Lords of the Harvest: Biotech, big money, and the future of food
by Daniel Charles, Perseus, $27, ISBN 0738202916
GENETICALLY modified food has generated headlines around the world for almost
two decades, and it is still a hot-button issue. As Lords of the Harvest makes
clear, this is a story of ambitious scientists, calculating executives and
outraged activists.
Dan Charles, a former Washington correspondent for 快猫短视频 and now
science correspondent for National Public Radio, is well placed to tell the tale
of agricultural biotechnology from 1980 to the present. He explains the
protoplasts and plasmids involved in manipulating genes, but his main interest
lies with the people, and it is his rich cast of characters that moves Lords
along.
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At first this struggle seemed to pit Monsanto, Calgene and their millions
against farmers, consumers and the Third World, but Charles makes it clear that
there are no good guys or bad guys, not even in Greenpeace. Roundup Ready corn
and the Flavr Savr Tomato did not represent evil. They didn鈥檛 even make
money.
Written by a farmer鈥檚 son who has talked to all the major players, Lords of
the Harvest provides a refreshingly nuanced view of this controversial
intersection of biology and business.