In the spotlight

"Will Frankenfood Save the Planet?" is a mixture of half-truths, distortions, and outright misinformation.
The author extols no-till agriculture as preserving soil biota and hence soil fertility (mostly true), but makes the patently absurd claim that no-till must depend on herbicide use (false) and that herbicide use also requires genetically engineered (GE) herbicide-tolerant crops (also false). Herbicides damage the same soil biota we are to preserve, and weaken even transgenic Roundup Ready crops, making them more susceptible to insects and diseases; low-lying, nitrogen-fixing non-GE cover crops -- called green manures -- and mulches do a much better all-around no-till job, without chemicals or genetically modified organisms.

During this season of goodwill, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, or FAO, reminds us that not everyone will be eating well over the holidays. Its report on world hunger provides some dyspeptic reading.

During this season of goodwill, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, or FAO, reminds us that not everyone will be eating well over the holidays. Its report on world hunger provides some dyspeptic reading.

As country delegates from around the globe gather today at the World Trade Organization (WTO) headquarters in Geneva to move forward on international trade talks, nearly 50 civil society organizations presented a letter urging the WTO to stay out of the food and agriculture sectors.

As country delegates from around the globe gather today at the World Trade Organization (WTO) headquarters in Geneva to move forward on international trade talks, nearly 50 civil society organizations presented a letter urging the WTO to stay out of the food and agriculture sectors.