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1247 points mangoman | 4 comments | 05 Dec 16 14:57 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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agentgt ◴[05 Dec 16 16:05 UTC] No.13106307[source]▶
I know this is fairly impossible in urban areas but I find myself shopping much more frequently in what I call grocery farms. If you live in affluent suburbias I'm sure you have seen them. They are basically high end grocery stores that sells the produce they grow along with other things they buy from other local farms. Some of the produce is grown inside and seasonal things are grown outside.

Yeah some of them are just for show and an excuse to sell high end stonewall kitchen stuff but others actually grow their own stuff or sell other farms stuff.

The problem with local food (produce and meat) is that they are often not in plastic containers (which I prefer). It looks like Amazon Go requires very prepackaged stuff.

I really would love to see someway to have more farm+grocery stores (that is grow right in the store or very near by). Figuring out a way (even if it requires some GMO) to grow food right in the store would be an amazing thing for the environment, health, and food quality.

The other things is I know people are in a rush with everything but over the last few years I find grocery shopping rather cathartic and I think people used to enjoy grocery shopping (you know go to the butcher and then to the baker kind of european lifestyle). It is shame we have to make something even more "on the go" that I'm not sure needs to be.

replies(1): >>13106856 #
1. heliumcraft ◴[05 Dec 16 16:58 UTC] No.13106856[source]▶
> (even if it requires some GMO)

You say that like if it's a bad thing, you might want to better inform yourself on GMOs as there are A LOT of myths and misconceptions out there.

replies(1): >>13106930 #
2. agentgt ◴[05 Dec 16 17:05 UTC] No.13106930[source]▶
> You say that like if it's a bad thing, you might want to better inform yourself on GMOs as there are A LOT of myths and misconceptions out there.

And you might not want to assume what I know and don't :)

I say it because GMOs are not open source. Local farms don't get access to GMOs and it can create an unfair advantage to big farms.

As for health reasons I don't believe that GMOs are bad for you but they may have lower nutrients since you can now grow on the same plot of land over and over (and soil depletion of nutrients is a real thing) [1].

I'll assume you didn't know about soil depletion... as there are lot of people that don't and you know its better to inform yourself :)

That being said I do agree that GMOs get mostly unfair sentiment.

[1]: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/soil-depletion-an...

replies(1): >>13107053 #
3. heliumcraft ◴[05 Dec 16 17:18 UTC] No.13107053[source]▶
95% of seeds are patented, GMO or not, including those used in Organic Farming, the 'open source' / patents part is not something specific to GMOs (although the Organic industry works really hard to spread that myth).

Organic farming can also use pesticides (and most do), some of these pesticides are as bad or even worse than the ones used in modern agriculture.

And in regards to nutrients https://gmoanswers.com/studies/how-do-gm-crops-impact-soil-h...

replies(1): >>13107265 #
4. agentgt ◴[05 Dec 16 17:34 UTC] No.13107265{3}[source]▶
I'm exceedingly open minded that GMOs are good but you might very well be closed minded that there are some negatives particularly since I linked to a scientific article (albeit slightly pop sci journal) and you gave me link to an organization whos goal it is to spread GMOs are good.

From the SA article:

“Efforts to breed new varieties of crops that provide greater yield, pest resistance and climate adaptability have allowed crops to grow bigger and more rapidly,” reported Davis, “but their ability to manufacture or uptake nutrients has not kept pace with their rapid growth.” There have likely been declines in other nutrients, too, he said, such as magnesium, zinc and vitamins B-6 and E, but they were not studied in 1950 and more research is needed to find out how much less we are getting of these key vitamins and minerals.

That doesn't mean GMOs are bad but it might mean people will abuse the fact they will grow easily on just about anything (I'm exaggerating for emphasis).

As for the unfair advantage it is in large part because of ignorance of the consumers. I admit it is a weak argument but sadly the local farmers often have to grow non-gmo because that is what sells and they will get lower crop yield if there are other nearby GMOs (bugs and cross pollination). It is not enough to be locally grown... you have to be GMO free. I met a farmer in Hawaii Kauai that shared this issue with me and the seemed fairly passionate about it.