Who Really Feeds the World?: The Failures of Agribusiness and the Promise of Agroecology: Vandana Shiva: 9781623170622: Amazon.com: Books

Who Really Feeds the World?: The Failures of Agribusiness and the Promise of Agroecology: Vandana Shiva: 9781623170622: Amazon.com: Books





Debunking the notion that our current food crisis must be addressed through industrial agriculture and genetic modification, author and activist Vandana Shiva argues that those forces are in fact the ones responsible for the hunger problem in the first place. Who Really Feeds the World? is a powerful manifesto calling for agricultural justice and genuine sustainability, drawing upon Shiva’s thirty years of research and accomplishments in the field. Instead of relying on genetic modification and large-scale monocropping to solve the world’s food crisis, she proposes that we look to agroecology—the knowledge of the interconnectedness that creates food—as a truly life-giving alternative to the industrial paradigm. Shiva succinctly and eloquently lays out the networks of people and processes that feed the world, exploring issues of diversity, the needs of small famers, the importance of seed saving, the movement toward localization, and the role of women in producing the world's food.

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Praise for Who Really Feeds the World?

​"[Shiva] makes many points that refute reflexive anger and demand immediate discussion. [She] brings new urgency to her explanations of the problems caused by monoculture agriculture, anchored by corn and soybeans in America... A book to jump-start conversations about a crucial subject."—Booklist


Praise for Vandana Shiva

"Her fierce intellect and her disarmingly friendly, accessible manner have made her a valuable advocate for people all over the developing world."—Ms. magazine

“A rock star in the worldwide battle against genetically modified seeds.”—Bill Moyers

"Shiva is a burst of creative energy, an intellectual power."—The Progressive

"One of the world's most prominent radical scientists."—The Guardian
About the Author
------------

Vandana Shiva is a physicist, world-renowned environmental thinker and activist, and a tireless crusader for economic, food, and gender justice. She is the author and editor of many influential books, including 
Making Peace with the Earth, Earth Democracy, Soil Not Oil, 
Staying Alive, Stolen Harvest, Water Wars, and Globalization's New Wars.

Dr. Shiva is the recipient of more than twenty international awards, among them the Right Livelihood Award (1993); the John Lennon-Yoko Ono Grant for Peace (2008); The Sydney Peace Prize (2010); and the Calgary Peace Prize (Canada, 2011). 

In addition, she is a board member of the World Future Council and one of the leaders and board members of the International Forum on Globalization (whose other members include Jerry Mander, Edward Goldsmith, Ralph Nader, and Jeremy Rifkin). She travels frequently to speak at conferences around the world.


Product details

Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: North Atlantic Books (June 28, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9781623170622
ISBN-13: 978-1623170622
ASIN: 1623170621
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Biography
A world-renowned environmental leader and recipient of the 1993 Alternative Nobel Peace Prize (the Right Livelihood Award), Shiva has authored several bestselling books, most recently Earth Democracy. Activist and scientist, Shiva leads, with Ralph Nader and Jeremy Rifkin, the International Forum on Globalization. Before becoming an activist, Shiva was one of India's leading physicists.


21 customer reviews
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LCD

5.0 out of 5 starsA Wealth of Information!

July 3, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Dr. Vandana Shiva books are a wealth of information. Her style is articulate, easy to understand, and right to the point. This book is Inspiring, motivating, and a real eye opener! A reading must for every parent and health conscious consumer.

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D. Tyler Huff

5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

April 20, 2018

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Wonderful.

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Eric

5.0 out of 5 starsA must-have

August 18, 2018

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N°1 book every kid should read before leaving secondary school

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Donna Mae

5.0 out of 5 starsWho is really feeding the world?

December 19, 2016

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Great book, I can't put it down. Everyone should read this one

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Linda McCormick

5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

October 16, 2016

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Fantastic book, great service.

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Poogy

4.0 out of 5 starsInformative discussion of industrial farming and the alternatives

June 17, 2016

Format: PaperbackVine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )

Vandana Shiva is a polarizing figure, and the subjects she writes and lectures about--the role and effects of industrial agriculture (for example, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, monocropping, genetic engineering)--are polarized subjects. 

Having worked in the field for some time, I've discovered that most people with at least some familiarity with the subject matter have strong opinions. There are those who are attached to the idea of themselves as being "rational" and "scientific" (as opposed to other people whom they view as overly emotional, lacking in an appreciation of the "science," and eye-rollingly New Age). Such people tend to believe that there's not only nothing wrong with industrial agriculture, but it's critically necessary in order to "feed the world," and its benefits to humanity are well-grounded in "the science." Some of these people go so far as to believe that those who may disagree with them are responsible for the starvation of those poor souls who have not yet been given the gift of genetically engineered crops and modern pesticides.

Then there are other people who believe that organic or biodynamic or similar farming methods are the way to go, that synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are not only toxic but unnecessary if one knows how to grow food without them, that genetically engineered seed is a scheme created by agrochemcial companies to sell chemicals and monopolize the world's seed supply through patenting, and that large-scale starvation is more a product of politically-driven lack of food distribution rather than inability to grow enough of it. Vandana Shiva is outspokenly in this latter camp.

In my experience these two camps find little common ground; each considers the other fundamentally misinformed, if not outright evil. Therefore, the likelihood that anyone already in the first camp will even read, or if they do, agree with, anything in any book written by Vandana Shiva is, in my view, very slight. 

So the market for this book consists of those who really have no strong opinions on these subjects and can read it with an open mind, or the choir which is happy to have their view confirmed by Dr. Shiva in her typically passionate and articulate way.

I've met Dr. Shiva and heard her speak more than once, and happen to agree with much of what she says, despite the fact that I have a science background. So I found this book a valuable summary of some of the most important dynamics at play in the food production system. Chapter by chapter, Dr. Shiva explains why the methods of industrial agriculture do far more harm than good in terms of actually feeding people in a sustainable way. I recommend it to anyone who hasn't already decided that the most reliable source of information about food production is Monsanto.

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K. Kasabian

VINE VOICE

4.0 out of 5 starsShould be Required Reading in School

May 27, 2016

Format: PaperbackVine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )

Vandana Shiva is brilliant, tireless and unflinchingly direct in her latest book about the corporate food chain. As with some of her other titles, I had to read this slowly, because there is so much crucial information on every page, it takes time to absorb. Her reporting and conclusions about how poorly the modern world feeds itself is so convincing, it becomes a call to action for anyone with a conscience. What I liked about this particular title of hers was the inclusion of a thoughtful alternative to agribusiness, something attainable and sustainable, with better outcomes for people and planet. Highly recommended.

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Jeri Zerr

TOP 1000 REVIEWER

5.0 out of 5 starsSlow food, anyone?

June 2, 2016

Format: PaperbackVine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )

After realizing so much harm has been done I am not a fan of big corporate agribusiness greed. Instead I vote with my food dollars for more locally grown, sustainably grown organic, nonGMO slow foods.

Who Really Feeds the World os a great insight into the world of corporate sourced food. A must read for those who are part of the March Against Monsanto and anyone interested in the slow food movement.

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