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
Viewpoint: Regulatory overreach looms as obstacle for New Breeding Techniques (NBTs) in agriculture
The fast-moving world of plant breeding — fueled by advances in CRISPR and other techniques — has tossed a wrench ...
GMO coffee is on the horizon—but will we drink it?
Remember the Gros Michel banana? If you're under the age of seventy, you probably don't. That's because in the 1950s ...
Viewpoint: Bans on neonicotinoid insecticides may not actually help bees
Public pressure is growing in Australia to ban the sale of pesticides called neonicotinoids because of their harmful effects on bees. The ...
15 surprising GMO and gene-edited crop advances underway in South and Central America
Latin America is a vital region in the global production of genetically modified (GM) crops, with Brazil and Argentina ranked ...
Engineering more digestible grass could reduce livestock pastures and give us cheaper biofuels
The problem with grass is that it has tough cellular walls that make it difficult to digest. But researchers say ...
Africa could become a world agricultural leader in CRISPR and other new breeding techniques (NBTs)
It is 8:30 East African Standard Time. I disembark from a van filled with science journalists from Kampala, Uganda and ...
Review of Whitewash (or Hogwash?): Carey Gillam’s glyphosate book betrays science, undermines our understanding of cancer
Last fall a new book hit the shelves, timed to coincide with public hearings on the European Union’s re-authorization of ...
Viewpoint: How European activists lobby for a glyphosate ban despite findings of its safety
In January, the European Parliament announced that it will set up a Special Committee on the Union’s authorization procedure for ...
USDA data confirm organic yields significantly lower than with conventional farming
Government data comparing yields of organic vs. conventional farms finds a sharp yield edge for conventional on more than 84 ...
Why a global decline in genetic crop variety matters for the future of food
Preserving the genetic diversity of edible plants could help us develop new crop varieties, with useful traits such as drought ...
Genetic engineering promises cornucopia of future products—but biotechnology critics take lethal aim
Genetic engineering may soon be giving us products that appear to be pulled from the realm of science fiction. Researchers ...
GMO labeling emerges as hot-button issue in organic and conventional food industry fights
Editor's note: This article is part three of a three-part series by Marc Brazeau on his 2018 predictions on food, ...
GMO farming grows to record 457 million acres in 26 countries worldwide
The cultivation of genetically engineered (GMO) crops hit record levels in 2016, with 18 million farmers planting 185.1 million hectares ...
Viewpoint: Netflix’s ‘Okja’ perpetuates stereotypes about food, farming and scientists
The popular Netflix movie is a disservice to important agricultural research aimed at producing more food with fewer resources, writes ...
Partisan divide erupts on glyphosate-cancer science as IARC supporters push ‘Monsanto Papers’ narrative
“There appear to be serious problems with the science underlying [the International Agency for Research on Cancer]’s [2015] assessment of ...
How consumer-friendly GMO foods could change minds about biotech crops and animals
Editor's note: This article is part two of a three-part series by Marc Brazeau on his 2018 predictions on food, ...
Could 2018 mark the end of the anti-GMO movement?
Editor's note: This article is part one of a three-part series by Marc Brazeau on his 2018 predictions on food, ...
Viewpoint: California’s looming coffee cancer warning shows how judges and lawyers can subvert science
A judge in California is going to determine whether or not coffee causes cancer. Think about that. We live in ...
Ugandan farmers now wonder if they will ever get access to GMO crops
Disease-resistant bananas, drought-resistant corn and other GMO crops developed by Ugandan scientists could help farmers increase yields, reduce pesticide use ...
Animal breeders are blocked worldwide from using genetic engineering. Here’s why.
Stringent regulations have made it almost impossible for GE animals to be approved for sale in the US. It took ...
CRISPR gene-edited food in Europe? Questions remain on crop breeding regulations
The European Court of Justice recommended new techniques be exempt from GMO regulations, but left key questions unanswered, writes Gregory ...
Stonyfield-Gary Hirshberg fiasco grows over video with young girls spreading misinformation about farming and GMOs
Usually, a video with kids talking is cute, funny, perhaps poignant. However, scientists’ and farmers’ reactions to a promotional video ...
Shill gambit: Are geneticists who work for corporations less ethical than university researchers?
Scientists who work for corporations, particularly in the agricultural or pharmaceutical industries, often face accusations that they are "shills," and ...
Lessons learned from the 2017 Monsanto dicamba herbicide fiasco
Farmers, university scientists, the EPA and ag companies are working together to figure out what went wrong and how to ...
Plagued by pest, African farmers may soon have access to insect-resistant GMO cowpeas—for free
US government funding and royalty-free Bt technology from Monsanto will enable West African countries to provide farmers with free cowpea ...
Viewpoint: 6 ways IARC Director Christopher Wild lied to Congress about cancer agency’s glyphosate debacle
While the outgoing head of the embattled agency refused to testify before the US House Science Committee, he did send ...
Myth busting: Do farmers ‘drench, douse or slather’ crops in pesticides?
One common belief about modern farming is that farmers use pesticides in excess on their crops. A plant scientist explains ...
