Resistance is fertile : Canadian struggles on the biocommons /

In the past 15 years, almost all of the traditional ways of doing agriculture have been replaced by biotechnology methods. These methods are not only practiced in high-tech developed nations. In fact, approximately 40 percent of the genetically modified organisms used in agriculture are grown in developing nations. This book uses Canada as a model to illustrate how countries set policies on the use of genetically modified agricultural organisms. Peekhaus (information studies, Univ. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) starts with an analysis of how the political climate of Canada contributed to the history of Canadian agricultural biotechnology. As with many countries, Canada viewed biotechnology as a means of future economic growth and global commercial competitiveness, and formed the BioCommons for systematically furthering knowledge in biotechnology development. As the author notes, the push for biotechnology was not without its critics, who were concerned about the ethics and safety of biotechnology applications. The book focuses on the range of the rationale for resistance to biotechnology growth in Canada. It investigates the issues behind business ethics, consumer protection, environmental protection, and food security. The assessment of issues is unbiased, contemporary, and supported with many citations. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above. B. R. Shmaefsky Lone Star College - Kingwood