University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Great Plains Studies, Center for Social Sciences

Fall 2009 Book Review: Genetic Glass Ceilings: Transgenics for Crop Diversity By Jonathan Gressel George Acquaah Bowie State University

Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsresearch

Acquaah, George, "Book Review: Genetic Glass Ceilings: Transgenics for Crop Diversity By Jonathan Gressel" (2009). Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences. 1041. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsresearch/1041

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Great Plains Studies, Center for at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 256 Great Plains Research Vol. 19 No. 2, 2009 health problems, environmental destruction, and food in- thing to offer everyone, regardless of locale. Whether security call into question the very premises of our contem- looking for alternatives to large-scale commodity agri- porary food system. Remaking the North American Food culture or seeking to improve food access for underserved System provides an excellent inventory and assessment of people, Remaking the North American Food System is the ways in which people are working to solve these prob- useful to practitioners and academics alike as they work lems in different places and within different modalities. It to better understand the context and possibilities for draws on the vast experience of a number of the key experts creating a better food system. Patricia Allen, Center for in the world of alternative food systems, many of whom are Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, University pioneers in the field. of California, Santa Cruz. Ranging from assessments of on-the-ground practices to theories of politics and social movements, the chapters Genetic Glass Ceilings: Transgenics for Crop Diver- provide useful background and detail on a wide scope of sity. By Jonathan Gressel. Foreword by Klaus Ammann. alternative food institutions, including farmers’ markets, Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008. food policy councils, local food initiatives, and ecolabels. xviii + 461 pp. Tables, figures, references, index. $65.00 Many of the authors focus both on the ways in which com- cloth. munities can work to strengthen food systems and also the ways local food systems can strengthen communi- In what is destined to become a classic, Jonathan ties. In so doing, the book is an apt legacy to the concept Grassel’s Genetic Glass Ceiling: Transgenics for Crop of civic agriculture developed by coeditor Lyson, who Diversity is a carefully crafted book that is firmly rooted passed away before the volume was complete. in science, engaging and thought-provoking, very bold in The chapter by Stevenson, Ruhf, Lezberg, and Clancy its assertions, and yet not overly alarming. Throughout, provides an excellent overview of the ways in which its author challenges his readers to think outside the box. actors can work toward food system change—through Cognizant of the fact that genetic engineering as a tool challenging and resisting the rules and practices of the in the plant breeder’s toolkit has its ardent proponents dominant food system, reconstructing the food system as well as detractors, Grassel, who obviously belongs through new kinds of activities, and creating networks to the former camp, devotes the first nine chapters to a and improving communications among different sectors thorough review of the science, showing how plant breed- of the food system. All the book’s chapters address one or ers are constrained in their work by diminishing genetic more of these forms of engagement. diversity, the lifeblood of their trade, and why genetic Ostrom and Jussaume’s chapter on community sup- engineering deserves consideration as the “genetic glass ported agriculture (CSA), for example, illustrates the ceiling buster.” ways in which one type of initiative is working at all three The approach adopted in writing this book may be levels. While it focuses primarily on building a new eco- likened to a classic SWOT (strengths-weaknesses-op- nomic model and creating connections, it also challenges portunities-threats) analysis of the issues. Classical plant at a deep level the premises and practices of the dominant breeding is responsible for the domestication of numerous food system. Similarly, the chapter by Carro-Figueroa plant species resulting in highly productive cultivars that and Guptill demonstrates the ways in which the various form the basis of the world’s food supply. Of the crops forms of farmers’ markets in Puerto Rico serve different that feed the world, the so-called “big four” (corn, wheat, groups and have different outcomes. rice, and soybean) have received most attention by breed- Taken as a whole, the book highlights the importance ers, to the extent that a yield plateau has been attained of coeditor Hinrich’s call for “continual shared learning” or approached. Classical breeding tools are incapable of in order to create substantial and sustainable change in the breeching what Gressel aptly describes as a genetic glass food system. It offers both celebration and caution. The ceiling to enable more productive and versatile cultivars book certainly shines a light on the promise and possibil- to be developed to meet ever-increasing world food ity of food-system alternatives, but it is not sanguine. A needs. number of the 19 chapters point out challenges and offer Tough times call for tough measures. Gressel propos- suggestions for improving existing efforts and recom- es the use of biotechnologies for developing transgenics mendations for future directions. to expand and preserve biodiversity. This approach can While some of the authors emphasize the importance lead to the development of a new breed of crop cultivars, of place in remaking the food system, this book has some- such as sorghums that are herbicide-resistant, or the more

