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85th out of 134 books
—
17 voters
Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food
By the year 2050, Earth's population will double. If we continue with current farming practices, vast amounts of wilderness will be lost, millions of birds and billions of insects will die, and the public will lose billions of dollars as a consequence of environmental degradation. Clearly, there must be a better way to meet the need for increased food production.
Written...more
Written...more
Hardcover, 208 pages
Published
April 18th 2008
by Oxford University Press, USA
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An essential book for understanding GMOs. Tackling GM-debate from two perspectives, this work beautifully sums up almost every aspect necessary to understand the technology, applications and debate. Although written by respectively an organic farmer and a geneticist, it's very much accessible to readers without a background in the natural sciences.
The fact that it's written in the style of a dialogue makes it both engaging and personal; the genetically modified crops are no longer just the produ...more
The fact that it's written in the style of a dialogue makes it both engaging and personal; the genetically modified crops are no longer just the produ...more
With the writing of this contentious book, the authors set in motion a very heated debate as to the nature of genetic engineering and its ability to be married with organic farming as the solution for truly sustainable agriculture. Pamela and Raoul are wife and husband, geneticist and organic farmer. “Tomorrow’s Table” is written as a memoir, dialogue with friends, and a textbook on organic farming and genetic engineering. Pamela, as a geneticist, works to distinguish between genetic engineering...more
I can't remember where I first heard about this book, but I'm glad that I read it. It is written by a married couple, the woman is a scientist who genetically engineers rice and the man is an organic farmer. They do a good job of describing what organic and GE actually mean. It struck me that even though these terms are used widely (more so organic) and seen on grocery store shelves, many don't understand them.
After reading Tomorrow's Table, I have a better understanding of GE and the benefits i...more
After reading Tomorrow's Table, I have a better understanding of GE and the benefits i...more
Assigned this book in biotech class. I was surprised and a little disappointed by the choice, pop lit instead of hard science, but it's an easy read and basically well written. The personal anecdotes aren't really helpful and have slot of smug overtones, but if you've become used to that type of smug culture (which is becoming more pervasive where I live) the anecdotes will serve the purpose the authors intended rather that just making them come off as self-superior and out of touch. I think thi...more
This is a must read for anyone serious about food sovereignty. There are basically two categories of people who respond negatively to genetically modified foods: 1) people who understand GE crops, 2) people who don't.
This book is written to give people an overview of the GE crop industry and to answer some of the "myths" with facts about GE crops. I don't know what I think about it yet, but at least I know more about some of the objections to GE crops and answers to those objections by scientis...more
This book is written to give people an overview of the GE crop industry and to answer some of the "myths" with facts about GE crops. I don't know what I think about it yet, but at least I know more about some of the objections to GE crops and answers to those objections by scientis...more
I first became curious about this book after reading that it was co-authored by an organic farmer and a plant geneticist who also happen to be husband and wife. Given how polarized the conversation about organic food and genetically engineered food tends to be, I hoped this book would provide me with some more balanced information on the topic than is generally available, and that is precisely what it does.
Pam Ronald works at UC Davis, where she has been using the techniques of genetic engineeri...more
Pam Ronald works at UC Davis, where she has been using the techniques of genetic engineeri...more
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This is an important book, that I highly recommend folks check out. In the context of the upcoming vote on Prop 37, I wanted to gather further information about genetically engineered (GE) crops. Typically, we are presented with the choice between Organic farming vs. GE crops. This book is written by a husband and wife team. He is a leading organic farmer, running the student farm at UC Davis, focusing on sustainable agriculture. She is a plant geneticist working to improve the nutrition, healt...more
This was an enjoyable, quick read, interspersed with interesting anecdotes and even recipes, but the content is a bit one-sided. It focuses primarily on genetic engineering, and provides a decent explanation for those who are unfamiliar with the specifics. This book would be well suited to someone who wants to know more about GMOs but would prefer to avoid overly technical details, however if you want a solid scientific primer on genetically engineered plants I'd recommend Nina Fedoroff's book i...more
"Tomorrow's Table" is a very well researched account of organic farming and genetic engineering. Ronald and Adamchak do an excellent job of presenting the two topics side by side and merging them to show how prevailing trends in food science are affecting what is marketed and eaten. Most importantly, though, they provide a scientific context for two of today's most controversial and hottest buzz words in the arena of food. The only drawback to the book, in my opinion, is the storytelling style t...more
One of the first things that I was reminded of by reading this book is how hard it is to farm. In addition to physically taxing work. The economic rewards are rarely enough to make it appealing from an investment standpoint. Yet the importance of growing more food for an expanding population with less pesticides on less ground has never been more obvious. The book is written from the two points of view that most people want to hear from the most, scientist and farmer. I think everyone wants to b...more
Written by a husband and wife-he's an organic farmer and she's a prof. who does research on genetic engineering. They make a very persuasive case for combining the two (genetically engineering organic crops) in order to reduce pesticide dependency, produce healthier food and feed more people effectively. They point out that the public suffers from a real lack of basic scientific knowledge in general and particularly when it comes to GE crops. Instead activists and nonscientists have been scaring...more
Better than I thought. What a great idea, a husband who is an organic farmer and his wife who is into gmo crops. They actually have me believing that in some cases, GMO crops are the way to go. If you can reduce pesticides by 75% and by mixing plants that are close relatives it seems like a reasonable trade.
