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ABOUT THE BOOK Can we feed the world in the year 2050? If we can, will it be at the price of more distant futures of food insecurity? 21st-century Earth is still trying to find a way to feed its people. Despite global food surpluses, we have malnutrition, hunger and starvation. We also have mass obesity in the same societies. Both of these phenomena are a symptom of the same central problem: a dominating single agriculture coming from industrialized countries responding to perverse and artificial market signals. It neither produces sustainable surpluses of balanced and tasty diets nor does it use food production to increase social and economic equity, increase the food security of the poorest, and pamper the planet back into health. This book is about a revolution in agriculture envisioned by the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), a five-year multi-million-dollar research exercise supervised by the United Nations and World Bank that charts sustainable solutions. The solutions are of course not purely technological, but technology will be a part of the solution. Which technology? Whose technology? Hope Not Hype is written for people who farm, but especially for people who eat. It takes a hard look at traditional, modern (e.g., genetic engineering) and emerging (e.g., agroecological) biotechnologies and sorts them on the basis of delivering food without undermining the capacity to make more food. It cuts through the endless promises made by agrochemical corporations that leverage the public and private investment in agriculture innovation. Here the case is made for the right biotechnology rather than the “one size fits all” biotechnology on offer. This book provides governments and their citizens with the sound science in plain language to articulate their case for an agriculture of their own – one that works for them. ABOUT THE AUTHOR JACK
HEINEMANN is a professor of genetics and molecular biology
in the Jack
received the ICAAC Young Investigator Award from the American Society
for Microbiology in 1993 and was the recipient of the Contents Abbreviations and terminology Foreword Preface Chapter One: Précis for policy-makers Is biotechnology the way to improve agriculture? Which biotechnology? Evaluating the benefits of genetic engineering Alternatives to modern biotechnology Conclusions References Chapter Two: Setting the scene Why agriculture is special Biotechnology Genetic engineering Conclusions References Chapter Three: Defining biotechnology References Chapter Four: Presence Unintended risks to human health caused by presence Presence is necessary and sufficient for liability References Chapter Five: Yield GM crops not designed to increase yield Do GM crops produce more food or revenue? Conclusions References Chapter Six: Pesticides Does genetic engineering reduce use of pesticides? Human health and environmental risks from insecticidal crops Human health and environmental risks from herbicide-tolerant crops References
Chapter Seven: Biotechnologies for sustainable cultures Industrial agriculture encourages a false sense of simplicity Target: sustainability Target: increased yield and disease resistance References Chapter Eight: Growing more food on less (intellectual) property Gene vs. Green Revolutions Intellectual property rights are consolidating the seed industry Patent and patent-like protections undermine agricultural knowledge, science and technology Patent and patent-like protections threaten long-term oversight and innovation Biosafety vs. IPR Conclusions References Afterword
Appendix One: What is a GMO? Appendix Two: The indirect benefits of genetic engineering are not sustainable Appendix Three: Potential human health risks from Bt plants Appendix Four: Legal remedies: Case studies PRICE Pb:
US$22.00 Hb: US$39.00 for Pb:
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RM29.00 Hb: RM44.00 for Prices are inclusive of postage costs by airmail. How to Order the Book Visit our TWN Online Bookshop or contact Third World Network at 131 Jalan Macalister, 10400 Penang, Malaysia. Tel: 604-2266159 Fax: 604-2264505 Email for further information. |
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