Food & Ag 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
How John Oliver was duped by the fringe anti-science advocacy groups USRTK and the Organic Consumers Association
Sometimes it's difficult to know who is defending science and who is more concerned about identity politics and cheap laughs ...
USDA reveals plans to regulate GM plants based on traits, not breeding method
USDA's Sid Abel and Doug McKalip just briefed me on the new regulatory framework that is shaping up for the ...
Farmers consider a world without glyphosate—and it’s less than ideal
"More glufosinate, maybe more paraquat." "I would have to find a different burn down chemical, likely paraquat. Would use more ...
Europe’s decision to reject gene edited crops signals it is losing its commitment to sustainable agriculture
At the same time as Swedish agriculture is affected by the worst drought in recent memory, the European Court of ...
Organic Times: New satire site takes Onion-like look at crop biotechnology activists
Agriculture is a serious topic. While farmers in the developing world struggle to save their crops from pest invasions and ...
How is India’s organic-only farming experiment in Sikkim going? Peering past the propaganda, not so sustainably.
India's farm sector is in massive flux and strife right now. After a massive ten-day strike in June, Indian farmers ...
5 ways the USDA could resolve challenges surrounding ‘bioengineered’ food labels
Two years ago, President Obama signed the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Law (NBFDL) into law, requiring food manufacturers to disclose the presence ...
With glyphosate-cancer legal battles poised to escalate, what are the ramifications for agriculture if the herbicide is restricted?
Now that a jury in San Francisco has decided that exposure to Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup (glyphosate) was responsible for California groundskeeper ...
Viewpoint: Why saving seeds is an unproductive farming practice that locks in poverty
Farmers mired in farming systems in which saving and cleaning old seed is an economical use of their time is ...
Viewpoint: Greenpeace and ‘the awful reality of anti-science activism’
The Austrian research portal "Addendum" released a bombshell video regarding the facts, figures, and positions regarding GMO foods. In this ...
Viewpoint: Eliminating pesticides from farming isn’t realistic—or desirable
In about 1980, I visited several International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) research sites in Mexico. The trip included ...
Viewpoint: Nigeria must rely on science to find its way through the GMO debate
The global evolution in science has lead to the emergence and adoption of agricultural biotechnology in some parts of the ...
Viewpoint: How organic activists use intimidation and character assassination to attack GMOs
In Part 1, I described the vendetta by the Russian government's propaganda apparatus against technologies like fracking and modern genetic ...
Prominent anti-GMO NGOs and organic businesses partnered with Russia to ‘smear’ American agriculture
It's no secret that although the Internet has vastly improved our lives in many respects, it has downsides — less ...
Even as managed honeybee colonies hit record numbers, another threat to their health is identified: Mystery viruses
The quest to figure out what's behind honeybee deaths has become as much a political question as a scientific one. Recent ...
Viewpoint: By ‘shutting the door’ on crop gene editing, Europe shows its biotech regulations deeply flawed
The European Court of Justice has made an important ruling on genetically modified crops. Since 2003, new crop varieties produced by ...
Viewpoint: Not all US farmers are yet being hurt by the tariff trade war with China—but the future is shaky
Farmers like to say that you can't count on a harvest until it actually comes in — but I'm ready ...
Science setback? What’s next now that European court rules gene-edited crops are GMOs?
With the European court ruling that CRISPR crops and other gene-edited foods must be treated as classic transgenic GMOs, scientists worry ...
Did anti-GMO groups plant ‘rogue’ GMO wheat in Canada to deliberately disrupt markets to manipulate public opinion?
In the summer of 2017, a contractor applied the popular weed-killer glyphosate (brand name Roundup®) to clear some weeds along ...
Why we don’t all need to be vegans in the pursuit of sustainability
Humans are unique in the degree to which they can manipulate their surroundings. And agriculture is one enormous way to ...
Viewpoint: We should just retire the whole ‘feed the world’ thing when it comes to promoting GMOs
How often do we hear something along the lines of "We won't be able to feed 10 billion people by ...
Déjà vu all over again: Germany’s ‘regulatory stranglehold’ on New Breeding Techniques mirrors its policy on GMOs 20 years ago
Biotechnology applied to agriculture is beginning to yield all manner of products, including fruits and vegetables that are disease-resistant, more ...
‘Clean meat’: How lab-grown foods can feed us in the future
For long enough, I have been fascinated with the idea of growing stuff in the lab whether it’s milk, egg ...
How to change consumer perception of crop biotechnology and GMO foods
Genetically modified (GM) foods for human consumption have long been a subject of intense public debate, as well as academic ...
Kenyan Farmer: On Cusp of a Biotech Revolution, Africa Faces Resistance from Europe and Anti-GMO Activists
Gilbert arap Bor, Small-Scale Farmer in Kenya, University Lecturer, Kleckner Award Winner | July 11, 2018Highlights: Kenya and much of ...
Viewpoint: Scott Pruitt gone from EPA because of ethical transgressions but regulatory reform of ‘rogue agency’ might be his lasting legacy
Scott Pruitt, who lost his job as head of the Environmental Protection Agency last week after a flood of complaints ...
Viewpoint: Anti-GMO activists crave a return to ‘simpler times’ in farming. Here’s why that would be disastrous.
The appeal of simpler times, as imagined by wealthy white guys ...
