farming to co-exist, provided the neighbouring farmers are taken into confidence.

"You have to base things on science primarily," he said.

Meanwhile, some non-governmental organisations have come out in favour of growing GM crops. For example, AfricaBio, a non-governmental organisation based in South Africa, has urged the African and Asian countries to allow cultivation of GM crops.

"Only GM crops can meet the food and nutritional requirements of the people, most of them who are suffering from poverty," Ms Jocelyn Webster of the organisation said.

"In South Africa, detail research has been done by various arms of the Government on genetic crops and they have been found to be safe for human consumption," she said.

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