Biodiversity in Danger: The Genetic Contamination of Mexican Maize

By Carmelo Ruiz

Scientists from Mexico, Canada and the United States met on March 11, at the Victoria Hotel in the Mexican city of Oaxaca for a symposium on the effects and possible risks of the presence of genetically modified maize in Mexico. The furtive presence of this maize growing in peasants’ fields has been documented since 2001, first in rural Oaxaca and more recently all over the country. This finding could have serious implications for agricultural biodiversity because Mexico is the center of origin and variety of maize, which is the world’s third most important agricultural crop (after wheat and rice).