© 2009 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Book Reviews 257 radical suggestion of plant types like “corn-like sorghum” its water resources have been modified and are managed (sorghum with completely covered grains like corn cobs). for water supplies, irrigation, and recreation. Also dis- Radical tools of genetic engineering have potentially cussed are the interactions of surface and ground waters, adverse consequences, not the least of which are gene unique biological and geological features, water quality flow and environmental contamination. Gressel therefore concerns, and challenges facing water managers. proposes that these technologies be deployed judiciously, The second half of the book addresses the organiza- and further suggests ways in which adverse effects of tions affecting Texas water planning and management, biotechnology can be minimized, managed, or even Texas water law (a blend of Spanish civil law and English eliminated, sometimes by using safer biotech strategies. common law), the challenge of providing adequate water In his argument for transgenics in the food production to meet the state’s future needs, water planning, water system, Gressel takes pains to point out in chapter 7 the quality, the value of water, and the water resources legacy fact that the poor in developing countries stand to gain we are leaving future generations. from the redesigning of food crops to be nutritionally Author Andrew Sansom is one of Texas’s leading con- more complete, thereby reducing the incidence of malnu- servationists. He has served as executive director of the trition. Multinational corporations who deploy these cut- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, executive director ting edge technologies are frequently maligned as those of the Texas Nature Conservancy, was founder of The who profit from transgenics in agriculture. In chapters Parks and Wildlife Foundation of Texas, and is currently 10-23, discussions are primarily focused on agronomic executive director of the River Systems Institute at Texas crops beyond the big four. State University in San Marcos. Throughout the book, Genetic Glass Ceilings deserves the attention of stu- Sansom emphasizes the biological, recreational, cultural, dents, policymakers, and professionals engaged in plant and economic values of maintaining healthy streams and research. George Acquaah, Dean, College of Arts and coastal systems. He repeatedly returns to the challenges Sciences, Bowie State University, Maryland. of maintaining adequate river flows and inflows to bays and estuaries while simultaneously providing adequate Water in Texas: An Introduction. By Andrew Sansom. water supplies to agriculture and cities. He also stresses Austin: University of Texas Press, 2008. xii + 319 pp. the importance of planning processes that involve multi- Maps, illustrations, bibliography, index. $19.95 paper. ple stakeholders and the use of the best available scientific information. Texas has employed this approach in pre- At last we have a review of Texas water issues wor- paring plans for both future water supplies and adequate thy of the name! Andrew Sansom’s Water in Texas: An environmental flows. Introduction fills a void that has existed for many years. This excellent natural history guide is a must for Texas This easy-to-read 319-page introduction to Texas water naturalists and water professionals. Readers throughout will be an indispensable guide to students, professionals, the Great Plains will enjoy learning about Texas’s diverse and the public, laying out in easily understood language water resources, as well as its successes and frustrations the importance and challenges of mitigating the effects in managing them. C. Allan Jones, Texas A&M AgriLife of droughts and floods, protecting water quality, preserv- Urban Solutions Center at Dallas, and Former Director, ing environmental flows, and many other issues faced by Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station. water managers throughout the Great Plains. As part of the Texas Natural History Guides series, the volume has a The Guide to Kansas Birds and Birding Hot Spots. By tough flexible cover, is printed on high quality paper, and Bob Gress and Pete Janzen. Foreword by Kenn Kaufman. contains many excellent photographs and illustrations. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2008. xiv + 354 The book’s first half includes a brief and cogent in- pp. Photographs, references, index. $19.95 paper. troduction, followed by chapters concerning how water has shaped the Texas landscape, the natural and human Some newcomers to—or even long-time residents history of water resources in the state’s extremely diverse of—Kansas (or the Great Plains in general) need an in- regions and river basins, and the unique importance and spirational introduction to the wonderful natural history challenges of supplying adequate water to the bays and offered by midcontinental North America. The Guide estuaries of the Texas coast. The sections concerning to Kansas Birds and Birding Hot Spots by Bob Gress specific river basins and bay systems give the reader a and Pete Janzen accomplishes such an introduction. brief historical perspective of each area and describe how Though photographic bird guides have their limitations

© 2009 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska–Lincoln