Bitter Seeds

Bitter Seeds
Directed by Micha Peled
Produced by Micha Peled
Written by Micha Peled
Distributed by ITVS
Release dates
  • September 1, 2011 (2011-09-01) (Telluride Film Festival)
Running time
 88 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Bitter Seeds is a 2011 documentary film by American filmmaker and director and political commentator Micha Peled. The film is the third part of Peled's globalization trilogy after Store Wars: When Wal-Mart Comes to Town (2001)[1] and China Blue (2005).

Synopsis

Micha Peled's documentary on biotech (Bt) farming in India observes the impact of genetically modified cotton on India's farmers, with a suicide rate of over a quarter million Bt cotton farmers each year due to financial stress resulting from massive crop failure and the price of Monsanto's Bt seeds. The film also disputes claims by the biotech industry that Bt cotton requires less pesticide and promises of higher yields, as farmers discover that Bt cotton requires more pesticide than organic cotton, and often suffer higher levels of infestation by Mealybug resulting in devastating crop losses, and financial and psychological stress on cotton farmers. Due to the biotech seed monopoly in India, where Bt cotton seed has become the standard, and organic seed has become unobtainable, thus pressuring cotton farmers into signing Bt cotton seed purchase agreements with biotech multinational corporation Monsanto.[2]

Reception

Awards

The documentary film won the Green Screen Award (2011), the Oxfam Global Justice Award (2011), the Humanitas Prize (2012), and the International Green Film Award (2013).

Criticism

An analysis by the influential journal Nature showed that the suicide rate increased before Bt cotton was introduced to India and has not increased since. Furthermore, farmers' profits (on average) increased 50% due to yield increases from transgenic cotton.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Peled, Micha (2001). Store Wars: When Wal-Mart Comes to Town.
  2. ↑ "Bitter Seeds". ITVS.
  3. ↑ "Case studies: A hard look at GM crops". Nature. May 1, 2013.

External links


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