Food & Agriculture Features
The GLP explores the role of genetic engineering in food production and the polarized debate surrounding it. We highlight the work of our own writers, as well as that of contributors from around the Web. The GLP does not take a position on genetics-related issues; any opinions expressed belong to the authors.
Categories include:
- Chemicals and pesticides
- Organics
- Conventional crops
- New breeding technologies
- Animal biotechnology
- Food systems
- Sustainability
- Regulations
- Politics
- Ideology
Addressing all farmers’ challenges: Taking ideology out of the glyphosate and ‘superweed’ debate
Hardy weeds that develop from continued use of a limited control system are problems for all farmers. This is not ...
Farmer: Why I choose to grow genetically engineered crops
GMO supporters generally stick to positive talking points about the technology, while critics stick to the negative. Terry Daynard, a ...
Read GLP’s Jon Entine’s Reddit Science ‘Ask Me Anything’ on pesticides and the ‘bee-pocalypse’
December 13, from 2-4 pm EST, GLP's executive director, Jon Entine, will be holding a Reddit Science "Ask Me Anything" ...
Crop biotech policy experts: Fallout from ‘equivocating’ National Academy of Sciences GMO report now being felt
Science is not democratic. The National Academies of Sciences report muddied the debate about GE crop yields, gave undue credence ...
Activist journalists, NGOs disinformation campaign against approved, fast-growing GMO salmon
There is a growing body of evidence pointing to the safety, utility and necessity of precision breeding (aka genetic modification) ...
Oregon teacher: Anti-GMO activist Vandana Shiva talk slippery on facts
On November 21, 2016, prominent GMO critic Vandana Shiva, gave a presentation at the Peace Center at Lane Community College ...
Honeybees are not in crisis, but what about beekeepers?
While it's now acknowledged that honeybee populations aren’t declining, some of the focus of concern has shifted from the pollinators ...
Buy only “hormone free” meat? Farmer says don’t be fooled by deceptive labels
No poultry, pork or beef that you eat contains added hormones. Instead of capitalizing on fear and misleading consumers into ...
Pew survey: Americans don’t trust scientists on GMOs, but are warming to GM foods
Skepticism of GM foods remains strong in America, although the embrace of the safety of biotechnology has grown dramatically over ...
Opinion: Organic tail wagging farming dog in Washington while sustainability, consumers suffer
Organic activists have held sway in Washington for years now, although the percentage of farms under organic standards remains tiny--just ...
French geneticist warns ‘new religion of precaution’ threatens US GMO policy, science
Since the first cargo of genetically modified soybeans was delivered to Europe 20 years ago, scientists have come under fire ...
While safety of herbicide glyphosate is clear, doubts fueled by WHO’s IARC undermines trust in science
Most regulators around the world have concluded that glyphosate is unlikely to cause cancer. But one agency disagrees. The International ...
Iowa farmer challenges activist Vandana Shiva after ‘myth-filled’ anti-GMO lecture
The philosopher-trained critic of technological innovation spoke at Drake University last week. Unlike what usually happens at public events where ...
Nigeria poised to become Africa’s GMO superpower, overcoming NGO scare campaigns
Africa's largest country and economy is focused on reviving its once thriving agricultural sector. It has five genetically engineered crops ...
Cause for concern over claims of “dangerous” glyphosate in wine, breast milk, cereal, etc.?
There is far less reason to worry about the 'dangers' of glyphosate when compared to other pesticide but many activists ...
Is the herbicide glyphosate, often paired with GMOs, especially dangerous?
Why do advocacy groups campaign against the herbicide glyphosate and not other far more toxic agricultural pesticides? ...
Organics v conventional v GMOs: Debate grows over farm yields and sustainability
Dubious research supports claims that organic systems can close the yield gap with conventional (and GMO) farming. Obsession with organic ...
GMOs’ innovation crisis: AquaBounty salmon’s 20-year odyssey through nets of regulations
Why are there no GMO animals on the market? Here is a case study: Two decades after the FDA began ...
Scientists’ ‘Open Letter’ to NY Times’ Public Editor brightlines Danny Hakim’s ‘misleading’ GMO article
Seven prominent scientists and academicians from around the world challenge the New York Times' ethics editor to correct the public ...
Could glyphosate cause other health problems even if it’s not carcinogenic?
GMO skeptics have raised health concerns about glyphosate beyond claims, proven unfounded, that they cause cancer. Here is what the ...
Myth busting on ‘contamination’: GMO farms’ halo effect often protects organic farms
Some organic farmers worry that their farms can be ‘contaminated’ by modified crops grown nearby. But no organic farmers in ...
Does the herbicide glyphosate cause cancer? The GLP does a deep dive into the science
Glyphosate--an herbicide pioneered by Monsanto but now off patent--has emerged as a proxy for critics of crop biotechnology and intensive ...
European scientist: WHO’s IARC faces scrutiny over glyphosate cancer designation
One of the World Health Organization's cancer research bodies faces increasing criticism because of its questionable categorizations of numerous safe ...
How to save Monarch butterflies? Banning glyphosate and planting milkweeds won’t help
According to activists, the decline of the Monarch butterfly population is primarily due to the over application of the popular ...
Has WHO’s IARC cancer agency, partly funded by US, outlived its usefulness?
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has come under fire from scientists, regulators, and journalists for recently concluding that ...
Why Danny Hakim’s New York Times GMO exposé misleads
An agricultural economist analyzes the New York Times' takedown of GMO crops ...
Strawmen and selective statistics: Did The New York Times botch its critique of GMO crops?
An opinion piece maintaining that the current generation of GMO crops has under delivered in yield and led to increased ...
