New book from VIB
‘Genen op je bord’ or 'Is Biotechnology Compatible with Sustainable Agriculture?'
(only available in Dutch)

A new book from the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) called ‘Genen op je bord’ (Genes on your plate) examines a variety of cultivation methods from present-day agriculture − each of which, in its own way, contributes to a sustainable agriculture. Including biotechnological methods. Some of these practices are a logical extension of the conventional breeding process. And in addition, biotechnology also introduces new possibilities, such as gene tracing and building new characteristics into crops or livestock. Do these new techniques offer real solutions? And is this expensive technology also accessible to farmers in the third world? ‘Genen op je bord’ seeks to provide an overview.

Modern agriculture aspires to sustainability, a harmonization of ecological, social, and economic aspects. A difficult feat to accomplish, because agriculture is a living, biological system that contends with unique problems and constraints. The book ‘Genen op je bord’ treats a variety of cultivation methods and creates a framework that should allow better understanding of modern agriculture and its future. Ann Van Gysel collaborated with colleagues from VIB and Ghent University to examine the various aspects of the present agricultural revolution.

 The 271 page book − issued by Dutch publisher Natuurwetenschap en Techniek − contains seven chapters:
1. Agriculture yesterday and today
2. Towards a sustainable agriculture
3. Live stock
4. Micro-organisms in food
5. Food safety in the sights
6. Agriculture and environment
7. Agriculture in the Third World

From the Foeword: ‘In this book, examples demonstrate that each agricultural method or technology has the potential to contribute to a sustainable agriculture. Is one method better than another? Probably not. Still, every specialist knows an instance where a particular method proved to be disastrous and the other turned out to be the solution. The ultimate method just doesn’t seem to exist.’

VIB, the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology, is a research institute where 800 scientists conduct gene technological research in a number of life-science domains, such as human health care and plant systems biology. Through a joint venture with four Flemish universities (Ghent University, the Catholic University of Leuven, the University of Antwerp, and the Free University of Brussels) and a solid funding program for strategic basic research, VIB unites the forces of nine university science departments in a single institute. VIB also manages an extensive patent portfolio and distributes scientifically substantiated information about all aspects of biotechnology to a broad public.