Stronger Plants, Stronger Science, and Stronger Communication
Generalizing about “GMOs” is almost completely useless. Each food we eat and each farm is so different that the genetic technologies and farming practices needed to optimize sustainability must be different too. That is why each crop (GE or conventional) must be looked at on a case-by-case basis, using science-based evidence. I recently wrote a…
Read More “What would Rachel Carson say about genetically engineered crops?” »
This week, the G20 Agriculture Ministers gathered for their first-ever meeting to discuss potential measures to address price volatility and record high food prices. The key to any long-term solution is acknowledging that we need to empower the very people whose lives are most affected by food shortages. Three-quarters of the world’s poorest people get…
The journalist Marc Gunther recently posted a thoughtful article discussing public perceptions of the role of organic agriculture in a future sustainable food system. He found that many consumers believe that there are only two ways to produce food: “The first can be described, depending upon who’s talking, as big, fast, modern, conventional, industrial, intensive,…
One more day to vote in the <a href="http://www.economist.com/debate/debates/overview/187", which asks the question “Is Biotechnology compatible with sustainable agriculture?” PZ Myers answers the question this way: “this is weird: agriculture is biotechnology, and just breaking ground with a sharp stick and throwing some seeds in is an example of an ‘unnatural’ human practice” He also…
The most devastating impact on biodiversity is caused by agriculture. Farming is already the greatest extinction threat to birds, and its adverse impacts look set to increase, especially in developing countries (Green et al. 2005). Thus one of the global challenges for the next century is the need to develop high-yielding varieties that require minimal…