We Don’t Need GE Crops But Africa Does
Robert Paarlberg argues that anti-science environmental groups and corrupt local governments deprive African farmers of the crops needed for progress.
Biotech Crops
When Genetic Engineering is the Environmentally Friendly Choice
Three examples of genetic engineering of crops show that extremely modest engineered changes in plant genetics can result in very important benefits. These three examples involve engineered changes that trigger the natural defenses of the plant without introducing novel defense mechanisms.
President Yoweri Museveni Challenged Uganda’s GMO Bill
Uganda’s president wants to integrate protections for Uganda’s genetic heritage and resources into his country’s desperately needed biosafety law.
Follow Up Thoughts on The Death Throes of the Anti-GMO Movement
Does the proliferation of Non-GMO labels represent a serious obstacle to progress in agriculture or are they just a hazy clean food fad that will pass soon enough. I think it’s a fad that I wouldn’t worry too much about.
2018 Predictions: The Death Throes of the Anti-GMO Movement
The ability of the anti-GMO movement to frame the debate in mainstream venues has been waning. Is 2018 the year they return to the fringe?
2018 Predictions: GMOs 2.0, a turning point
Three new biotech products recently hit the market that have the potential to steer the GMO debate in more productive directions.
Food Evolution: The FAFDL Interview
Food Evolution film makers Scott Hamilton Kennedy and Trace Sheehan sit down with the Food and Farm Discussion Lab community for a free wheeling chat about making the film, the state of the GMO debate, and doing science communication well.
Berkeley 45 Duck Opportunities to Engage with Science, Defend Their Claims
Professor Kevin Folta challenges the Berkeley 45 to publicly engage on their claims that the documentary Food Evolution is a propaganda film. They refused.
Just Say No to “GMO”
Kevin Folta explains why it’s important to use the scientifically accurate term “genetically engineered” to refer to biotech crops and animals rather than the sloppy and baggage laden “GMO”.
Anatomy of a USRTK Hit Job
Kevin Folta takes you through, step by step, how the anti-GMO smear machine of US Right to Know works to vault their propaganda and character assassinations into the mainstream press.
Risky Whiskey or Science Under the Influence?
Kevin Folta unpacks the problems with Wild Turkey’s decision to source non-GMO corn. It increases the environmental impact of the popular whiskey, while playing on an ignorant health claim for … whiskey of all things.
A Genetically Engineered Organic Wheat? It Already Exists
Whoever thought that France and organic agriculture would be world leaders for the introduction of GE (genetically engineered) wheat? A stretch? Not as much as it might seem. What follows is the story of how plant breeders engineered a unlikely new crop through a series of sophisticated “conventional” techniques to move a use gene from a wild plant into wheat, despite the fact that the two plants could not be naturally crossbred.
Technology that Will Change Agriculture in 2017
Historically, agriculture has always moved forward through technological innovation. The current moment is no different. Look for remote sensing, genetic engineering and CRISPR, robotics, and drones to continue to push agricultural productivity forward in 2017.
How GMO Crops Can Help Us to Feed a Fast-Growing World
Stuart Thompson, Senior Lecturer in Plant Biochemistry at the University of Westminster lays out three areas; disease resistance, improved photosynthesis, and improved nutrition; where breakthroughs in biotech crop breeding could go a long way to improving the impact of agriculture.
3 Ways to Move the Goal Posts on GMOs and Defend Your Position Without Getting Caught (very often)
Do you feel like the person on the other end of a conversation about GMOs isn’t playing fair? Recognize three common strategies for moving the goal posts on the subject and keep the conversation on point. You may not change anyone’s mind but you’ll feel a lot more sane.
New Research on How to Improve Photosynthesis for Cassava Could Lead to Bigger Yields
Researchers have identified set of genes that could improve the efficiency of photosynthesis in staple crops. An increase in yields up to 40% for cassava could mean substantial increases in food security for Africa and greatly improved incomes for subsistence farmers.
Another Day, Another Séralini Study
Giles-Eric Séralini has a new paper out. This one is even worse than the ones that came before. Alison Van Eenennaam explains the how and why.
Conservation Technique of the Week: Breeding Grasses for Bioremediation
Researchers at the University of Washington have bred a grass capable of bioremediating munitions sites by incorporating genes to metabolize RDX – a toxic compound found in munitions sites;- into Switchgrass and Creeping Bentgrass, plants viewed favorably by both graziers and wildlife managers.
Tales of a Recovering Pollanite
So I was a chef with left wing politics, a former union organizer and farm worker, and an armchair nutritionist when I started stumbling across various voices from the Food Movement some time around 2005. It’s hard to imagine someone better primed for a message of sustainable agriculture, grassroots activism, local economics, and low income community food security. Being a Massachusetts born union organizer who lived in cities but often worked in rural communities in the South has irrevocably scrambled my cultural allegiances in ways that would eventually play havoc with my loyalties in the debates the Food Movement had started. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Have GMOs Failed to Live Up to Their Promise? You’re Asking the Wrong Question!
Guest Author: Andrew Kniss, Associate Professor, Weed Biology & Ecology University of Wyoming | Follow him on Twitter: @WyoWeeds This essay previously appeared on Plant Out […]