Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It
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Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It
by Tom Philpott, 246 pages, 9½x6 ½, hardcover. The bounty in our supermarkets is destroying our soil and water while poisoning workers on which the system depends. It’s a story most of us already know, but told so well here, with fascinating details on every page. Focusing on California’s Central Valley, the source of most of our fruits, vegetables and nuts, and on Iowa, the source of much of our corn, soy and meat, Philpott explains how California is running out of water and Iowa is destroying its soil. Again, not news, but conveyed with visits to farmers interspersed with histories of the regions, and results of research including conversations with experts, and expert deflectors: spokespeople from Monsanto. Well written and engaging, with lucid explanations of economics and the plight of farm workers, not neglecting the ravages of climate change and bad farm policy made worse by guess which recent administration. Ends on a hopeful note with visits to small diversified farms with healthy thriving land in the midst of industrial ag devastation. People are gradually seeing that the success of small farms is the way of the future. -Susan Kiralis
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Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It
