Table Of ContentRethinking Food and Agriculture:
New Ways Forward
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Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science,
Technology and Nutrition
Rethinking Food and
Agriculture
New Ways Forward
Edited by
Amir Kassam
University of Reading, Reading,
United Kingdom
Laila Kassam
Animal Think Tank, Lancaster,
United Kingdom
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Contents
Contributors xi
Gratitude and acknowledgments xv
Introduction xvii
1 Setting innovation free in agriculture 1
Rupert Sheldrake
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 The scientific priesthood 2
1.3 The fantasy of omniscience 5
1.4 The credibility crunch for materialism 7
1.5 The unfulfilled promises of molecular biology 10
1.6 Toward a more holistic approach 13
1.7 Setting innovation free 25
References 26
2 Agriculture planted the seeds of alienation from nature 31
Jim Mason and Laila Kassam
2.1 Introduction 31
2.2 Dominionism: Our nature-dominating worldview and its origins 31
2.3 Before agriculture: A world alive and ensouled 33
2.4 Other animals: Movers and shakers of the human mind and
worldview 35
2.5 Agriculture: A new relationship with nature, a new social order 37
2.6 Misothery: The reduction of animals and nature 39
2.7 Herders’ legacies: The making of the Western worldview 41
2.8 War and colonialism: Dominating lands and others 44
2.9 The herder roots of property, money, and capitalism 45
2.10 Consequences of dominionism and misothery 46
2.11 Conclusion 48
References 49
3 Political economy of the global food and agriculture system 53
Philip McMichael
3.1 Introduction 53
3.2 Antecedents of the present crisis 53
3.3 Political economy of the food regime 55
3.4 Food regime complexes 57
vi Contents
3.5 Food system transitions 64
3.6 Crisis and resolution 66
Acknowledgments 70
References 70
4 Neocolonialism and the New Alliance for Food Security
and Nutrition: A gendered analysis of the development
consequences for Africa 77
Mark Langan and Sophia Price
4.1 Introduction 77
4.2 Neocolonialism as a critique of donor aid policies in the
Global South 78
4.3 The NAFSN: Sustainable development or a form
of “neocolonial” imposition? 80
4.4 A gendered lens on “development”: The impact
of the neocolonial NAFSN for women in Africa 85
4.5 Conclusion 89
References 90
5 The myth of a food crisis 93
Jonathan Latham
5.1 Introduction 93
5.2 The assumptions of GAPS 98
5.3 What are models for? 103
Acknowledgments 107
References 107
Further reading 111
6 Animal ethics as a critique of animal agriculture,
environmentalism, foodieism, locavorism, and clean meat 113
Robert C. Jones
6.1 Introduction 113
6.2 Ethics basics: Moral status, moral value, and anthropocentrism 113
6.3 Ethical foundations of the modern animal rights movement 116
6.4 Animal liberation never was a triangular affair 119
6.5 Foodieism and locavorism: A celebration of “humane” exploitation 122
6.6 Will “clean meat” end animal agriculture? 128
6.7 Redefining speciesism 129
6.8 Conclusion 130
References 131
7 A food system fit for the future 135
Tony Juniper
7.1 Conversion, intensification, and degradation 135
7.2 Impacts of inputs 137
7.3 Climate change and wider food system vulnerability 138
Contents vii
7.4 Drivers of the current system 139
7.5 What food shortage? 140
7.6 Is our food really that cheap? 141
7.7 Beware false frames 142
7.8 The actors 142
7.9 Priorities for a sustainable food system 143
7.10 Governments 143
7.11 Private sector 144
7.12 Consumers 145
7.13 The big issue 146
References 146
8 Why change the way we grow, process, and consume our food? 149
Hans R. Herren
8.1 Introduction 149
8.2 A bankrupt system: Dealing with symptoms rather than
the causes 154
8.3 A new paradigm for the food system: How to
change course 156
8.4 A framework for change 158
References 161
9 Two paradigms of science—And two models of science-based
agriculture 165
Colin Tudge
9.1 Paradigm I: The high-tech industrial route 166
9.2 Paradigm II: The path to enlightened agriculture 169
9.3 The absolute importance of agroecology 170
9.4 A cross-the-board rethink 173
9.5 Addendum I: What price livestock? Do we really need
