Tomorrow's Table

This book explores today's use of organic farming and genetically engineered plants, and examines the concerns expressed by critics and consumers. 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. This book argues that a judicious blend of two important strands of agriculture, genetic engineering and organic farming, is key to helping feed the world's growing population in an ecologically balanced manner. The authors, one a geneticist, and the other an organic farmer, take the reader inside their lives for roughly a year, allowing us to look over their shoulders so that we can see what geneticists and organic farmers actually do. The reader sees the problems that farmers face, trying to provide larger yields without resorting to expensive or environmentally hazardous chemicals, a problem that will loom larger and larger as the century progresses. They learn how organic farmers and geneticists address these problems. . This book provides accurate information about organic farming, genetic engineering, and their potential impacts on human health and the environment to help readers make food choices and policy that will support ecologically responsible farming practices.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.