Can anyone name the shells (probably aquatic or terrestrial) starring in
this first paragraph from an article by Peter Rosset, director of Food
First/Institute for Food and Development Policy, on Third World farmers'
responses to genetically engineered crops?:

"When a group of Filipino farmers were asked recently for their thoughts on
genetically engineered rice seeds, a peasant leader responded with what
might be called the Parable of the Golden Snail. It seems that rice farmers
have long supplemented the protein in their diet with local snails that
live in rice paddies. At the time of the Marcos dictatorship, Imelda Marcos
had the idea of introducing a snail from South America that was said to be
more productive and, as such, a means to help end hunger and protein
malnutrition. But no one liked the taste, and the project was abandoned.
The snails, however, escaped, driving the local snail species to the brink
of extinction--thus eliminating a key protein source--and forcing peasants
to apply toxic pesticides to keep them from eating the young rice plants.
'So when you ask what we think of the new genetically engineered rice
seeds, we say that's easy,' the leader said. 'They are another Golden
Snail.'"

David
Durham, NC