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
Quest to reduce greenhouse gases needs modern farming techniques, including use of GMOs, not organics, research shows
Modern farming has "uncoupled" itself from greenhouse gas output -- using new technologies, including genetic engineering, to boost crop yields ...
Viewpoint: There will be no crop biotech revolution unless scientists, consumers learn to talk to each other
It is imperative that scientists bridge the gap and enable an open, global dialogue so that all are informed ...
Viewpoint: Organic farmer’s New York Times opinion piece perpetuates ‘fantasy’ of small growers feeding the world
Barber’s perspective on GM and patented seeds follow the party line of the organic industry ...
EPA weighs in on sulfoxaflor: Genetic Literacy Project Q&A on controversial decision to lift restrictions on alleged ‘bee-killing’ pesticide
The FDA replied to our questions with a detailed defense of its decision to lift restrictions on sulfoxaflor ...
90% of Europeans fear biotech crops? New survey busts the popular anti-GMO myth
A special Eurobarometer survey report on food safety was published [in June]. It shows once again that the regularly promoted ...
Viewpoint: Why CRISPR-edited crops should be allowed in organic agriculture
A University of California, Berkeley professor stands at the front of the room, delivering her invited talk about the potential ...
The rise, fall and resurrection of Russian seed bank pioneer Nikolai Vavilov
Would all this be cast aside, he wondered, his reputation disgraced? Or would the good work be rediscovered, like the ...
What’s the most sustainable, affordable and nutritious sugar: Boutique imported unrefined whole cane v. domestic sugar cane v. sugar beet?
A drive toward The Everglades down US 98 between Yeehaw Junction and Belle Glade, FL takes you around the east ...
Environmental media, advocacy groups in uproar after EPA grants long-term approval for alleged ‘bee-killing’ pesticide sulfoxaflor. Here’s what the science says
This discussion needs to shift from politics to science and the law ...
Viewpoint: How the ‘Food Justice’ movement reinforces inequality while doing little to improve health outcomes
It’s not clear what concept of justice this activism actually serves ...
(Practically) no one is anti-science, and how that can help us talk about GMOs
Keith Kloor, science blogger at Discover, has sparked an intriguing debate about the use of the term "anti-science" to describe ...
How market forces, self-regulation and GMO crops are making fish farming more sustainable
More sustainable aquaculture and better-managed fisheries are increasingly actionable for consumers ...
Explaining the debate over GMOs—and what is or isn’t ‘natural’— through the genetics of chickens
Chickens (and their eggs) provide a surprisingly down-to-earth illustration of the profound implications of the modern genetic revolution ...
Twist upon twist in glyphosate battle: Next generation safer biopesticides on the way thanks in part to anti-chemical activists—who may yet oppose them
Will growers be forced to turn to less effective, more harmful solutions? ...
Farmer’s open letter to skeptical consumers: We know science, glyphosate and GMOs are safe, and we need both to fight climate change
Despite repeated assurances from the mainstream science community that our food supply is safe, many consumers remain highly skeptical of ...
Uganda set to embrace artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, but biotechnology languishes
'Something fundamentally detrimental to the progress of scientific and technological innovations in the agriculture of our nation is happening.' ...
The first gene-edited soybean opens door to a slew of new CRISPR foods
The number of crop gene-editing projects underway around the world is astonishing ...
Podcast: CRISPR immunizes pigs against PRRS—deadly viral disease that costs $600 million annually
Christine Burkard, assistant professor of infection and immunity at the Roslin Institute in Scotland, says her team has devised a ...
Monsanto and ‘Big Ag’ strangle American farming? Sanders, Warren likely to attack conventional agriculture, promote organics at Democratic debates
This week's opening round of debates threatens to fall shockingly short on science ...
Podcast: Meet Mary Mangan—the biologist who crashes anti-GMO events and debunks junk science on Twitter
Mangan discusses her unique approach to spreading science literacy ...
People in Africa eat GMO foods. So why do they oppose new crops developed by their own scientists?
GM foods are already sold in supermarkets throughout Africa, but the fear remains ...
Fear of biotechnology threatens efforts to save Brazil’s pinto beans
The issue of GMO safety has been proven many times over to be a false controversy ...
Podcast: Glyphosate-tainted breakfast? Plant geneticist Kevin Folta debunks fear-based CBS Roundup report
Does the network get it right? Not even close, says Folta ...
‘Children killer’ glyphosate found in Cheerios? Experts dismantle Environmental Working Group’s herbicide food residue study
A few fundamental facts can put this fearmongering claim to rest ...
Podcast: Flower color, bees and biodiversity—how pollinators drive plant evolution
Kat Arney and reporter Graihagh Jackson get lost in the Valley of Hybridization ...
Nigeria’s greenlighting of Bt insect resistant cotton and cowpeas may spur Africa’s acceptance of GMOs
Barring a change of course, Nigeria is on pace to become one of the largest GM producing and consuming countries ...
Podcast: How farmers grow the 2.7 billion pounds of coffee we drink every year
Whether you typically crave a drip coffee or something a bit more intricate, we can all agree that caffeine is ...
