Sustainable food and farming: When public perceptions depart from science

This chapter examines four important food production innovations that have been favored by scientists but opposed by influential swathes of the public: Green Revolution farming, industrial agriculture, the use of synthetic chemicals versus organic farming, and genetically engineered crops (GMOs). Wh...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Paarlberg, Robert L.
Format: Book Chapter
Language:Inglés
Published: International Food Policy Research Institute 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140108
_version_ 1855521748498251776
author Paarlberg, Robert L.
author_browse Paarlberg, Robert L.
author_facet Paarlberg, Robert L.
author_sort Paarlberg, Robert L.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description This chapter examines four important food production innovations that have been favored by scientists but opposed by influential swathes of the public: Green Revolution farming, industrial agriculture, the use of synthetic chemicals versus organic farming, and genetically engineered crops (GMOs). While three of the four innovations enjoy widespread use despite civil society opposition, GMOs do not. This chapter explains why: except for GMOs, public misgivings did not find political expression until after farmers had experienced the benefits from these innovations, making them impossible to take away. However, activists raised strong objections early with respect to GMOs, before the seeds were in wide use, and therefore most farmers never had a chance to enjoy and defend the benefits. Genome editing, a more recent crop science breakthrough, met early legal resistance in Europe, but broad popular resistance is unlikely to follow, so widespread deployment in farming is likely.
format Book Chapter
id CGSpace140108
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2023
publishDateRange 2023
publishDateSort 2023
publisher International Food Policy Research Institute
publisherStr International Food Policy Research Institute
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1401082025-11-06T03:58:07Z Sustainable food and farming: When public perceptions depart from science Paarlberg, Robert L. sustainable development goals policies organic agriculture agricultural policies reforms gene editing green revolution agricultural sciences intensification advocacy genetically modified organisms crispr food systems sustainable agriculture governance This chapter examines four important food production innovations that have been favored by scientists but opposed by influential swathes of the public: Green Revolution farming, industrial agriculture, the use of synthetic chemicals versus organic farming, and genetically engineered crops (GMOs). While three of the four innovations enjoy widespread use despite civil society opposition, GMOs do not. This chapter explains why: except for GMOs, public misgivings did not find political expression until after farmers had experienced the benefits from these innovations, making them impossible to take away. However, activists raised strong objections early with respect to GMOs, before the seeds were in wide use, and therefore most farmers never had a chance to enjoy and defend the benefits. Genome editing, a more recent crop science breakthrough, met early legal resistance in Europe, but broad popular resistance is unlikely to follow, so widespread deployment in farming is likely. 2023-10-16 2024-03-14T12:08:55Z 2024-03-14T12:08:55Z Book Chapter https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140108 en https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198882121.001.0001 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Oxford University Press Paarlberg, Robert L. 2023. Sustainable food and farming: When public perceptions depart from science. In The Political Economy of Food System Transformation: Pathways to Progress in a Polarized World, eds. Danielle Resnick and Johan Swinnen. Chapter 10, Pp. 230-255. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198882121.003.0010.
spellingShingle sustainable development goals
policies
organic agriculture
agricultural policies
reforms
gene editing
green revolution
agricultural sciences
intensification
advocacy
genetically modified organisms
crispr
food systems
sustainable agriculture
governance
Paarlberg, Robert L.
Sustainable food and farming: When public perceptions depart from science
title Sustainable food and farming: When public perceptions depart from science
title_full Sustainable food and farming: When public perceptions depart from science
title_fullStr Sustainable food and farming: When public perceptions depart from science
title_full_unstemmed Sustainable food and farming: When public perceptions depart from science
title_short Sustainable food and farming: When public perceptions depart from science
title_sort sustainable food and farming when public perceptions depart from science
topic sustainable development goals
policies
organic agriculture
agricultural policies
reforms
gene editing
green revolution
agricultural sciences
intensification
advocacy
genetically modified organisms
crispr
food systems
sustainable agriculture
governance
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140108
work_keys_str_mv AT paarlbergrobertl sustainablefoodandfarmingwhenpublicperceptionsdepartfromscience