Gilbert Arap Bor
Farmer, Kenya
Expert Bio
Gilbert Arap Bor grows maize, vegetables and dairy cows on a small-scale farm of 25 acres in Kapseret, near Eldoret, Kenya. Mr. Bor, a lecturer at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa’s Eldoret Campus (Gaba), is a member of the Truth About Trade & Technology Global Farmer Network and was recently honored as the 2011 Kleckner Trade & Technology Advancement Award recipient.
Studies, Articles and Answers
Showing 3 out of 3 results
Question
A: “Do judges know better than mothers what their children should eat?“In the Philippines, apparently they do. Or at least they think they do.“Last month, my country’s Court of Appeals stopped field tests on genetically modified eggplants—crops that I would happily feed my own children and grandchildren.“We’ve been eating GM crops for years. I grow them on my farm in San Jacinto during the dry season. They’re such excellent crops that I plant them on the 12 hectares that I own, and also rent an additional 3.5 hectares.“I’ve also grown eggplants. They’re the leading vegetable crop in the Philippi [...]
A: “As we begin a new year, we often express our hope for the future. In Kenya, there is hope that 2014 will bring a lifting of the ban on GM imports and mark the first time Kenyan farmers will have access to important tools of agricultural technology that have been withheld from them.“One of the world’s great scientific hoaxes has been ratted out.“That’s the good news. The bad news is that his false claims already have done enormous damage to the cause of food security—and it will take a big effort to undo the harm here in Kenya and elsewhere.“The story began more than a year ago, when th [...]
A: “…Climate change is having a bad influence as well: Cyclone Phailin has dumped an enormous amount of rain on India, but last year we had almost drought-like conditions in many parts of India. The success or failure of our farming is monsoon dependent. The monsoons that traditionally provide normal levels of precipitation have become less dependable, and we don’t have precise weather prediction that would enable us to plan our farming strategy.“All of this puts our food security at risk. In a nation of more than one billion citizens, the stakes are high indeed.“If we’re going to be serious abo [...]
A: “Do judges know better than mothers what their children should eat?“In the Philippines, apparently they do. Or at least they think they do.“Last month, my country’s Court of Appeals stopped field tests on genetically modified eggplants—crops that I would happily feed my own children and grandchildren.“We’ve been eating GM crops for years. I grow them on my farm in San Jacinto during the dry season. They’re such excellent crops that I plant them on the 12 hectares that I own, and also rent an additional 3.5 hectares.“I’ve also grown eggplants. They’re the leading vegetable crop in the Philippi [...]
A: “As we begin a new year, we often express our hope for the future. In Kenya, there is hope that 2014 will bring a lifting of the ban on GM imports and mark the first time Kenyan farmers will have access to important tools of agricultural technology that have been withheld from them.“One of the world’s great scientific hoaxes has been ratted out.“That’s the good news. The bad news is that his false claims already have done enormous damage to the cause of food security—and it will take a big effort to undo the harm here in Kenya and elsewhere.“The story began more than a year ago, when th [...]
A: “…Climate change is having a bad influence as well: Cyclone Phailin has dumped an enormous amount of rain on India, but last year we had almost drought-like conditions in many parts of India. The success or failure of our farming is monsoon dependent. The monsoons that traditionally provide normal levels of precipitation have become less dependable, and we don’t have precise weather prediction that would enable us to plan our farming strategy.“All of this puts our food security at risk. In a nation of more than one billion citizens, the stakes are high indeed.“If we’re going to be serious abo [...]
Business Practices GMOs & FarmersQuestion
A: “Do judges know better than mothers what their children should eat?“In the Philippines, apparently they do. Or at least they think they do.“Last month, my country’s Court of Appeals stopped field tests on genetically modified eggplants—crops that I would happily feed my own children and grandchildren.“We’ve been eating GM crops for years. I grow them on my farm in San Jacinto during the dry season. They’re such excellent crops that I plant them on the 12 hectares that I own, and also rent an additional 3.5 hectares.“I’ve also grown eggplants. They’re the leading vegetable crop in the Philippi [...]
A: “As we begin a new year, we often express our hope for the future. In Kenya, there is hope that 2014 will bring a lifting of the ban on GM imports and mark the first time Kenyan farmers will have access to important tools of agricultural technology that have been withheld from them.“One of the world’s great scientific hoaxes has been ratted out.“That’s the good news. The bad news is that his false claims already have done enormous damage to the cause of food security—and it will take a big effort to undo the harm here in Kenya and elsewhere.“The story began more than a year ago, when th [...]
