You may remember that back during General Surayuth Chulanont’s administration, seeds companies and those who support the cultivation of GMOs in Thailand took advantage of the fact that Thailand was governed by a military junta to bring in commercial trials of GMOs.
Real food security is having food democracy. Or where all the people, both farmers and consumers have the power to determine the food system that they require. They do not leave a single power over the food system to be dominated by anyone, so that everyone can have sufficient food to eat, that is nutritious, safe, diverse and appropriate to the culture, sustainable and addresses the various crises over the long term.
For many weeks already, there’s been a vibrant discussion about the rice that we eat here in Thailand. As someone who is a very fussy eater - I love knowing where my rice is grown, and don’t eat rice that’s too hard, too old, too crumbly, or too pungent.
In my previous post, I talked about some of the big global issues relating to farmers and food security. In this second post, I’d like to contribute to the debate on how consumers can help influence our food system.