Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food, 2nd Edition

" "Tomorrow's Table" argues that a judicious blend of two important strands of agriculture--genetic engineering and organic farming--is key to helping feed the world's growing population in an ecologically balanced manner. Pamela Ronald, a geneticist, and her husband, Raoul Adamchak, an organic farmer, take the reader inside their lives for roughly a year, allowing us to look over their shoulders so that we can see what geneticists and organic farmers actually do. Readers see the problems that farmers face, trying to provide larger yields without resorting to expensive or environmentally hazardous chemicals--a problem that will loom larger and larger as the century progresses--and they learn how organic farmers and geneticists address these problems. The book is for consumers, farmers, and policy decision makers who want to make food choices and policy that will support ecologically responsible farming practices, and for anyone who wants accurate information about organic farming, genetic engineering, and their potential impacts on human health and the environment. The first edition was published in hardcover in 2008 and in paperback in 2009. This second edition reflects the many and varied changes the fields of farming and genetic engineering have seen since 2009. It includes a new preface and three new chapters-one on politics and food-related protests such as the Marin county anti-vaccine movement and the subsequent outbreak of whooping cough, one on farming and food security, and one containing various recipes. Existing chapters on the tools of genetic engineering, organic vs. conventional foods, the tools of organic agriculture, and food labeling and legislature have all been updated."-- Provided by the publisher This book explores today's use of organic farming and genetically engineered plants, and examines the concerns expressed by critics and consumers. By the year 2050, Earth's population will double. If we continue with current farming practices, vast amounts of wilderness will be lost, millions of birds and billions of insects will die, and the public will lose billions of dollars as a consequence of environmental degradation. Clearly, there must be a better way to meet the need for increased food production. This book argues that a judicious blend of two important strands of agriculture, genetic engineering and organic farming, is key to helping feed the world's growing population in an ecologically balanced manner. The authors, one a geneticist, and the other an organic farmer, take the reader inside their lives for roughly a year, allowing us to look over their shoulders so that we can see what geneticists and organic farmers actually do. The reader sees the problems that farmers face, trying to provide larger yields without resorting to expensive or environmentally hazardous chemicals, a problem that will loom larger and larger as the century progresses. They learn how organic farmers and geneticists address these problems. . This book provides accurate information about organic farming, genetic engineering, and their potential impacts on human health and the environment to help readers make food choices and policy that will support ecologically responsible farming practices. By the year 2050, Earth's population will double. If we continue with current farming practices, vast amounts of wilderness will be lost, millions of birds and billions of insects will die, and the public will lose billions of dollars as a consequence of environmental degradation. "Tomorrow's Table" argues that a judicious blend of two important strands of agriculture--genetic engineering and organic farming--is key to helping feed the world's growing population in an ecologically balanced manner "Tomorrow's Table is for anyone who wishes to know more about how the food they eat is grown. It is for every shopper, policy decision maker, farmer, or anyone who has at one time or another wondered what labels such as "organic" or GMO" truly mean for the heath of the population and the future of our planet.--Back cover Tomorrow's Table is for anyone who wishes to know more about how the food they eat is grown. It is for every shopper, policy decision maker, farmer, or anyone who has a tone time or another wondered what labels such as "organic" or GMO" truly mean for the heath of the population and the future of our planet.--COVER