A: “…Climate change is having a bad influence as well: Cyclone Phailin has dumped an enormous amount of rain on India, but last year we had almost drought-like conditions in many parts of India. The success or failure of our farming is monsoon dependent. The monsoons that traditionally provide normal levels of precipitation have become less dependable, and we don’t have precise weather prediction that would enable us to plan our farming strategy.“All of this puts our food security at risk. In a nation of more than one billion citizens, the stakes are high indeed.“If we’re going to be serious abo [...]
A: “Do judges know better than mothers what their children should eat?“In the Philippines, apparently they do. Or at least they think they do.“Last month, my country’s Court of Appeals stopped field tests on genetically modified eggplants—crops that I would happily feed my own children and grandchildren.“We’ve been eating GM crops for years. I grow them on my farm in San Jacinto during the dry season. They’re such excellent crops that I plant them on the 12 hectares that I own, and also rent an additional 3.5 hectares.“I’ve also grown eggplants. They’re the leading vegetable crop in the Philippi [...]
A: “As we begin a new year, we often express our hope for the future. In Kenya, there is hope that 2014 will bring a lifting of the ban on GM imports and mark the first time Kenyan farmers will have access to important tools of agricultural technology that have been withheld from them.“One of the world’s great scientific hoaxes has been ratted out.“That’s the good news. The bad news is that his false claims already have done enormous damage to the cause of food security—and it will take a big effort to undo the harm here in Kenya and elsewhere.“The story began more than a year ago, when th [...]
A: “…Climate change is having a bad influence as well: Cyclone Phailin has dumped an enormous amount of rain on India, but last year we had almost drought-like conditions in many parts of India. The success or failure of our farming is monsoon dependent. The monsoons that traditionally provide normal levels of precipitation have become less dependable, and we don’t have precise weather prediction that would enable us to plan our farming strategy.“All of this puts our food security at risk. In a nation of more than one billion citizens, the stakes are high indeed.“If we’re going to be serious abo [...]
Business Practices GMOs & FarmersQuestion
Q: do you think GM foods are more harmful or helpful?
A: There is currently a debate in our state to remove legislation that restricts the growing of GM food. I hope it’s overturned: Farmers in Western Australia should enjoy all the tools of modern agriculture, especially the ones that have proven so popular and effective in the Western hemisphere, from Canada in the north to Argentina in the south. This would represent progress. Unfortunately, we may have to endure regress. The states of South Australia and Tasmania continue to ban GM farming. If a Labor government comes to power in the next Western Australian state election they have [...]
A: The following responses are excerpts of farmer perspectives about GM crops that can be used for food, which were shared by the Truth About Trade & Technology Global Farmer Network. [...]
A: In Tanzania, researchers have figured out how to improve the cassava through biotechnology—a development that everyone ought to celebrate and promote. This progress comes at a good time because the cassava brown-streak virus has become the leading threat to food security in many parts of East Africa. One study says that the disease can slash a farm’s productivity by as much as 70 percent. When it strikes, many smallholder farmers simply abandon their fields—and each time that happens, Africa’s dire food problems grow a little bit worse. Biotechnology offers a potentia [...]
A: Years ago, India accepted biotechnology in agriculture when it commercialized GM cotton. At that moment, it looked like we might become full participants in a new wave of progress. Today, more than 95 percent of India’s cotton is genetically modified to resist insect pests. This was a welcome start, but small in scale. Only a tiny minority of India’s farmers grows cotton. The rest of us produce other crops, and are yet to taste the benefit of GM crops as we try to feed a nation of more than 1.2 billion people. Yet as farmers in North and South America pressed forward [...]
A: Since citrus greening showed up about a decade ago, Florida’s orange production has fallen by about half—and if it falls much more, the citrus business may become economically unsustainable. Our oranges won’t come from Florida anymore. More than orange juice is at stake. After squeezing, a lot of the leftover pulp becomes feed for my cattle—not only is it good for them, but it allows us to use citrus in multiple ways. Nothing goes to waste, in accordance with the principles of sustainable agriculture. Growers have tried to fight citrus greening in every way imaginable [...]
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