In 2002, the Grassroots Foundation redirected its promotional emphasis toward “Genetic Engineering”. Its aim is the establishment and financial support of civil resistance against the practically unbridled introduction of genetic manipulation in agriculture.

Worldwide there are approximately 130 million hectares (2009) sown with genetically altered crops for commercial use. Although it is true that agro-GM, an ecologically as well as socially and economically high-risk technology, has not been widely accepted in all parts of the world. Half of the areas under cultivation are located in the US (54 percent), and a fifth in Argentina (18 percent). Another 25 percent are spread across Canada, Brazil, India and China (Source: ISAAA 2006). Owing to the resistance of its population and relatively strict laws governing genetic engineering, the European Union, one of the most important world markets, is predominantly GM-free.

Why Promotion in Eastern Europe?

Based upon the above, it seems natural for genetic engineering companies to extend their economical activities into Eastern Europe. Following the political opening of the East, the influence of western companies has steadily been increasing. It is not only the poor marketing expectations for EU markets for GM produce, but local political, scientific and civil conditions in these countries that make them economically significant alternatives. The introduction of genetic engineering as perceived by multinational corporations is aided by the following factors:

• These countries often have relatively poorly developed democracies, which spurn citizens’ rights of information or where participation in the process of political decision making is sporadic or only selectively given.

• Many of these countries do not have legislation in place regulating use of genetic engineering.

• If this legislation does exist, it tends to be too weak; there is a definite dearth of institutional, personnel and technical opportunities for enforcement. Frequently labs are too poorly equipped to be able to determine GMOs in seeds or food items.

• It is common practice in many countries to staff scientific boards charged with passing on field trials with the same scientists who file the respective applications. Thus, no effective scrutiny and control of field trials can be expected.

• There is practically no conscious appreciation of the risks of genetic engineering in these countries, neither among consumers and the media nor among the rural population. Genetic engineering is no publicly disputed „issue“.

GM companies have exploited this climate of inadequate transparency and control.

Initially, aid shipments of unmarked GM foods ended up on food store shelves. This applies to Russia and the newly independent states (CIS) as well as the Balkan region. Disguised as humanitarian aid, the United States has been distributing genetically modified food to countries in the east, without informing the population and their respective governments.

Countries admitted to the EU during the first and second round have largely tailored their laws governing genetic engineering to EU-standards (with the exception of Bulgaria), even if in some cases, there is no money (and often political clout) to enact them. Few countries have established certified control labs, thus monitoring of agricultural production (imported seeds!) or importation of food items or raw materials (soy, corn!) is practically nonexistent. This also applies to the other countries of southern and eastern Europe, where there is no legislation in place, or at best totally ineffective or lax laws.

If in the future markets in central and eastern Europe continue with their almost unhindered introduction of genetic engineering into agriculture and food production/distribution, with trade flowing from eastern into western Europe, it will be only a matter of time until the EU will be faced with massive problems concerning adherence to its standards and threshold levels of seeds.

Previous Promotional Activities

A scattering of NGOs that critically view genetic engineering can be found in more and more eastern European countries. It is often the case that only very few people are engaged in these respective campaigns. Their main task is the preparation of national language informational materials and research into the situation in their own countries with regard to cultivation as well as GMO imports and their appearance in the food sector.

So far the Grassroots Foundation has funded more than 140 projects ranging from 1.000 to maximally 5.000 Euros (total amount of funds from 2002-2010: 357.000 Euro). The projects which were funded by the foundation were located n the following countries: Armenia (2), Bulgaria (15), Croatia (3), Estonia (1), Kazakhstan (1), Macedonia (6), Moldavia (2), Poland (11), Romania (11), Serbia (3), Slovenia (2), Russia and the Russian Federation (52), Switzerland (1), Tajikistan (3), Tatarstan (1), Ukraine (5), as well as ten projects that were under German supervision.

