Social impact of genetically engineered crops assessed

Recognizing that the social dimension is as important as the technological and economic aspects, the National Academy of Sciences turned to WSU when it wanted expertise to assess the sustainability of U.S. agriculture.

Raymond A. Jussaume, WSU professor of rural and community sociology, served on an NAS National Research Council committee that recently published a report called “The Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm Sustainability in the United States.”

Jussaume’s primary role on the committee was assessing the social impact of genetic engineering technology in American agriculture. Genetic engineering involves the direct manipulation of an organism's genes. Genetic engineering is different from traditional breeding, where the organism's genes are manipulated indirectly.

“We conducted a broad survey of all scientific work in this area in order to shed light on the farm-level impacts of GE technology on U.S. agriculture,” Jussaume said.