Food for All The Need for a New Agriculture

About this book

What kind of agriculture do we need to feed the world? World leaders have come up with yet another target: halving (not ending) hunger by the year 2015. But is this any more likely to be achieved than previous targets? And what about animal diseases like BSE, foot and mouth disease and salmonella; declining food variety and quality; and disappearing topsoil, hedgerows and biodiversity in the rural areas? Better access to land and a more equitable income distribution are part of the solution. The other is to move away from a monoculture production system monopolized by a handful of giant corporations. John Madeley argues for the spread of a low-external input approach, a reintegration of traditional farming techniques, new farming practices like organic agriculture and permaculture, and a range of 'green' technologies to offer a viable livelihood to farmers, food for the hungry, and safe and good tasting food for the rest of us.

Contents

A brief history of agriculture; agriculture in the South; the food situation today; recovering and integrating traditional technologies; emerging technologies - recent developments; water - its key role in agriculture; the role of agrarian reform; women - their central role as food producers; the role of credit; helping farmers through rural development; the role of trade, including transnational corporations; agriculture and the environment, physical and social; export crops - help or hinderance to food for all?; the livestock connection; the role of the World Bank, UN agencies and specialist NGSs.

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Biography

JOHN MADELEY Is a writer and broadcaster specializing in development and environmental issues. He contributes to the Observer, Guardian, and Financial Times and for many voluntary organizations. He is the author of several books including Big Business, Poor Peoples (Zed Books 1999) and Hungry for Trade (Zed Books 2000).