Mexico’s recent constitutional amendment recognizes corn as crucial to national identity and prohibits GMOs to protect heirloom varieties. Amid threats from the U.S., including tariffs and military intervention scenarios, the amendment has gained substantial support, portraying a form of cultural nationalism. President Claudia Sheinbaum emphasized the need to safeguard corn for biodiversity and cultural connection to Indigenous heritage. This legislative move follows a previous failed attempt to eliminate GMO corn imports, after which a U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement ruling mandated continued imports of genetically engineered corn, however, the current amendment focuses specifically on seeds.
"Corn is Mexico," President Claudia Sheinbaum said recently, describing the reform as a way to secure Mexico's sovereignty. "We have to protect it for biodiversity but also culturally, because corn is what intrinsically links us to our origins, to the resistance of Indigenous peoples."
This week, Mexico's leaders voted to enshrine that concept in the Constitution, declaring native corn "an element of national identity" and banning the planting of genetically modified seeds.
The measure, which aims to protect Mexico's thousands of varieties of heirloom corn from engineered versions sold by American companies, has become a nationalist rallying cry.
Without corn, there is no country. This week, Mexico's leaders voted to enshrine that concept in the Constitution, declaring native corn 'an element of national identity'.
Collection
[
|
...
]