Seeds for the Future: The Impact of Genetically Modified Crops on the Environment - Softcover

Thompson, Jennifer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0801473683 ISBN 13: 9780801473685

Publisher: Comstock Publishing Associates, 2007

Synopsis

Plants have long been genetically modified through crossbreeding and other basic agricultural techniques to make crops more resilient, nutritious, and profitable. In recent decades, however, advances in genetic engineering―including the ability to blend genetic material from animals with that of plants―have allowed farmers to grow crops that resist insect pests, weeds, viruses, and drought; provide increased iron or beta carotene; deliver vaccines and antibodies; reduce common allergens and pollutants; and augment marketable qualities such as delayed ripening. The complicated scientific, environmental, legal, cultural, and ethical issues surrounding these crops are being hotly debated all over the world. In Seeds for the Future, an internationally respected molecular geneticist and food researcher, Jennifer A. Thomson, describes how these crops are developed, distributed, and regulated.

About this title

About the Author

Jennifer A. Thomson is Professor of Microbiology at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. She is on the boards of a number of biotechnology organizations including the African Agricultural Technology Foundation, based in Nairobi.

From the Back Cover

"The effect of agricultural biotechnology on developing countries is a major point of debate. Jennifer A. Thomson knows the science behind the technology and is well versed in the public discourse. Few books maintain the relative context of risks associated with genetically modified crops to the risks associated with conventional systems. Thomson very simply and effectively explodes the myth that conventional crop breeding is risk free."--Alan McHughen, University of California, Riverside, author of Pandora's Picnic Basket

"While based on solid empirical evidence from research and field experience, Seeds for the Future is organized and written in a way that makes it easily accessible and interesting to both experts and lay readers with an interest in the subject. It provides up-to-date information on a rapidly moving subject and contributes to a more enlightened debate on a topic of great importance."--Per Pinstrup-Andersen, H. E. Babcock Professor of Food, Nutrition, and Public Policy, Cornell University, author of Seeds of Contention

Reviews

The future of agricultural viability, not only in emerging nations but also in environmentally challenged major food-producing countries, may reside in the mainstream acceptance of genetically modified crops. With legislators and agronomists alike struggling to understand the overwhelming technical elements of such a complex subject, the jury is still out on how beneficial such manipulation will eventually be vis-a-vis the unknown risks to humans, wildlife, and the environment. In this sequel to her well-received Genes for Africa (2004), molecular geneticist and food researcher Thomson lays out the case for the merits of such scientific intervention in crop production while simultaneously addressing the likelihood for even more disastrous ecological damage through the potential proliferation of herbicide- and pesticide-resistant plants. Examining such diverse issues as intellectual property rights and DNA uptake, Thomson's prudent approach offers a thorough consideration of the environmental, economic, and ethical effects of genetic modification, making this critical reading for members of the scientific community and concerned consumers. Carol Haggas
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Edition details

• Publisher: Comstock Publishing Associates
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0801473683
• ISBN 13: 9780801473685
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176