farms to be “mixed”? 175
9.6 Addendum II: The college for real farming and food culture 178
References 178
10 Paradigms of agriculture 181
Amir Kassam and Laila Kassam
10.1 Introduction 181
10.2 The industrial Green Revolution agriculture paradigm 182
10.3 Alternative paradigms of agriculture 189
10.4 How ecologically sustainable are the alternative
agriculture paradigms? 197
10.5 Consideration of structural issues 209
10.6 Ways forward for alternative paradigms 209
10.7 Future prospects for alternative agriculture paradigms in the
context of inclusively responsible food and agriculture systems 211
References 212
viii Contents
11 Soil health and the revolutionary potential of Conservation
Agriculture 219
David R. Montgomery
11.1 Introduction 219
11.2 Extent of global land degradation 220
11.3 Side effects of conventional agriculture 221
11.4 Building soil health through Conservation Agriculture 223
11.5 The fifth revolution 226
References 228
12 Climate change adaptability and mitigation with Conservation
Agriculture 231
Emilio J. Gonzalez-Sanchez, Oscar Veroz-Gonzalez,
Manuel Moreno-Garcia, Manuel R. Gomez-Ariza,
Rafaela Ordoñez-Fernandez, Paula Trivino-Tarradas,
Amir Kassam, Jesús A. Gil-Ribes, Gottlieb Basch, and
Rosa Carbonell-Bojollo
12.1 Introduction 231
12.2 Climate change and agriculture: Why do we need to change the
agricultural paradigm? 232
12.3 Conservation Agriculture: A sustainable farming system that
mitigates and adapts to climate change 233
12.4 Conclusions 243
Acknowledgments 244
References 244
13 Will gene-edited and other GM crops fail sustainable
food systems? 247
Allison K Wilson
13.1 Introduction 247
13.2 Impacts of HT and Bt crops 249
13.3 Unintended traits in GM crops 251
13.4 New GM traits and techniques 259
13.5 Sustainable agriculture and plant breeding 265
13.6 Conclusions: Obstacles and opportunities 268
References 269
14 Sustaining agricultural biodiversity and heterogeneous seeds 285
Patrick Mulvany
14.1 Agricultural biodiversity is intentionally heterogeneous 285
14.2 Distinctive features of agricultural biodiversity 287
14.3 Threats to agricultural biodiversity 289
14.4 Few crops “Feed the World”? 291
14.5 International governance of agricultural biodiversity and seeds 294
14.6 Peasant seeds: More numerous and heterogeneous 297
14.7 Prioritizing biodiverse and heterogeneous peasant agroecology 301
Contents ix
14.8 Three coalitions contesting control over agricultural
biodiversity and seed systems 305
14.9 Heterogeneous seed and agricultural biodiversity—The basis for
responsible agriculture and food systems 307
References 317
15 Healthy diets as a guide to responsible food systems 323
Shireen Kassam, David Jenkins, Doug Bristor, and Zahra Kassam
15.1 Introduction 323
15.2 Current disease trends 325
15.3 Diet patterns associated with health and longevity 327
15.4 Using nutrition as therapy 332
15.5 An approach to nutritional science that has led to misguided
recommendations 333
15.6 Industry influence on nutrition research and guidelines 334
15.7 Government intervention to promote healthy diet and nutrition 336
15.8 Concerns about the impact of current diet trends on the environment 337
15.9 Conclusions and recommendations 341
References 342
16 Knowledge systems for inclusively responsible food and
agriculture 353
Robert Chambers
16.1 Introduction 353
16.2 Knowledge systems, words, and meanings 353
16.3 Learning from paradigmatic challenges to entrenched knowledge 356
16.4 Putting farmers and their communities and natural resources first 364
16.5 Coda 367
References 368
17 Social movements in the transformation of food and
agriculture systems 371
Nassim Nobari
17.1 Introduction 371
17.2 A corporate food regime for the few 371
17.3 Knowing the problem: Agroecology and seeing through
the narrative of lack 373
17.4 Stepping in as an urban activist and animal liberationist:
The creation of Seed the Commons 379
17.5 The normalization of animal agriculture in the food
movement and the creation of a false dichotomy 381
17.6 Peeling back the layers: Regenerative grazing
and the reproduction of colonial narratives 385
17.7 The way forward: Growing a veganic food system 391
17.8 Conclusion 394
References 395