Good read for anyone who feels passionate about organics or GMO crops, shows another side to the story.
Good read for anyone who feels passionate about organics or GMO crops, shows another side to the story.
Hm. This book was good, but not that good. Mainly because the authors clearly aren't writers. But they wrote this book to prove a point, and they did. They built a case for GMO's or GE foods, as opposed to organic and conventional foods. Although the in-text citations were wonky, the sources were credible, and led me to think more about this issue. The authors, a married couple, used their skills as a farmer and a professor of genetics to inform and convince the reader that GMO's are not harmful...more
I enjoyed reading this book and learning more about genetic engineering, organic gardening and how the two can overlap. It was dense and technical in some of the descriptions but made an effort to be approachable by including recipes and conversations had with friends. It was definitely a good read, but not as amazing as other food books. The authors make some very good points, have some interesting perspectives and overall the book is very informative.
Written by my good friend Pam. Opens the dialog over whether GMOs have a place in sustainable agriculture. This is certainly controversial, but Pam and Raoul (her husband) are well-qualified to present a reasoned perspective.
the authors did a great job addressing widespread concerns with GE tech, while shedding light on the potential of its development. i highly recommend it to anyone interested in the debate and the future of food.
Definitely worth a read. It made this organic wanna-be do a double take on whether genetically engineered food is a problem or a tool to enable growing food better, and more of it.
The authors are pretty smug at times (after all, not all of us live on organic farms near Davis, CA), but overall, a well-written book. Both authors are very knowledgable--this would be a great "Introduction to the GE debate" book at many universities.
An excellent discussion of issues involving genetically engineered food with solid documentation. Covers the scientific, economic, agricultural, environmental and policy aspects of the issue without all the hyperbole. Anybody who is concerned about GMOs or GE food and wants to understand the issue better should read this. The consumer debate is generally uninformed, full of apocryphal stories, rumors and unsubstantiated claims. The authors also provide the reader with some tools for how to tell...more
4.5 stars for the explanations and discussions of the benefits of, and issues surrounding, organic farming and genetic engineering, especially the need to move the focus of GE discussions away from just process to coming up with solutions for how to bring GE back away from solely being for private corporate profit to its use for public good - especially in tandem with organic farming practices.
3 stars for the anecdotal descriptions. Although meant as a starting point and framework for some of t...more
3 stars for the anecdotal descriptions. Although meant as a starting point and framework for some of t...more
The book is a good quick read and brings up some good point on how GE foods can benefit the food system. There are some points I don't agree with, but overall, it's ok.
The material here is excellent - both sides, considered from a rational scientific viewpoint and also as part of conversations with non-experts with standard concerns about genetic engineering. The writing feels... stilted, at times (likely a result of transcribing and cleaning up conversations and experiences), but the pair of viewpoints is great. This replaces 'Mendel in the Kitchen' as my go-to for basic GE reading recommendation.
This should be insightful. The authors are married and both work at UC Davis. He's an organic farmer and she's a plant genetic scientist. I think they're trying to argue that genetically engineering plants can work in harmony with organic farming. This book is scientific, but also about their individual jobs and how they apply their beliefs within their family. I'm curious to hear about how they eat. We shall see.....
Pretty enjoyable read. I should have read this with a few other people because I can imagine many exciting discussions resulting from the group read. If you're like me and are tired of polarized debates surrounding important agricultural and food security questions, give Tomorrow's Table a try. At the very least the well-documented text will get thinking about the issue of GE foods.
A quick read, Tomorrow's Table breaks down a lot of the misconceptions and fears we have of genetically modified foods. While I don't think the authors did enough to explain the problems presented by corporations patenting genes, and thus life, I do think it provided a fair account of genetic modification and how it can be used to enhance organic agriculture.
Slightly disorganized. Ronald should have written the book by herself and left her husband out of it. He doesn't add much to the discussion. I do enjoy imagining their compromise...."Sure honey, you can have two chapters." Yikes!
Definitely changed my outlook on GE food, but I doubt others will be as flippant in dismissing the health risks.
Definitely changed my outlook on GE food, but I doubt others will be as flippant in dismissing the health risks.
Terrible. The authors rely on fallacious arguments ("if you think genetic engineering should be regulated, you're stupid") and mish-mash of personal anecdotes and selective facts. I wish they had forthrightly addresses the serious dilemmas posed by genetic engineering, and the role of weak regulators and strong corporate interests.
Interesting book. I feel certainly more informed about this issue.
A great scientific account of genetic engineering. A truly fascinating and eye-opening perspective; but definitely written in a scientist's voice. At best it reads like a narrative, other times, like a scientific paper. All around informative and worth picking up if you have any interest in the topic.
can't get into it, not gonna finish it
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