By the year 2050, the number of people on Earth is expected to increase from the current 6.7 billion to 9.2 billion in 2050 (Population Division, 2007). What is the best way to produce enough food to feed all these people? If we continue with current farming practices, vast amounts of wilderness will be lost, millions of birds and billions of insects will die, farm workers will be at increased risk for disease, and the public will lose billions of dollars as a consequence of environmental degradation. Clearly, there must be a better way to resolve the need for increased food production with the desire to minimize its impact.

Some scientists and policy decision-makers have proposed that genetic engineering (GE), a modern form of crop modification (box P.1), will help create a new generation of plants that will dramatically reduce our dependence on pesticides, enhance the health of our agricultural systems, and increase the nutritional content of food. They believe GE will be a dramatic step forward that will allow agriculture to topple decades of criticism about the dangerous overuse of pesticides and toxic herbicides, leading us to a more ecological way of farming.

Box P.1: Genetic Engineering (GE) GE is not a farming method. It is a modern form of crop modification that differs from plant breeding in two basic ways: Plant breeding allows gene transfer only between closely related species. With genetic engineering, genes from the same species or from any other species, even those from animals, can be introduced into a plant. Therefore genetic engineering creates a vast potential for crop alteration. Plant breeding mixes large sets of genes of unknown function, whereas genetic engineering generally introduces only one to a few well-characterized genes at a time.

Or will it? While the public has generally accepted the application of GE for the production of new medicines, some consumers indicate grave unease over the consumption and production of GE food, viewing it as unnatural, potentially unsafe to eat and environmentally disruptive. Of these skeptics, the organic farming community has been particularly vocal in its criticism (box P.2). Some consumers believe that because organic farmers have learned how to produce healthy nutritious food, GE plants are not needed.

Box P.2: Conventional and Organic Farming Conventional agriculture is a catch-all term used to describe diverse farming methods. At one end of the continuum are farmers who use synthetic pesticides and fertilizers to maximize short-term yields. At the other end are growers who use chemicals sparingly and embrace the goals of ecological farming. Increasingly, many conventional farmers, particularly in the United States, are growing GE crops. Organic farming is an ecologically-based farming method that avoids or largely excludes the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. As much as possible, organic farmers rely on crop rotation, cover crops, compost, and mechanical cultivation to maintain soil productivity and fertility, to supply plant nutrients, and to control weeds, insects, and other pests. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program standards established in 2000 prohibit the use of GE seed or other GE inputs. Currently, organic farming is practiced by less than 2% of U.S. farmers.

Over the last ten years of marriage, we, Raoul Adamchak (an organic farmer) and Pamela Ronald (a geneticist), have discussed these issues with each other and with others. We both work at the University of California at Davis, a world-class research institution that is located amid some of the world’s richest soils in the fertile Central Valley. An unusually high percentage of the people who live in the small town of Davis studies or cultivates plants. Here, organic growers and geneticists routinely mingle together in the same social circles. Many of our friends, family, and colleagues see GE and organic farming as representing polar opposites of the agricultural industry, and they often ask us how GE will affect the environment and our food. On the other hand, some of our scientific colleagues have asked us to explain why many people in the organic farming community oppose the genetic engineering of crops. This book is the result of our investigations and our response to these questions.

Written as part memoir, part instruction, and part contemplation, this book roughly chronicles one year in our life. Our intention is to give readers a better understanding of what geneticists and organic farmers actually do and also to help readers distinguish between fact and fiction in the debate about crop genetic engineering. Readers who wish to know more about the science behind the passionate arguments surrounding genetic engineering and organic agriculture can find it in this book.

One of the major themes of this book is that the judicious incorporation of two important strands of agriculture—genetic engineering and organic farming—is key to helping feed the growing population in an ecologically balanced manner. We are not suggesting that organic farming and GE alone will provide all the changes needed in agriculture. Other farming systems and technological changes, as well as modified government policies, undoubtedly are also needed. Yet it is hard to avoid the sense that organic farming and genetic engineering each will play an increasingly important role, and that they somehow have been pitted unnecessarily against each other. Our ambition in this book, therefore, is not to be comprehensive, but to identify roles for both GE and organic farming in the future of food production.

Another theme of this book is that the broader goals of ecologically responsible farming, and the adherence to those ideals, are more important than the methods used to develop new plant varieties. To this end, we have generated a list of key criteria to help guide policy decisions about the use of GE in food and farming (box 3). Throughout this book, we evaluate the usefulness of a particular crop variety or farming technique using these criteria. By looking beyond the ideologies and ahead to a shared vision, we hope to better achieve these goals.

Box 3: Criteria for the Use of Organic Farming and Genetic Engineering in Agriculture We advocate the use of a technology or farming practice if it serves to: Produce abundant, safe and nutritious* food Reduce harmful environmental inputs Provide healthful conditions for farm workers Protect the genetic make-up of native species Enhance crop genetic diversity Foster soil fertility Improve the lives of the poor and malnourished Maintain the economic viability of farmers and rural communities * As defined by the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service

Loosely organized by season, each group of chapters addresses a different issue related to the role of GE and organic farming in food production. For example, chapter 1, written by Pam, is a case study showing how plant geneticists are working with breeders to address agricultural problems faced by farmers in less developed countries. Chapters 2 and 3, written by Raoul, provide a farmer’s-eye view of the philosophy and practice of organic farming and how it differs from conventional agriculture. Chapters 4, 5, and 6, written by Pam, describe the tools and processes of genetic engineering, examine consumers’ concerns and review the scientific process. In chapters 7, 8, and 9, Pam discusses potential health and environmental risks and benefits of GE crops. In chapters 10 and 11, we discuss the role that private companies and patents play in the development of new seed varieties. The last chapter describes a typical California spring dinner that we prepare for our family. Some of the food is genetically engineered and some is grown organically. We explain why we make the choices we do. Because our book is essentially about food, we include some of our favorite recipes.

We wrote this book for consumers, farmers, and policy decision makers who want to make food choices and policy that will support ecologically responsible farming practices. It is also for consumers who want accurate information about genetically engineered crops and their potential impacts on human health and the environment. Our book is for those who wish to know more about the food they eat, besides just how to prepare it. It is for every shopper who has at one time or another perused the aisles of the local supermarket wondering what labels such as “organic” or “GE-free” really mean for the health of their families and for the future of the planet.