Food politics : what everyone needs to know

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Where to find it

Davis Library (6th floor)

Call Number
HD1415 .P12 2010
Status
Checked Out (Due 7/26/2024)

Authors, etc.

Names:

Summary

The politics of food is changing fast. In rich countries, obesity is now a more serious problem than hunger. Consumers once satisfied with cheap and convenient food now want food that is also safe, nutritious, fresh, and grown by local farmers using fewer chemicals. Heavily subsidized and underregulated commercial farmers are facing stronger push back from environmentalists and consumer activists, and food companies are under the microscope. Meanwhile, agricultural success in Asia has spurred income growth and dietary enrichment, but agricultural failure in Africa has left one-third of all citizens undernourished - and the international markets that link these diverse regions together are subject to sudden disruption.

Food Politics carefully examines and explains the most important issues on today's global food landscape, including international food prices, famines, chronic hunger, the Malthusian race between food production and population growth, international food aid, "green revolution" farming, obesity, farm subsidies and trade, agriculture and the environment, agribusiness, supermarkets, food safety, fast food, slow food, organic food, local food, and genetically engineered food.

Politics in each of these areas has become polarized over the past decade by conflicting claims and accusations from advocates on all sides. Paarlberg's book maps this contested terrain, challenging myths and critiquing more than a few of today's fashionable beliefs about farming and food. For those ready to have their thinking about food politics informed and also challenged, this is the book to read.

Contents

  • Preface
  • Acknowledgments
  • Chapter 1 An Overview of Food Politics
  • Chapter 2 Food Production and Population Growth
  • Chapter 3 The Politics of High Food Prices
  • Chapter 4 The Politics of Chronic Hunger
  • Chapter 5 The Politics of Famine
  • Chapter 6 The Green Revolution Controversy
  • Chapter 7 Food Aid and Food Power
  • Chapter 8 The Politics of Obesity
  • Chapter 9 The Politics of Farm Subsidies and Trade
  • Chapter 10 Agriculture, the Environment, and Farm Animals
  • Chapter 11 Agribusiness, Supermarkets, and Fast Food
  • Chapter 12 Organic and Local Food
  • Chapter 13 Food Safety and Genetically Engineered Food
  • Chapter 14 Who Governs the World Food System?
  • Glossary
  • List of Acronyms Used in Book
  • Suggestions for Further reading
  • Index

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