Seeds for the Future: The Impact of Genetically Modified Crops on the Environment

Plants have long been genetically modified through crossbreeding and other basic agricultural techniques to make crops more resilient, nutritious, and profitable. In recent decades, however, advances in genetic engineering--including the ability to blend genetic material from animals with that of plants--have allowed farmers to grow crops that resist insect pests, weeds, viruses, and drought; provide increased iron or beta carotene; deliver vaccines and antibodies; reduce common allergens and pollutants; and augment marketable qualities such as delayed ripening. The complicated scientific, environmental, legal, cultural, and ethical issues surrounding these crops are being hotly debated all over the world. In Seeds for the Future, an internationally respected molecular geneticist and food researcher, Jennifer A. Thomson, describes how these crops are developed, distributed, and regulated.

Author: Jennifer Thompson
Publisher: Comstock Publishing
Published: 02/15/2007
Pages: 176
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.73lbs
Size: 9.08h x 6.20w x 0.48d
ISBN: 9780801473685

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 03/01/2007 pg. 103
Booklist 03/01/2007 pg. 47
Scitech Book News 09/01/2007 pg. 131

About the Author

Jennifer A. Thomson is Professor of Microbiology at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. She is on the boards of a number of biotechnology organizations including the African Agricultural Technology Foundation, based in Nairobi.