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A Garden of Unearthly Delights: Bioengineering and the Future of Food
From Publishers Weekly In chatty journalistic interview style, Mather, food editor at the Detroit News, explores the tensions between industrial and traditional agriculture. Despite the book's subtitle, its treatment of bioengineering itself is perfunctory and related mainly to more general issues of economic structure in food provision. Mather pays specific attention to contrasting viewpoints regarding vegetable, dairy and poultry production, striving to treat controversial topics evenhandedly while indicating her own enthusiasms for sustainable practices, local supply and initiatives such as community-shared agriculture. The book is a relatively quick read, with lots of human-interest angles and earthy information to enlighten and occasionally distress the consumer. Contrasting food "producers" with "growers," businesses with farms and engineered with natural foods, Mather touches upon profound issues and notes the conflicts of human values and perspectives as well as the real economic factors at work. Deeper consideration of these conflicts is left to the reader. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Mather, the food editor of the Detroit News, has written a book about two possible futures regarding how food will be produced, processed, distributed, and consumed in this country. One of those futures, the bioengineered one, is already upon us. A growth hormone for dairy cows and a genetically engineered tomato have already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and hundreds of other bioengineered foods are waiting for approval. A second possible future lies in sustainable agriculture, which involves, among other things, environmentally friendly small- to medium-sized operations growing crops and raising livestock for local or regional consumption. Mather contrasts the visions of biotechnology and sustainability by visiting dairy, chicken, and vegetable operations that emphasize one or the other of these approaches. She strives for fairness by letting the proponents of these two views speak for themselves but leaves no doubt with readers that she has high hopes for sustainable agriculture. An engaging book on an important topic; highly recommended for both public and academic libraries.?William H. Wiese, Iowa State Univ. Lib., Ames Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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