Pamela C. Ronald

"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, take the reader inside their lives for roughly a year, allowing us to look over their shoulders so that we can see what geneticists and organic farmers actually do. Readers see the problems that farmers face, trying to provide larger yields without resorting to expensive or environmentally hazardous chemicals--a problem that will loom larger and larger as the century progresses--and they learn how organic farmers and geneticists address these problems. The book is for consumers, farmers, and policy decision makers who want to make food choices and policy that will support ecologically responsible farming practices, and for anyone who wants accurate information about organic farming,genetic engineering, and their potential impacts on human health and the environment.The first edition was published in hardcover in 2008 and in paperback in 2009. This second edition reflects the many and varied changes the fields of farming and genetic engineering have seen since 2009. It includes a new preface and three new chapters-one on politics and food-related protests such as the Marin county anti-vaccine movement and the subsequent outbreak of whooping cough, one on farming and food security, and one containing various recipes. Existing chapters on the tools of genetic engineering, organic vs. conventional foods, the tools of organic agriculture, and food labeling and legislature have all been updated.

Agriculture plays a vital role supporting human life on Earth but faces significant challenges because of population growth, plant pathogens, and climate change. Genetic engineering of crops promises to increase food yields, create drought- and pest-resistant crops, and improve nutrition in the developing world.Written and edited by experts in the field, this collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology examines the molecular bases of different plant characteristics and how they can be manipulated genetically using modern molecular biological techniques. The contributors review recent advances in our understanding of plant plasticity, circadian rhythms, stomatal development, inflorescence architecture, symbiotic phosphate acquisition, and specialized plant metabolism and discuss how this knowledge might be used to boost yields, improve tolerance to pathogens and environmental stress, and enhance nutritional content. Several chapters are devoted to the development of specific genetically modified plants (e.g., disease-resistant cassava and submergence-tolerant rice) and their agronomic and socioeconomic impacts.The generation of blight-resistant American chestnut trees--the first bioengineered plants developed with the goal of ecological restoration--is also described. This volume is therefore an essential read for all plant biologists, geneticists, and engineers interested in addressing agricultural as well as environmental challenges.