Wellness Generation

The story of the Green Revolution began when, in 1943, the Rockefeller Foundation dispatched a team of agricultural experts to Mexico to set up a research program on local grains.

Soon to head the research was  agricultural scientist Norman Borlaug, the so called father of the “green revolution”.(1)

His research program soon paid off with effective results.  He used groundbreaking breeding techniques to produce disease-resistant varieties of wheat that produced much more grain than local strains.

By 1951, the disease-resistant wheat strains were widely established and a new wheat/fertilizer package was developed that gave high yields accompanied by newly developed irrigation lands of Mexico.

This initiated a rapid growth in overall wheat yields, which rose from some 770 pounds per acre in 1952 to over 2,900 by 1964 in the newly irrigated areas. (2)

This yield increase appeared to arrive at the right time because during the 1950s and 1960s, public health improvements led to increased population levels in underdeveloped nations, leading to concerns that present agricultural methods could not accommodate growing food demand.

Alerted to this concern, the Rockefeller Foundation, in 1961, created a new research program to study millet in India.  In 1962, it  joined forces with the Ford foundation to found the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines to develop new strains of Asia’s major food crop.

This new breeding project, with large financial backing, gave results even quicker than the Mexican project.  Within three to four years “miracle” rices of differing variety were boosting yields in the Philippines.  Like the Mexican wheat, the new rice varieties had similar stringent requirements for fertilizer and irrigation.(3)

Chemical farming was favored among the farmers and the growers for a quick yield of crops.  The growers found that it was much easier to cultivate crops without taking much trouble of preparing organic manure.

It generated dramatic results and increased grain yields of rice from 1.4 tons per hectare during 1934-58 to 3.6 tons in the early 1960s. (4)

The number of crops increased throughout the year.  The farmers obviously did not spurn the chance of growing more food with the chemical fertilizer and pesticide readily available through local mediums. (5)

Following the successes of the program, the term ‘Green Revolution’ was coined in March 1968 by the director of U.S. Agency for International Development, William Gaud. (6)

Thanks to the ‘Green Revolution’, world food production more than doubled between 1960 and 1990.  In Pakistan and India, two of the nations that benefited most from the new crop varieties, grain yields more than quadrupled over the period.(7)

Thus the ‘Green Revolution’ is usually thought of as the accelerated growth in Third-World grain production which resulted from combining new seeds, mostly wheat and rice, with heavy applications of fertilizer, pesticide and controlled irrigation.(8)

It would appear Borlaug’s work, which expanded agriculture at just the moment when such an increase in production was most needed, was of value.

Indeed, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 in recognition of his contributions to world peace through increasing food supply.  Many experts credit the ‘Green Revolution’ with averting global famine during the second half of the 20th century and saving maybe 1 billion lives.(9)

However, the story has recently taken a twist.

Experts in India, at a recent workshop on climate change and sustainable agriculture, have opined that the ‘Green Revolution’ has done more harm than good to the agriculture sector in the country from a long term perspective.

They suggested the farmers to return to traditional practices in farming in order to make the vocation sustainable in the future. (10)

What harmful effects are of concern?

Many resonate from chemical pesticides which have caused widespread environmental problems such as water pollution, soil degradation, insect resistance and resurgence, destruction of native flora and fauna, and human hazards.

Farmers spraying insecticides in a paddy field at Phul town in Bathinda on Sunday. A Tribune photograph 

Sprayers of pesticide who come into direct contact and inhale toxic compounds are getting poisoned and facing premature deaths.  The growers who are indiscriminately using pesticides in the field are not aware that they are facing risk to their health.(11)

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), pesticides poison 25 million lives every year.  About 20,000 unintentional deaths occur every year due to pesticide poisoning.(12)

Most of these pesticides are prohibited but are smuggled into the “Third World” countries and black-marketed in private capacities.  For example, the USA exported more than 344 million pounds of hazardous pesticides during 1992-94.(13)

More pesticide is needed because insects and micro-organisms that inflict harm to the plant have developed a stronger immunity to the pesticides.  The overuse of pesticides has caused massive destruction of natural enemies of insect pests and resurgence of pest species.

The increase of pesticides and fertilizer usage is also accompanied by an increased risk of contamination to ground water supply.

Ground water is found in spaces between soil particles and rocks, and within cracks of bedrock.  The water table is the name given to the top of a saturated zone.

Major reservoirs of ground water are called ‘aquifers’.  Aquifers are recharged by rain, snowmelt, or interchange with surface waters.  Ground water is not stationary, but moves vertically or horizontally following the slope of the water table.(14)

How does pesticide effect the ground water?

Once pesticides are applied to its target area, many events may occur.  The pesticide may be consumed by plants, evaporated into the atmosphere, carried off by the wind, or ingested by insects, worms and microorganisms.  The pesticide may adhere to soil particles like iron filings to a magnet or be dissolved in irrigation or rain water.(15)

A number of pesticides that contain nitrates have the potential to interfere with normal functions of the body, particularly the endocrine system that regulates physiological functions through hormonal signals.

Nitrates can build up to high concentrations in groundwater, due to wash-off from agricultural use.

High levels of nitrate exposure in drinking water has also been suggested as a cause of cancer, thyroid disease and diabetes.(16)

To read the remainder of the article click here.

GOAL POSTS MOVED ON RECYCLED WATER QUALITY GUIDELINES

Read the news report

THE Bligh Government is set to relax rules on the quality of recycled water produced by its $9 billion water grid, after a report found it contained levels of chemicals (such as TTHM’s like bromodichloromethane) above legislated standards.

