Tomorrow's Table Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food

by Ronald, Pamela C.; Adamchak, R. W.

• ISBN13: 9780195393576
• ISBN10: 0195393570
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-01-08
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Written as part memoir, part instruction, and part contemplation, 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, welcome us into their lives for roughly a year, allowing us to look over their shoulders and see what geneticists and organic farmers actually do. We learn how the couple, who share the goal of a sustainable agriculture, work together to tackle such issues as that of farmers trying to produce higher yields without resorting to environmentally hazardous chemicals--a problem that will loom larger as the world's population increases. A colorfully written, insightful look at genetic engineering and organic farming, this book will interest consumers, farmers, and policy makers.

Author Biography

Pamela C. Ronald is a Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of California, Davis.
Raoul Adamchak is the Market-Garden Coordinator at the UC Davis Student Farm.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. vii
About the Authors	p. xvii
Introduction
Cultivating Rice in Niche, China and Davis, California (PAM)	p. 3
The Farm
Why Organic Agriculture? (RAOUL)	p. 13
The Tools of Organic Agriculture (RAOUL)	p. 29
The Lab
The Tools of Genetic Engineering (PAM)	p. 43
Consumers
Legislating Lunch (PAM)	p. 63
Who Can We Trust? (PAM)	p. 81
Is GE Food Risky to Eat? (PAM)	p. 85
The Environment
Conserving Wildlands (PAM)	p. 105
Weeds, Gene Flow, and the Environment (PAM)	p. 115
Ownership
Who owns the Seed? (RAOUL)	p. 127
Who owns the Genes? (PAM)	p. 137
Dinner
Deconstructing Dinner: Genetically Engineered, Organically Grown (Pam & Raoul)	p. 155
Glossary	p. 169
References	p. 179
Index	p. 199
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