Ladakh, or Little Tibet, is a beautiful desert land up in the Western Himalayas. It is a place of few resources and an extreme climate. Yet for more than 1000 years, it has been home to a thriving culture. Traditions of frugality and co-operation, coupled with an intimate and location-specific knowledge of the environment, enabled the Ladakhis not only to survive, but to prosper. Everyone had enough to eat; families and communities were strong; the status of women was high.

If the many social, environmental, and economic crises facing the planet are to be reversed, a good place to start is to rebuild local food economies. Food is something everyone, everywhere, needs every day, so even small changes in the way it is produced and marketed can offer immense benefits.
Bringing the Food Economy Home shows how a shift towards the local would protect and rebuild agricultural diversity. It would give farmers a bigger share of the money spent on food, and provide consumers with healthier, fresher food at more affordable prices. It would reduce transport, greenhouse...