The report, by the Queensland Water Commission’s advisory board on recycled water, said tests of samples produced out of the Western Corridor Recycled Water project had detected bromodichloromethane, a byproduct of chlorination that is known to cause liver cancer in animals. The levels were above the standard set out in state public health regulations, which dictate the quality of recycled water deemed fit to drink.

But the board has urged the Government to “revise” the regulations to reflect new research suggesting the chemical did not cause cancer if it was ingested in drinking water.

The recommendation is contained in a February letter to Queensland Water Commission chairwoman Elizabeth Nosworthy.

Here is an extract from a study conducted in Perth WA on Disinfectant By-Products such as bromodichloromethane a TTHM – and the Bligh government wants to revise the law to increase the acceptable levels of these chemicals and chlorination by products!  Australia’s limits are up to 250% higher than other countries!

Copyright This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this notice is preserved along with the article’s original DOI.

RESEARCH CHILDREN’S HEALTH  -  Reference site http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2535633

Risk of Birth Defects in Australian Communities with High Levels of Brominated Disinfection By-products

Birth defects … Given the ongoing controversy surrounding Disinfectant By Products (DBP) and adverse pregnancy outcomes, especially regarding associated Birth Defects (DB), a precautionary approach to DBP exposure during pregnancy is somewhat justified. Most industrialized countries have regulated the permitted levels of TTHM in drinking water, and many of these limits are well below the 250 μg/L level currently accepted in Australia (NHMRC 2004): Canada, 80 μg/L (Rodriguez et al. 2004); United States, 80 μg/L (U.S. EPA 2004); and the United Kingdom, 100 μg/L (Keegan et al. 2001). By international standards, a number of Australian water supplies continue to contain elevated DBP levels.

Discussion The results from this record-based prevalence study indicate that women living in high-TTHM areas in Perth at the time of birth of their baby have a 22% greater risk of having a baby with any BD (birth defect).  More specifically, classification in the high-exposure group is associated with an increased risk of 62% for having a baby with a cardiovascular defect. In this analysis, results for musculoskeletal and urogenital defects are suggestive but non-significant, with adjusted ORs of 1.48 (95% CI, 0.99–2.21) and 1.40 (95% CI, 0.98–1.99), respectively.

Read the full study: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2535633 

Can any of us afford to take the risk of not filtering our drinking water? We don’t think so!

 You MUST Filter your water and then rebalance and nourish it. The zazen Living Water system water test results show how it has reduced the levels of  TTHM’s in drinking water (through its 5 stage advanced natural filtration process) to levels less than the instruments can test for: <2.0 ug/L.  For a copy of the test results or to discuss what you can do today simply email janet@zazen.com.au or call 1300 78 24 25 and ask Janet to call you.

On Monday the 17^th of September 2007, nearly a year ago, we were alarmed to read of over 42 schools in country NSW were identified with elevated levels of lead in the schools water supplies. A year later there are NOW 292 schools identified – and parents are NOT Aware!

Read news article – click here.

Whats going on?  We have been asking ourselves the following questions:

1. How would lead leach into schools drinking waters supplies IF it is not in the piping or traditional plumbing materials?
2. If lead is in the school’s water supply – then is it possible or even probable that it is also in the local area water supply as well; if so how is it getting in there?
3. Where does the lead come from that we find in our water tanks?
4. How do we filter lead out of our water for peace of mind?
5. If lead is present – is there the possibility of other heavy metals likley to be present as well which could also threaten our children’s health?

And yes, as the coal is transported and railed across country NSW to Newcastle and as it sits in those massive open pit mines, open train wagons and piled high ready for loading – the coal dust picked up by the wind is deposited on the roofs, porches, grounds and play areas of our schools, houses and businesses.  And for those on tank water or where the water is potentially exposed to “dust and dust run off!” – it is dissolved into the water which ends up in our drinking water supplies! Simple but scary.

And noone is taking any responsibility for this! They are still looking to replace the plumbing in the schools of any lead content!

The biochemist / geologist and his naturopath wife who is also a research scientist were alarmed when they moved to country NSW several years ago and tested their own tank and drinking water.  They found deadly heavy metals were present including lead, cadmium and arsenic!  They are now sending the message to all that will listen that you MUST filter your water and recently tested the zazen Living Water system and purchased it for their own use (having tested many others).  Click here for the testimonial on the zazen Living Water system.

The water we drink has been around for hundreds of millions of years.  It travels in a continuous cycle between the oceans, the air, the earth’s surface and underground storage (acquifiers), undergoing natural cleansing as it makes this journey, but also potentially becoming contaminated.  Water vapour condenses to form clouds, which release water as rain, hail or snow when conditions are suitable.  

As the water falls to earth it either moves into the soil or runs into rivers and the ocean.  Surface water in lakes, streams and oceans evaporates, returning moisture to the atmosphere.  Plants also return water to the atmosphere by taking water from the ground through their roots and releasing it from their leaves in a process known as transpiration.

Our drinking water comes mainly from two sources: surface water (rainfall and its runoff into streams and rivers) and groundwater (water that has collected in underground stores or aquifers).

Surface water can come from a river, lake or artificial dam. Groundwater is accessed through a bore. Across Australia, water suppliers access this water, treat it and distribute it to consumers.  The quality of our drinking water should be of very real concern to all of us and it is generally recommended that all tap water should be at the very least filtered. 

However, to receive the essential health benefits that water should provide, these days we need to treat the water ourselves in our homes before we drink it.   We live in a very very different biochemical environment than we did 30, 40, 50 years ago.

Living water, which cleanses, hydrates, nourishes and energises us, is filtered, rebalanced, remineralised and restructured.