AFSA- Alianca pela Soberania Alimentar na Africa e a Alianca de Soberania Alimentar dos EUA contra a banana transgenica patrocinada pelo Bill Gates. O comunicado denuncia testes com banana transgenica em humanos que estao sendo feitos com estudandes mulheres da Universidade de Iowa nos EUA, visando a liberacao comercial na Africa. A variedade transgenica foi desenvolvida na Australia com recursos da Fundacao Bill e Melinda Gates e os testes em humanos (neste caso, humanas!) estao sendo conduzidos pela Universidade de Iowa. A carta da AFSA esta disponivel aqui http://afsafrica.org/afsa-open-letter-opposing-human-feeding-trials-involving-gm-banana/ e conta com o apoio de 126 organziacoes (incluindo Via Campesina Africa e Via Campesina America do Norte) e de 26 personalidades. Divulguem nas suas redes. Organizacoes interessadas em apoiar a carta aberta podem contatar diretamente a AFSA nos enderecos disponiveis abaixo. Saudacoes, Angela Press Release issued by Alliance For Food Sovereignty In Africa and US Food Sovereignty AllianceKampala, Uganda and Seattle, Washington- 10th December 2014The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) is a Pan African platform comprising civil society networks and farmer organisations working towards food sovereignty in Africa has submitted an Open Letter to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr. Wendy White from Iowa State University and the Human Institutional Review Board of Iowa State University expressing fierce opposition to the human feeding trials taking place at Iowa State University involving genetically modified (GM) bananas.The Open Letter is supported by more than 120 organizations from around the world. Farmers, advocates, consumers and other communities from the United States are represented, including the US Food Sovereignty Alliance (USFSA), FoodFirst, AGRA Watch/Community Alliance for Global Justice and La Via Campesina North America, as well as many from Africa, Europe, Latin America, the United Kingdom, Asia and Australia. Dr. Vandana Shiva, Dr. Jeanne Koopman, Dr. Eva Navotny and Professor Joseph Cummins are among the prominent scientists and academics also supporting the Open Letter.The GM banana human trials are funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and carried out by Iowa State University under the leadership of Dr. Wendy White. The human subjects of these trials are young female students from Iowa State University. Scientists at the Queensland University of Technology in Australia developed the GM banana, also with funds provided by the Gates Foundation. Touted as a Super Banana the GM banana in question, has been genetically modified to contain extra beta-carotene, a nutrient the body uses to produce Vitamin A. The results of the human trials are designed to support the release the GM bananas into Ugandan farming and food systems. According to Iowa State University, Vitamin A deficiency is a major public health problem in Uganda and other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and leads to decreased survival in children, impaired immune function and blindness.An outraged Bridget Mugambe, a Ugandan and AFSA Policy Advocate, says Just because the GM banana has been developed in Australia and is being tested in the US, does not make it super! Ugandans know what is super because we have been eating homegrown GM-free bananas for centuries. This GM Banana is an insult to our