Edible Baja Arizona magazine posted this strong statement against the proposed Monsanto development in Pima County. View the original post of this article on its website.

A proposed Monsanto greenhouse in Marana would undermine and threaten Tucson’s designation as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy.

By edible Baja Arizona

In early October, biotech seed company Monsanto purchased 155 acres in Avra Valley northwest of Tucson for $3.74 million. According to reporting by Tony Davis in the Arizona Daily Star, Monsanto intends to install a seven-acre greenhouse on the site to grow and test corn and soybean seed. Without public input, Pima County’s Economic Development office offered Monsanto access to the financial advantages that come with being part of Tucson’s foreign trade zone. Davis has reported that this is essentially a tax incentive package for Monsanto, which could possibly reduce the company’s property tax burden by two-thirds.

Edible Baja Arizona joins many community organizations, farmers, and local food advocates in voicing our strong opposition to Monsanto’s presence in Pima County.

We request that that the County convene a citizen’s taskforce of farmers, local food economists, crop breeders, weed scientists, and ethicists to fully review and critique Monsanto’s plans on behalf of the Board of Supervisors. We also oppose its inclusion in the Foreign Trade Zone as a surreptitious tax incentive, and call on all Pima County Supervisors to vote no when it comes to a vote on November 22.

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On Tuesday, November 8, 2016, at 11 a.m. Eastern time (8 a.m. Pacific), listen in on a live interview with me, Melissa Diane Smith, about genetically modified foods and the growing non-GMO revolution on the Linda Mackenzie radio program on HealthyLife.net. If you miss the live show, don’t worry: You can hear the podcast in the Archives a day or two later.

The interview conducted by Linda Mackenzie, the founder/general manager of the HealthyLife.net Radio Network, will be a primer for people who are just learning how to avoid genetically modified foods as well as a quick refresher about the risks of genetically modified foods and how to shop non-GMO, even without mandatory labeling. The segment will cover the main points about Going Against GMOs in 20 minutes.

Copyright 2016 Melissa Diane Smith

by Melissa Diane Smith

Sign PCFA’s petition asking for more transparency, and for the Board of Supervisors to reject a tax incentive package for Monsanto

The Pima County Food Alliance (PCFA) – a grassroots policy council working for a just, local, environmentally sustainable food system in Pima County – says Monsanto is a threat to the sustainability of our local agricultural system and to Tucson’s recent designation as a UNESCO World City of Gastronomy.

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by Melissa Diane Smith

At the Pima County Board of Supervisors meeting on October 18, 2016, roughly half a dozen citizens spoke, giving the supervisors information about Monsanto’s terrible history and record and pleading with them not to approve a tax break for Monsanto to build a greenhouse and land operation facility in Avra Valley.

Watch a video of three of the people who gave their comments, including a man who had worked in suicide prevention who gave a very heartfelt plea to the supervisors. (Bear in mind that it’s not the best quality video, but it’s the only video of the proceedings that I could find!)

Below are the written words of what Martha Dominguez of Rising Tide Tucson, I, and farmer Anne Loftfield of High Energy Agriculture said.

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by Melissa Diane Smith

Below is a guest opinion piece I wrote and sent into the Arizona Daily Star close to two weeks ago. I was hoping it would be published during The International Monsanto Tribunal/March Against Monsanto weekend (October 15-16, 2016). The Star didn’t publish the article, but I gave a copy of this article to each one of the Pima County supervisors during their meeting on October 18, 2016.

It’s ironic and extremely disturbing to read your October 9^th front-page story about negotiations to give a tax break to Monsanto for a greenhouse in Pima County exactly one week before March Against Monsanto marches are planned throughout the world and before The International Monsanto Tribunal where witnesses will provide their accounts of harm to health, the environment, and farmers’ livelihood from Monsanto’s agricultural practices.

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Follow These 7 Steps to Say NO to Monsanto’s Plans in the Tucson Area

by Melissa Diane Smith

Unbeknownst to many people who live in Pima County, controversial multinational biotechnology giant Monsanto Co., which is known for bringing environmental and health damage to the areas that grow its genetically modified and pesticide-laden crops, is swiftly taking action to move a chunk of its seed operation into Pima County just northwest of Tucson. A small but powerful coalition of Pima County and Arizona residents, businesses, and non-profit organizations have already taken action to oppose Monsanto’s efforts, and we call on you to join the “Stop Monsanto in the Tucson Area” action coalition.

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