Most of these projects pursued several of the following goals:

• Political lobbying
• Monitoring of legislative processes and their execution
• Drafting of alternative legal texts
• Build-up of GMO-free zones
• General press and public relations activities (mass media)
• Educational activities aimed at special target groups (farmers, consumers, scientists, journalists, conservationists, church representatives)
• Networking among anti-GMO-groups
• Exchange of information with western European NGOs
• Set-up of required technical infrastructure (website, email newsletter etc.)
• Publications (books, flyers, posters etc.)
• Conferences and workshops

Development of Main Promotional Focus

Following initial isolated promotional projects in Russia, the main focus of 2002 and 2003 was the Balkan region. The US attempted aggressive market introductions of genetically modified foodstuffs and plants in the region during and after the Balkan war. Therefore, it was of paramount importance to mobilize the media and public opinion to disseminate information about this clandestine introduction of genetically manipulated produce and thus mount political pressure.

Around half of grassroots-financed projects were concentrated in Russia and the former Soviet Republics. The main reason for this is the region’s size and economic standing. Collectivization had created large-size agricultural entities that are especially “suitable” for the application of agro-genetic engineering. These are amply matched by the covetousness of international agricultural corporations. Add to this that around 80 percent of all European biodiversity can be found in the Russian Federation, thus meriting heightened attention when dealing with field trials of GMOs.

Starting in 2004, the international movement for the introduction of GMO-free zones has been gaining momentum. It seeks voluntary agreements and arrangements of all stakeholders on corporate, municipal and/or regional levels, which allow for the preservation of genetic-engineering-free agricultural production. Among other, the grassroots foundation supports respective initiatives in Slovenia, Poland, Estonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Macedonia, Ukraine, Armenia and Russia. Setting aside of genetic-engineering-free zones will continue to be a focus of the foundation’s promotional activities.

Results at a glance

It is difficult to render objective reports on all promotional activities supported by us as many of them focused on public relations or educational projects aimed at certain target groups.

However, thanks to the aid of the grassroots foundation it became possible in many countries for the first time to alert and sensitize the public to the economic, social, health and ecological risks posed by genetic engineering as well as pointing out alternative modes of development for agriculture and food production. Contrary to the EU countries, public opinion in central and Eastern Europe had not been able to deal critically with these topics.

The following selections will serve to highlight some of the 140 projects undertaken which would not have been possible without help from the foundation:

• In 2004, initiated by the Grassroots Foundation, due to the manifold sponsorship activities in Russia and the former Soviet republics (CIS) the “Alliance for Biosafety in CIS” was founded, which to date has 21 member NGOs from nine different countries. In addition to joint political activities, the exposure of several food scandals (e.g. GMOs in baby food), setting up a first all-Russian website and providing two newsletters has intensified public access to information as well as among NGOs. Starting in 2004, identification of GMO-free regions / communities in Russia and the CIS has been gaining in importance. In this case, the main activists make up the alliance; and an additional website (gmofree.ru) has been set up, which provides useful assistance and information. The “Alliance for Biosafety“ has become one of the most important NGO-level activists groups tackling questions of genetic engineering in Russia. It has been sponsored by the foundation since 2004.
• Another first within the framework of foundation projects has been the setting up of GMO-free regions on regional and community levels; i.e. in Russia (to date there are 15, which also include the Moscow region), Bulgaria, Romania and Macedonia. This has heightened public awareness for the topic, even if some of them merely represent voluntary commitments without any legal repercussions or sanctions.
• The foundation has supported the development of a European Network of GMO-Free Regions by co-financing five network conferences in the past, and in doing so, has enabled eastern European activists to take an active part. Hence this has allowed western European NGOs to deepen their understanding of the situation in eastern countries (including Russia).
• In some countries like Bulgaria, Macedonia and in Russia (community and regional levels of Moscow and the Kostroma area) our groups made concrete legislative proposals, predominantly with regard to food labelling and consumer safety, which eventually were acted upon by the appropriate houses of parliament. Bulgaria in 2010 proved to be our greatest success story. Furthermore, any government attempts at watering down existing strict genetic engineering laws have been successfully thwarted by our associates through skilful use of the media.
• Numerous folders exposed food scandals, respectively illegal cultivation of genetically modified plants (in Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and Russia). This allowed us to introduce the topic of genetic engineering into politics and increase pressure upon administrators and politicians. And quite frequently these scandals led to the introduction of new laws (see above).

On the whole, with the help of the media, projects supported by the Grassroots Foundation have made it possible to introduce the topic of genetic engineering to a wider segment of the public (in fact in some countries this had never been done before) and significantly influence political discourse.