Rethinking Food and Agriculture

Amir Kassam OBE, FRSB, PhD, is visiting professor in the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development at the University of Reading, UK. Laila Kassam PhD is a development economist and has been working in rural development since 2003, and is a co-founder of Animal Think Tank.

"Over the course of twenty copiously referenced essays and 400+ pages, this substantial tome delivers an exhaustive examination of contemporary farming and food systems. A reader with no familiarity with the subject matter will receive a detailed education and an over-arching perspective. For me, a former organic farmer who has studied these topics for nearly two decades, there were many facts that were new to me, and many ideas that were newly connected or contextualized. In terms of style and reading level, this is a scholarly collection, so it requires attention, but each author begins with the basics of their chosen topic. The volume does not shrink from controversial subjects and wades right in with its opening article, “Setting innovation free in agriculture,” in which biologist Rupert Sheldrake critiques materialism, “the scientific priesthood,” and biotechnology, and calls for a re-emphasis on traditional agricultural practices. Traditional practices include intercropping, the use of night soil, and small-scale holdings. Science has demonstrated that these techniques are all beneficial, but research usually does not focus on them. Sheldrake calls for scientific research to reorient to cover the practical questions of farmers and gardeners rather than technological projects such as gene-editing and agrochemical development, which are pursued for their profit potential, not successful food production per se.Over the course of twenty copiously referenced essays and 400+ pages, this substantial tome delivers an exhaustive examination of contemporary farming and food systems. A reader with no familiarity with the subject matter will receive a detailed education and an over-arching perspective. For me, a former organic farmer who has studied these topics for nearly two decades, there were many facts that were new to me, and many ideas that were newly connected or contextualized. In terms of style and reading level, this is a scholarly collection, so it requires attention, but each author begins with the basics of their chosen topic. The volume does not shrink from controversial subjects and wades right in with its opening article, “Setting innovation free in agriculture,” in which biologist Rupert Sheldrake critiques materialism, “the scientific priesthood,” and biotechnology, and calls for a re-emphasis on traditional agricultural practices. Traditional practices include intercropping, the use of night soil, and small-scale holdings. Science has demonstrated that these techniques are all beneficial, but research usually does not focus on them. Sheldrake calls for scientific research to reorient to cover the practical questions of farmers and gardeners rather than technological projects such as gene-editing and agrochemical development, which are pursued for their profit potential, not successful food production per se." --CounterPunch"It may be surprising to see agriculture being h

• 1. Setting innovation free in agriculture2. Agriculture planted the seeds of alienation from nature3. Political-economy of the global food and agriculture system4. Neo-colonialism and the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition: A gendered analysis of the development consequences for Africa5. The myth of a food crisis6. Animal Ethics as Critique of Animal Agriculture, Environmentalism, Foodieism, Locavorism, and Clean Meat7. A food system fit for the future8. Why change the way we grow, process and consume our food?9. Two paradigms of science - and two models of science-based agriculture10. Paradigms of Agriculture11. Soil health and the revolutionary potential of Conservation Agriculture12. Climate change adaptability and mitigation in Conservation Agriculture13. Will gene-edited and other GM crops fail sustainable food systems?14. Sustaining agricultural biodiversity and heterogeneous seeds 15. Healthy diets as a guide to responsible food systems16. Knowledge systems for inclusively responsible food and agriculture17. Social movements in the transformation of food and agriculture systems18. Alternatives to the global food regime: Steps towards system transformation19. Co-creating responsible food and agriculture systems20. Towards inclusive responsibility