Kansas could see first commercial crop of human-gene-containing rice A California company is one step closer to growing rice that contains human genes on a commercial scale. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has given a preliminary OK to a plan to sow 450 Kansas acres with the stuff this spring, with 2,750 more acres to come. Ventria Bioscience's three Frankenrice varieties produce human immune-system proteins -- and in case this story hasn't turned your stomach yet, we give you CEO Scott E. Deeter: "We can really help children with diarrhea get better faster." This big-ag altruism has been rejected by …

The real Arsenal of Democracy is a fertile soil, the fresh produce of which is the birthright of nations.-- Sir Albert Howard, The Soil and Health Sir Albert Howard. Around 1900, a 27-year-old British scientist named Albert Howard, a specialist in plant diseases, arrived in Barbados, then a province of the British Empire. His charge was to find cutting-edge cures for diseases that attacked tropical crops like sugar cane, cocoa, bananas, and limes. To use the terms of the day, his task was to teach natives of the tropics how to grow cash crops for the Mother Country. The method …

Could you limit your food and bev choices to all organic or all fair trade? Or both? What would be left on your plate and (eek!) in your wallet? Two men (one a Seattle-based reporter and one a U.K.-based nonprofit organizer) recently took on food-related challenges to answer those very questions and bring attention to the (un)availability of organic and fair-trade options. Michael Stusser's month-long organic binge started as a Supersize Me-style experiment; in the process, he lost three pounds and gained a healthy knowledge of what organic means and how the system works (hint: organic isn't always the best …

Edible Media takes an occasional look at interesting or deplorable food journalism on the web. Of mites and men (and bees) [Insert perfunctory "buzz" reference into lead:] Buzz about the collapse of domesticated honeybee populations hit the front page of the New York Times yesterday. The steep drop in bee numbers is alarming: A bee laid its little tentacles on the flower that produced every fruit, vegetable, and nut you've ever eaten. And that means you, too, vegans: these little animals are a critical, inevitable part of the food chain. Plus, raw honey is really good stuff, and I don't …

Over on the Biopact website -- probably the best website for up-to-date international news on bio-energy science and markets -- they have posted an interesting commentary, based on a BBC interview, on how small Kenyan farmers, Mr. Peter Ndivo and Mr. Samuel Mauthike, are affected by the confusion engendered by concepts such as "carbon footprints," "fair trade," and "food miles." Biopact's message? Buy your vegetables and fruits locally, if you must, but please allow developing countries to supply your biofuels. Here is the crux of their argument: If the consumer in Europe and America really wants to start buying local …

Much has been made in the U.S. press about Mexico's "tortilla crisis" -- the recent spike in the price of its definitive corn-based flatbread. Media reports tend to focus blame on U.S. ethanol production, which has surged over the past year, causing the global price of corn to double. The situation stoked the food vs. fuel debate, showing that even marginally offsetting gasoline with corn-based ethanol can have dire consequences for eaters -- especially ones on a budget. Traditionally made tortillas are a masa-have commodity in Mexico. Photo: Dayna Bateman But while our ravenous -- and dubious -- appetite for …

African farmers fear impact of U.K. supermarkets buying local Last month, British supermarket giant Tesco announced a few changes it's making with the climate in mind, including limiting flown-in food. Which is all well and good, unless you're a farmer in Africa wondering what the hell is going on. Some fear that moves in the industrial world meant to reduce the carbon footprint -- and eco-guilt -- of rich shoppers will endanger the livelihood of farmers in developing countries. In Kenya, for instance, 65 percent of exports to the European Union are fresh fruits, veggies, and flowers, and some farmers …

Ask small-scale, sustainable-minded farmers where they go for tips, and invariably they'll mention ATTRA, an information clearinghouse funded by the USDA. Just this morning, I went to attra.org to get information on how to make organic potting-soil mix for starting seeds. Like many farmers, I've printed out copies of ATTRA's indispensable guides to cover crops and soil management and keep them in a prominent place in the farm office. As a new farmer, I can't imagine a world without ATTRA, which stands for Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas. That's why my blood began to boil this morning when I …

New study says some organic food no better for the environment In case you weren't confused enough about your grocery shopping, a government-sponsored study in the U.K. has added a possible twist. It suggests that some organic foods may not be better for the environment than their conventional counterparts. While the 200-page study by the Manchester Business School found that many organic products do have lower impacts than their pesticide-laden brethren, it points out that the act of producing others can actually have a bigger impact. Organic milk, for instance, requires 80 percent more land and creates 20 percent more …

In the postmodern United States, a cultural critic laments, "The pleasures of the table are rarely appreciated at face value."      Speak truth to flour. A near-hysterical concern with health has replaced common sense, he continues, leading to all manner of dubious decisions: "Americans blithely drink sodas filled with artificial flavors and sweeteners, yet paste warning labels on bottles of wine; they decry the dangers of eating butter and claim that margarine, a completely manufactured artificial product, is better for you." For Americans, he worries, eating has been drained of joy and imbued instead with anxiety. "Are we so out of …