Authors Pamela Ronald and Raoul Adamchak Promote Organic Farming and Genetic Engineering in New Book

"Genetic engineering, combined with organic farming, may well be the best way to resolve the need for increased global food production, while minimizing environmental impact, suggest husband-and-wife agricultural experts at the University of California, Davis.

In their new book, "Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food," Pamela Ronald and Raoul Adamchak assert that genetically engineered, organically grown crops offer a one-two punch for boosting food production in an environmentally conscious way. The husband and wife point out that the process of genetic engineering can contribute to the development of improved seeds that organic farmers can use.

By the year 2050, the number of people on Earth is expected to increase from the current 6.7 billion to 9.2 billion, according to a 2007 report by the United Nation's Population Division.

"Any effective approach to feeding the world in an ecologically sustainable manner will require a combination of best practices and technologies," said Adamchak, an organic farmer and manager of UC Davis' organic student farm. "Biotechnology offers the opportunity to find out how plants work at the molecular level."

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