BROADCASTS.com

b'Biotechnology promises weed-resistant crops, bigger yields, more food for a growing population. But are genetically modified fruits and vegetables safe? Are they healthy? \\u201cMan has been improving crops from the beginning of time, whether it\\u2019s the tomato or the corn or all of our fresh fruits and vegetables,\\u201d says Robert Fraley of Monsanto. \\u201cThere\\u2019s a whole set of tools that we\\u2019re going to need to be able to meet the challenge of food production for the future.\\u201d \\u201cThis is about chemical companies selling chemicals,\\u201d says Andrew Kimbrell of the Center for Food Safety. \\u201cIt\\u2019s not about feeding the earth. We have yet to see a GMO crop that has greater yield, that does anything about malnutrition, about a better taste, a lower cost.\\u201d In the face of climate change and its agricultural challenges, is biotechnology the answer? Should we be working to strengthen the world\\u2019s rural farming communities? Or is there a sustainable balance between Big Ag and the family farm? This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on June 11, 2014. Robert Fraley, Chief Technology Officer, Monsanto Company Nathanael Johnson, Food Writer, Grist; Author, All Natural: A Skeptic\\u2019s Quest to Discover If the Natural Approach to Diet, Childbirth, Healing, and the Environment Really Keeps Us Healthier and Happier (Rodale, 2013) Andrew Kimbrell, Founder and Executive Director, Center for Food Safety Jessica Lundberg, Seed Nursery Manager, Lundberg Family Farms\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'