Food for the Future: Conditions and Contradictions of Sustainability

ISBN-13: 9780471580829 / Angielski / Miękka / 1993 / 344 str.

Patricia Allen; Patricia Allen

Opis

15 leading proponents of the sustainable agriculture movement present a detailed description of the social, economic, political aspects of the sustainability concept. The scientific basis for change in agricultural practices is now well established: conservation of soil and water resources, avoidance of pest and disease resistance, and the proper and economical use of agrochemicals are all under re-examination. The agriculture and food supply network is, however, a social and cultural undertaking as well as a scientific one. Land ownership practices, food distribution, costs in both economic and human terms, international development, labor practices, and the role of agriculture in national and international economies are all social as well as production-oriented scientific questions. This book provides a solid introduction to these aspects of agricultural sustainability.

Spis treści

Partial table of contents:

CONDITIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY: NEW CONCEPTUAL APPROACHES.

The Production of Agricultural Sustainability: Observations from the Sociology of Science and Technology (F. Buttel).

Regenerative Food Systems: Broadening the Scope and Agenda of Sustainability (K. Dahlberg).

CONTRADICTIONS: SUSTAINABILITY BARRIERS TO OVERCOME.

Is Sustainable Capitalism Possible?

(J. O′Connor).

Sustainable Development: Concepts, Contradictions, and Conflicts (M. Redclift).

FOOD FOR THE FUTURE: DEVELOPING STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABILITY.

After Midas′s Feast: Alternative Food Regimes for the Future (H. Friedmann).

Sustainable Agriculture and Domestic Hunger: Rethinking a Link Between Production and Consumption (K. Clancy).

Index.

O autorze

PATRICIA ALLEN is Senior Analyst with the Agroecology Program, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Blurb

Ten years ago, sustainable agriculture was not considered a viable option within the food and agriculture industry. Today, it has become imperative, as resources are depleted, toxins enter the food chain, farmers lose their land, and children go hungry. Sustainability is the new framework for addressing these issues, and is promoted by agriculturalists, researchers, and visionaries alike. In this important work, fifteen leading scholars of food and agriculture present a detailed description of the social, economic, and political aspects of the sustainability concept. They address many important questions surrounding these issues, including: What do we want to sustain? Who should benefit from sustainable agriculture? What types of political, economic, and social structures will facilitate the development of sustainable agriculture? Food for the Future confronts the theoretical and practical aspects of a transformation to sustainability systems aspects that are too often overlooked due to the current emphasis on production per se. This book presents new approaches to understanding and developing sustainability, the limitations and future potential of sustainable food and agriculture systems, and ways in which we can work together from different positions to achieve sustainability. This clear and far–reaching book is must reading for scientists, policy makers, students, and all others interested in finding comprehensive solutions to today’s food and agriculture crises.