Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm Sustainability in the United States
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This PDF is available from The National Academies Press at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12804 Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm Sustainability in the United States ISBN Committee on the Impact of Biotechnology on Farm-Level Economics and 978-0-309-14708-8 Sustainability; National Research Council 270 pages 6 x 9 PAPERBACK (2010) Visit the National Academies Press online and register for... Instant access to free PDF downloads of titles from the NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL 10% off print titles Custom notification of new releases in your field of interest Special offers and discounts Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the National Academies Press. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Request reprint permission for this book Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm Sustainability in the United States Committee on the Impact of Biotechnology on Farm-Level Economics and Sustainability Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources Division on Earth and Life Studies Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm Sustainability in the United States THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001 NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Gov- erning Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engi- neering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance. 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Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm Sustainability in the United States COMMITTEE ON THE IMPACT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY ON FARM-LEVEL ECONOMICS AND SUSTAINABILITY DAVID E. ERVIN (Chair), Portland State University, Oregon YVES CARRIÈRE, University of Arizona, Tucson WILLIAM J. COX, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York JORGE FERNANDEZ-CORNEJO, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC1 RAYMOND A. JUSSAUME, JR., Washington State University, Pullman MICHELE C. MARRA, North Carolina State University, Raleigh MICHEAL D.K. OWEN, Iowa State University, Ames PETER H. RAVEN, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis L. LAREESA WOLFENBARGER, University of Nebraska, Omaha DAVID ZILBERMAN, University of California, Berkeley Project Staff KARA N. LANEY, Study Director KAMWETI MUTU, Research Associate ROBIN A. SCHOEN, Director, Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources KAREN L. IMHOF, Administrative Assistant NORMAN GROSSBLATT, Senior Editor The views expressed here are those of the authors and may not be attributed to the Eco- nomic Research Service or the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm Sustainability in the United States BOARD ON AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES NORMAN R. SCOTT (Chair), Cornell University, Ithaca, New York PEGGY F. BARLETT, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia HAROLD L. BERGMANN, University of Wyoming, Laramie RICHARD A. DIXON, Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Ardmore, Oklahoma DANIEL M. DOOLEY, University of California, Oakland JOAN H. EISEMANN, North Carolina State University, Raleigh GARY F. HARTNELL, Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Missouri GENE HUGOSON, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, St. Paul KIRK C. KLASING, University of California, Davis VICTOR L. LECHTENBERG, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana PHILIP E. NELSON, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana KEITH PITTS, Marrone Bio Innovations, Davis, California CHARLES W. RICE, Kansas State University, Manhattan HAL SALWASSER, Oregon State University, Corvallis PEDRO A. SANCHEZ, The Earth Institute, Columbia University, Palisades, New York ROGER A. SEDJO, Resources for the Future, Washington, DC KATHLEEN SEGERSON, University of Connecticut, Storrs MERCEDES VAZQUEZ-AÑON, Novus International, Inc., St. Charles, Missouri Staff ROBIN A. SCHOEN, Director KAREN L. IMHOF, Administrative Assistant AUSTIN J. LEWIS, Senior Program Officer EVONNE P.Y. TANG, Senior Program Officer PEGGY TSAI, Program Officer CAMILLA YANDOC ABLES, Associate Program Officer KARA N. LANEY, Associate Program Officer RUTH S. ARIETI, Research Associate JANET M. MULLIGAN, Research Associate KAMWETI MUTU, Research Associate ERIN P. MULCAHY, Senior Program Assistant i Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm Sustainability in the United States Preface Not since the introduction of hybrid corn seed have we witnessed such a sweeping technological change in U.S. agriculture. Hundreds of thousands of farmers have adopted the first generation of genetically engineered (GE) crops since their commercialization in 1996. Although not all GE varieties that have been commercialized have succeeded, those targeted at improved pest control now cover over 80 percent of the acres planted to soybean, cotton, and corn—that is, almost half of U.S. crop- land. Forecasts suggest an expansion in GE-crop plantings in many other countries. GE crops originate in advances in molecular and cellular biology that enable scientists to introduce desirable traits from other species into crop plants or to alter crop plants’ genomes internally. Those powerful scientific techniques have