Staples Redux: Wheat and Canola

Acceptance or rejection of genetically modified food has tended to be analyzed with respect to the attitudes of consumers. But the attitudes of producers matter. For example, western grain farmers have mostly accepted GM canola and most rejected GM wheat. Emily Eaton of the University of Regina explores why in a new book Growing Resistance: Canadian Farmers and the Politics of Genetically Modified Wheat. Wheat was a superstaple with a long history, with deep roots in the economic livelihoods of prairie farmers, in agrarian protest and politics. A message bound to please the staple theorist/historian.