Feeding the Planet: Environmental Protection through Sustainable Agriculture

by Klaus Wiegandt

Overview

Almost a billion people all over the earth suffer from hunger and malnutrition. Many of them are starving while the world's population continues to grow dramatically. The population in the industrialized nations, whose hunger is still abundantly satisfied, must struggle with the costs of heavily subsidized overproduction of food. Still, the worldwide lack of food will also pose a threatening problem to them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781906598112
Publisher:	Haus Publishing
Publication date:	02/01/2010
Series:	The Sustainability Project Series
Pages:	270
Product dimensions:	4.80(w) x 7.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Klaus Hahlbrock is a Professor of Biochemistry and former director of the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany.

Table of Contents

Editor's Preface xiii

Author's Preface xxv

Introduction 1

1 Human Population and Ecological Consequences 5

Early Phase and the Neolithic Revolution 5

The Scientific/Technological Revolution 8

Reduced Biodiversity 10

Ambivalence of Progress 12

Priority of Existential basic Needs 15

Practical Consequences 16

The Challenge 18

Summary 21

2 Historical Development of Agriculture, Urban Lifestyles and Man's Perception of Nature 22

Early Stages of Cultural Evolution 23

The Fertile Crescent 26

Advanced Civilization of the Bronze Age 31

European Antiquity in Greece and Rome 36

From the Middle Ages to the Modern Era 41

The Present 48

Summary 54

3 Man and His Environment 55

The First Two Phases: Founding and Securing Human Existence 55

The Goal in Retrospect 58

Resolved and Unresolved Dangers 60

The Spread of Pathogens 61

Turning Point: From Being Threatened by Nature to Threatening Nature Itself 63

The Third Phase: Protection of the Biosphere 66

Conflicting Aspects of Agriculture 69

Fertilization Against Soil Depletion 73

Fighting Weeds 77

Fighting Pathogens and Animal Pests 80

Fertilization and Protection of Plants: Intensive - Alternative - Integrated 84

Summary 88

4 Crop Plant Breeding 89

Requirements of Our Diet 90

Genetic Variability 93

The Origins of Our Most Important Crops 96

Breeding by Selection: An Ancient Method 99

Cross-breeding: Applied Genetics 101

Possibilities and Limits of Cross-breeding 104

Cereals as an Example 108

Wheat: A Natural Hybrid 110

Triticale: An Extreme Case of Hybridization 113

Weeds Become Crops: Oats and Rye 114

Special Features of Corn,Rapeseed and Sugar Beet 115

The Potato as an Example 117

Tissue and Cell Culture 120

Summary 123

5 Genetic Engineering in Research and Application 124

Genetic Engineering: A New Branch of Biotechnology 124

Inheritance from a Bio-molecular Perspective 125

The Technology of Gene Transfer 128

Genetic Engineering with Bacteria 130

Medical Research 133

Genetic Engineering in Plant Breeding 134

Insect Resistance 135

Herbicide Tolerance 137

Diagnostics 140

Summary 141

6 Old and New Breeding Goals 143

The Need for Research 144

Generic Engineering: Not a Substitute, Rather an Aid to Conventional Plant Breeding 145

Maintenance Breeding 146

Food Quality 147

Golden Rice 149

Yield Potential 155

Vitality and Yield Reliability 157

Vaccines in Foodstuffs 164

Developing Countries as the Main Target Group 165

Summary 166

7 Ethical Evaluation of Genetic Engineering 167

Science and Responsibility 169

Technology, Economics, the State, and Politics 172

Risks and Opportunities of Genetic Engineering 173

Fear and Ignorance 175

The European Perspective 176

Feared Consequences 179

Self-imposed Rules and Subsequent Laws 190

Science and the General Public 191

Relative Criteria 193

Summary 197

8 Basic Prerequisites for Securing Human Nourishment 198

The Global Perspective 199

Population Growth 200

Poverty and Wealth 202

The Green Revolution 206

Vision of a Doubly Green Revolution 209

The Biological Limits of Agricultural Productivity 211

Weather, Climate, and Environment 215

Species Diversity - Biodiversity - Cultivar Diversity 219

Water as a Resource 222

Energy as a Resource 225

Centers of Production and Centers of Demand 226

Dietary Habits 229

Consumption of Meat and Fish 230

Political Decisions 236

Helping People to Help Themselves 238

Progress through Solidarity 240

Summary 241

9 Conclusions for Practical Realization 243

Orienration on Primary Goals 243

Extended Protection of Species 245

Plant Genetic Engineering 247

Guidelines and Laws 249

Measures in Other Areas 252

Bread and Circuses 254

Summary 257

Afterword 258

Glossary 260

References and Recommendations for Further Reading 264