Bringing the Food Economy Home : Local Alternatives to Global Agribusiness

List of Illustrations vii Acknowledgments viii From Local to Global 1(16) The Global Food System 3(1) Locally Adapted Food Systems 4(1) Centuries of Agricultural ``Progress'' 4(4) Big Farms Get Bigger 8(1) Agribusiness Takes Over 8(2) Globalization 10(4) Speeding Up the Treadmill 14(3) The Ecology of Food Marketing 17(18) Reduced vs. Excessive Packaging 20(1) Small, Decentralized Shops vs. Huge Megamarkets 20(5) Transport Infrastructures 25(3) Energy Infrastructures 28(1) Broadcasting Unsustainability 29(6) The Ecology of Food Production 35(16) Destroying Diversity 36(1) On-farm vs. Off-farm Inputs 37(3) Integrated Livestock vs. Factory Farms 40(2) Life in the Soil 42(5) Local Adaptation vs. Genetic Engineering 47(4) Food and Health 51(14) Fresh Is Best 51(1) Chemical Stews 52(5) Food Poisoning 57(2) Factory Farms and Human Health 59(6) Food and the Economy 65(14) Keeping Money in the Local Economy 65(2) Keeping Jobs in the Local Economy 67(1) Working More, Earning Less 68(1) Farming in the Third World 69(1) The Decline of Rural Economies 70(1) How Important Are Economies of Scale? 71(3) Are Large Industrial Farms More Productive? 74(5) Food and Community 79(10) Webs of Interdependence 80(2) The Death of Rural Communities 82(2) Misplaced Blame 84(1) Unmanageable Cities 85(1) Loss of Democracy 86(3) Food Security 89(12) Corporate Control 89(5) Feeding Corporations, Not the Hungry 94(2) The Dangers of a Homogenized Food Supply 96(3) Local Foods Add to Food Security 99(2) Shifting Direction 101(12) International Level 102(1) National Level 103(2) Local Level 105(5) People Power 110(3) From Global to Local 113(4) Resource Guide 117(9) Note on Measurements 126(1) Endnotes 127(16) Index 143