What to Believe — when it comes to food

GM Agriculture and Food Security: Fears and Facts

Have you found yourself questioning something you’ve seen in the mainstream or social media about our food production? I suspect most of us have at some point been uncertain by what the media presents us with. I personally see ‘information’ that isn’t factually correct on a regular basis, so I decided to do something. Together with my colleagues William Kerr and Peter Phillips, we came up with the idea for a book that provides factual information on a variety of topics on our areas of research and the agricultural industry. We cover a range of topics, including: What is natural? Should we worry about industrial agriculture? Where is chemical use going? What should we know about food labelling? Are local food movements the answer? Should we worry about diversity, risk and sustainability?

As academics, the three of us have researched and written about agriculture, biotechnology, food and innovation for more than 20 years. We certainly don’t know everything, but for what do we know, we wanted to share our insights with those interested in seeking factual information about innovations within agriculture and food. Our goal was to leave the formal language for the academic journals and offer a book full of fact and information which general populations would find informative and interesting. We want to give a huge thanks to CABI Books for their support, encouragement and assistance as our idea for a book became reality.

So, what is this book about?

Have you ever wondered why farmers use chemicals to control weeds in their fields? Or maybe you want to know what natural actually is? Or perhaps you’ve pondered just how will we sustainably feed 9, 10 or 11 billion people without cutting down millions of acres of forest? We address these questions along with numerous others throughout 12 chapters. As an example, Chapter 3 ‘The Technology Promise: How Can We Feed a World of More Than 9 Billion?’ we provide an overview of the state of global food security. Currently, ~ 800 million people don’t get enough to eat on a daily bases, and therefore we felt it was necessary to discuss how innovations in crop production have increased crop yields across the board and around the world, which offer a potential solution to improving food security. We also explore how moving away from science-based regulation could jeopardize future food security.

Focus on the Future

While we could have written on a number of different topics, we have focused this book on the science of innovative plant breeding’s ability to economically and sustainably feed a world population of 9+ billion. Offering insights on themes in which innovations are being threatened by socio-economic-based regulations and deliberate campaigns of misinformation led by those opposed to agricultural innovations.

If you have an interest in food, food security and food production, then our book is for you. We are pleased to provide a factually informative book on these many topics and trust you will enjoy devouring it! Science is capable of delivering but is often stymied by non-scientific challenges. Our book, GM Agriculture and Food Security | Fears and Facts, is our effort to help deliver the science and overcome the challenge.