The rise and fall of GM.

Sets out the case for and against genetic modification in agriculture. Farmers and scientists in Cuba, Kenya and Illinois, U.S.A. proclaim the advantages of genetic modification in contending with poor soil, drought, pests and the vitamin deficiency that accompanies poverty. Those opposed to it set out their concerns over cross pollination, the upset of the ecosystem, the ruin of traditional farming methods and gene transfer to humans. Does the affluent west really understand the needs of the developing world? Does the anti-GM lobby persist in harbouring romantic ideas about developing world farming? Contributors include Baron Prof. Mark van Montagu, Dr. Rob Frayling (Monsanto), Julian Borger (The Guardian), Lady Conran, Richard D. North (author), Dr. Mae Wan Ho (Open University) and Prof. D. Burke (former chairman, Advisory Committee for Novel Foods).