Per Pinstrup-Andersen and Ebbe Schiĝler 176 pages / October 2001 $13.95 paperback / ISBN 0-8018-6826-2 Pricing for U.S. only. Foreign pricing also available. Published for IFPRI and distributed by Johns Hopkins University Press.	• ABOUT THIS BOOK • WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS BOOK • ABOUT THE AUTHORS • DETAILED HIGHLIGHTS • ORDER THE BOOK English   |   Dansk
ABOUT THIS BOOK In recent years the media have reported, frequently with alarm, on the increasing use of genetically modified crops in agriculture. Some groups have expressed concern about consumer safety and the risks of large-scale ecosystem damage. Others have noted the resulting shift of power away from locally controlled farming operations toward large agribusiness and biotech companies, and the particular vulnerability of farmers in the developing world to this trend. In Seeds of Contention: World Hunger and the Global Controversy over GM Crops, development specialists Per Pinstrup-Andersen and Ebbe Schiĝler focus attention on the less discussed issues of the potential benefits and costs of genetically modified crops for developing countries. Pinstrup-Andersen and Schiĝler review the basic issues and discuss the potential that such crops have for addressing the great needs of poor and undernourished peoples throughout the world. They explain how increased agricultural productivity is not enough in addressing the problem of famine. People in developing countries need crops that are disease-resistant, can fend off insect predators, and can withstand severe environmental conditions in order to produce larger crop yields. Pinstrup-Andersen and Schiĝler are sober in their assessment of these prospects, for they acknowledge that GM crops alone will not solve the world's food problem. They argue, however, that they may be one element in the solution and people in developing countries should have information about benefits and risks and the freedom to make their own decisions about whether or not to grow and consume GM crops. WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS BOOK "A slightly more academic read, this book explores the potential benefits and costs of genetically modified crops for developing countries. The authors acknowledge that GM crops will not solve the world's problems, but they argue there is a need for the new technology if the world's plates are to be filled." -- Best Books on Biotech, From the pages of the March 2002 edition of Top Producer magazine by Pamela Cole Henderson ,3/25/2002 http://www.agweb.com/news_show_news_article.asp?articleID=86576&newscat=GN "A timely contribution on an important issue. It is great to have an unemotional, broad-based assessment of genetically modified crops." -- Lester Brown, Worldwatch Institute "This book presents a balanced perspective on the potential benefits and risks of modern biotechnology for developing-country food and agriculture and suggests action to reduce risks and increase benefits. It is an excellent and highly welcome addition to the ongoing debate on biotechnology and GM foods." -- Gordon R. Conway, President, The Rockefeller Foundation ABOUT THE AUTHORS Per Pinstrup-Andersen is director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute. Ebbe Schiĝler is a consultant in research and development issues primarily related to agriculture. DETAILED HIGHLIGHTS For more detailed highlights of the book, see Food Policy Statement 33.
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