¿Que es exactamente lo que hace que algo sea “correcto” o “incorrecto”?. Y en el campo del medio ambiente agrícola, ¿quién toma esas decisiones, cómo se generan tales determinaciones y cómo afectan a los investigadores, a las políticas y a los otros participantes?.

Composed of five stand-alone pieces, this issue paper highlights the current science, processes, and potentials for energy production through agriculture, and outlines future research needs.

The April 2003 CAST-convened symposium on pest resistance management (PRM) was the first such U.S.-based multidisciplinary stakeholder meeting in nearly a decade. Major objectives included identifying common issues related to PRM across disciplines, considering ways to remove barriers to effective preventive resistance management, describing research activities in PRM, and disseminating this information to a wide audience of stakeholders.

PART 2, “ANIMAL AGRICULTURE’S FUTURE THROUGH BIOTECHNOLOGY.”This issue paper examines current and future concerns and benefits for using animals as organ and tissue donors (xenotransplantation).

Following a 2-day workshop sponsored jointly by CAST and the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, an 11-member task force undertook the writing of this publication to present in summarized form the contributions made by the diverse group of workshop participants, as well as those who submitted comments before and after the formal meetings.

Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are of increasing concern because of their potential role in promoting rapid and undesirable change in climate. Agriculture ironically serves as both a source and a sink for this increase in GHGs.

Prepared by a task force of thirteen scientists, this issue paper provides a timely consideration of critical issues:microbiological safety of foods of animal origin during production; food processing strategies for manufactured foods of animal origin, both ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat; food safety initiatives in retailing; consumer interventions to enhance food safety; challenges to applying food safety controls uniformly across all sectors of the food service industry; and recommendations for development and application of new intervention strategies to decrease human illnesses attributed to foods derived from animals.

In response to heightened concern about the safety of fresh fruits and vegetables following recent outbreaks of food-related illness, the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) is releasing a commentary on the subject.

Authored by a task force of six scientists, this issue paper identifies existing and emerging issues in the development and use of nutraceuticals’ food compounds with health-promoting, disease-preventive, or medical properties.

This comprehensive report offers an insightful, up-to-date analysis of the issues involved in pest control. The report is designed to offer policymakers, opinion makers, and educators an informed overview of the changing nature of these choices in the twenty-first century.