— Jonathan Miller in The World’s “What’s for Lunch” chat on GMOs in developing countries.
— The World’s environment editor Peter Thomson on “GMO Lunch? Uganda Debates Disease-Resistant Cassava” Facebook chat.
Jon Miller, lead reporter of the “Food for 9 Billion” series, has commandeered The World’s Facebook page for the next hour, to answer your questions about the use of genetically modified crops in developing countries.
— Pamela Ronald of UC Davis and author of “Tomorrow’s Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food,” in response to “GMO Lunch? Uganda Debates Disease-Resistant Cassava”
Cassava is a vital staple in Africa and one of the most climate-resilient crops anywhere. It’s also highly susceptible to viral diseases. In Uganda, scientists are testing a virus-resistant transgenic variety, which they hope to introduce for free. But it’s run into a buzzsaw of hostility to genetically modified foods. Can this—or any—GMO succeed in the face of such determined opposition? Should it? Jon Miller reports from Uganda as part of our series “What’s for Lunch.”
Eva Mugalu raised eleven kids on three acres of land in Uganda. She says she isn’t aware of the controversy over genetic engineered crops. She says she doesn’t really care where her crops come from, as long as they’re safe, and they’re there when she needs them.
Listen to “GMO Lunch: Uganda Debates Disease-Resistent Cassava”
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Richard Mugisha, who works with a non-profit that promotes small-scale sustainable agriculture and is part of a coalition called the Food Rights Alliance, insists that Uganda doesn’t need GMOs.
New cartoon: GMO Danger
Are GMOs a technology we should consider to cope with climate change? We’ll examine the issue on today’s show.
By now, most of us know that what we eat has an impact on the environment. And so, more of us are putting our money where our mouths are, ordering green-listed seafood at restaurants, or shopping at our local farmers’ market. Those choices add up. After all, most of us eat more than 1,000 meals over the course of a year. Still, what you have for lunch probably isn’t going to change the world.
But what if you served up 135 million meals a year?
Food service companies serve millions of meals a day in the US in a process that’s largely industrialized, carbon-intensive and extremely wasteful. The company Bon Appétit, which serves million of meals a year, hopes to revolutionize the industry by changing what they serve, how they serve it and where they get it.
