Let's talk about food sovereignty and native corn

Roundtable 2: Food Sovereignty and Health
The dispute surrounding genetically modified corn and native maize in Mexico has many facets: the association of the former with agrochemicals that are harmful to health and with the loss of biodiversity; the massive use of high fructose corn syrup derived from genetically modified corn in ultra-processed foods, which are increasingly disrupting traditional Mexican diets and cause serious damage to the health of the population; and the legal, political and social defence of native maize as a crucial component of the country’s biological, historical and cultural heritage.

This roundtable took place on June 5th 2025 in Spanish. You can download the English translation here.
Dr. José Luis García Tavera: Researcher for Mexico at the Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation (SECIHTI), commissioned to the Ethnobotanical Garden of the National Institute of Anthropology and History in Cuernavaca, Morelos. Engineer in Ecology, Master of Science with a specialisation in Toxicology and Doctor of Science with a specialisation in Marine Sciences, focused on ecotoxicology, environmental diagnosis of industrial pollution and the restoration of soils and aquatic ecosystems. He has been a collaborator in the National Computerised Ecosystem of Toxic Agents and Contaminating Processes of the National Strategic Projects (PRONACES) of CONAHCYT -now SECIHTI-, Professor-Researcher and Head of the Environmental Engineering degree programme at La Salle University, he has led soil bioremediation projects as field manager, and began his professional career as an environmental inspector at PROFEPA and environmental consultant in industry. His experience in agriculture with corn dates back to his childhood, and he has become fond of testing crosses with different breeds, improving organic nutrition schemes, and controlling damage by phytophagous insects through ecological management. Dr. Alejandro de Ávila Blomberg: His family roots are intertwined from Oaxaca to San Luis Potosí and Finland. He was born and raised in Mexico City. He holds a degree in anthropology and physiological psychology from Tulane University in New Orleans, a master’s degree in psychobiology and a doctorate in anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a researcher for Mexico and founder of the Oaxaca Ethnobiological Garden, which he proposed creating in 1993 at the invitation of Maestro Francisco Toledo. To date, the garden has a collection of more than 7,000 living plants representing nearly 1,000 species native to the state, along with a herbarium, a seed bank, and a specialised library. He is curator and advisor to the Oaxaca Textile Museum, where he has assembled a collection of just over 10,000 pieces from the same entity, other regions of Mexico, and other countries around the world. He is currently collaborating on the creation of a new museum of national importance in the Casa del Marqués del Apartado, just opposite the Templo Mayor in Mexico City. Dr. Abelardo Ávila Curiel: Surgeon from the Faculty of Medicine of the UNAM, Master in Social Medicine with a specialisation in Epidemiology from the UAM; he studied for a Doctorate in Social Sciences with a specialisation in Population Studies at the Colegio de México. Researcher in Medical Sciences at the Salvador Zubirán National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition from 1988 to the present. His main areas of interest are research into the nutritional situation in Mexico, child malnutrition and health damage caused by chronic diseases associated with poor nutrition, as well as the development of Epidemiological Intelligence Computer Systems. In 2019, he received national recognition for merit in Public Health, the Gerardo Varela Medal, from the General Health Council. In 2023, he published the book ‘The Social Construction of the Health System in Mexico.’ Dr. José Luis Chávez Servia: He is a professor and researcher at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Research for Integral Regional Development (CIIDIR), Oaxaca unit, of the National Polytechnic Institute. His lines of research include the rescue, conservation and use of plant genetic resources, undervalued and underutilised genetic resources, local seed systems, socio-food systems, indigenous communities and food culture. He is one of the founders of the ‘Without Corn, There is No Country’ campaign in Oaxaca.

Learning points

  • How are genetically modified corn and agricultural inputs, such as pesticides and fertilisers, related in industrialised agriculture, and what potential toxic effects do they have on the health of ecosystems and human and non-human populations?
  • Why and how can the drastic reduction in species diversity resulting from the promotion of genetically modified maize and the appropriation of native maize varieties by agribusiness be considered a “cultural crime”? Explain.
  • What are the possible links between the epidemics of obesity, diabetes and cancer in relation to the deregulated commercial interests of agribusiness?
  • How are agribusiness, the pharmaceutical industry, and large corporations that produce ultra-processed foods linked to ill health?
  • What is the principle of ‘presumption’ in the defence of food safety and health protection?
  • What public policy actions or dissemination of information can be devised to defend native corn, beyond legal declarations or norms?