Farming Books

Bellwood, an archaeologist specializing in Austronesian populations, has compiled a vast body of evidence from archaeology, linguistics, and genetics, and synthesized it into a very readable book about the origin and dispersal of the Neolithic.
Bellwood is known for his view that the major language phyla of the contemporary world are most likely to be descended from the languages spoken by peoples who first developed agriculture. Since agricultural populations grow faster than foraging populations, and since much evidence shows that agriculture is not readily adopted by foragers, it appears that the Neolithic dispersal was largely a phenomenon of migration, in which the first farmers carried their languages and genes with them.
The book is full of detail, presenting a nuanced view of the Neolithic as it developed in five or six origin areas, and then dispersed outward. Technical concepts, such as "glottochronology," are explained without much fuss. Most of the genetic data has been collected within the past decade, and casts an intriguing light on the movements of people in prehistoric times.

First Fruit provides a history of the first biotech plant product. I found this book to be fascinating. Belinda Martineau has written a very accessible book that has something to offer every reader. The scientific background allows the non-scientist to be able to understand not only what made the Flavr Savr tomato, but all the different regulatory issues involved to show that the product was safe. As such, it reveals how much of the anti-biotech sentiment is based on ignorance of scientific facts rather than on demonstratable dangers. Indeed, as was the case of Calgene, any company worth its pipette tips (and knowing the highly litigious society in which we live) would not want to release a hazardous product, but would want to do all the safety studies.
The interactions and conflicts between the scientists and business side of the company reveal important lessons for any biotech company. These problems underscore the importance even more for getting the 2 sides to interact from the beginning in a meaningful way. The hype that was generated before a product was produced foreshadowed the dotcom bubble, but an important difference in biotech (and especially plant biotech) is that product development (often 7-10 years) usually takes much longer than a high-tech product. This book is must reading for anyone who is interested in the current debate about genetic modification of foods. It is also valuable reading for anyone who is interested in biotech industry (especially if one is interested in investing in this industry).

Jay Rogoff's First Hand is a technical and emotional marvel. It documents the speaker's attempt to win over the family of his beloved by joining the family farm for one summer. The family dynamics play out in novelistic depth, and one leaves--despite the narrator's proclamations otherwise--with a sense of inevitable loss to follow. Rogoff is never sentimental, never flashy--just brilliant. A terrific chapbook.

I recommend to anyone
interested in the history of World War I. Or just in economic
issues of globalization and international trade. The focus is on
the international trade in bread grains between Great Britain
and the wider "Atlantic Economies" including Canada, the United
States, and Australia, but also Russia, Argentina and India.
A secondary theme, carefully explorred, is the global grain
trade of Germany.

The primary theme of the author, Avner Offer, is that global

specialization in an integrated economic environment, industry in the metropolis of Great Britain and grain growing in an overseas hinterland, protected by the British fleet, _enabled_ Great Britain to intervene in the great continental war starting in August 1914. And once involved, enabled Britain to wage war with much greater strength than was apparent from simply measuring the population and industrial output of that country.

While perusing his primary theme the author wanders widely

and interestingly around all kinds of related issues. These
include the desire of the "white" dominions of Canada
and Australia to exclude Asian labor; the economic and emotional
impact of migration from the metropolis of Great Britain to
the agricultural hinterlands of Canada or Australia, or the
United States; the morality of naval blockades aimed at
choking off food supplies to enemy civilians; the development
of international law with respect to naval blockades; and
the surprising willingness of certain influential British
leaders in the first decades of the 20th century to consider
the possibility of actual political union between the British
Empire and the United States.

The first chapters of the book examine the question of whether
the British naval blockade of Germany during the World War I
defeated Germany through starvation of her civilians
and/or her army. The answer is yes, with qualifications. The
food situation in Germany was indeed very harsh during the last
two years of the war. But it was the long term impact of the
blockade on German moral additionally weakened by demands of
continental war rather than outright starvation that led to Germany's defeat.

The believes that the naval blockade of Germany by Britain
was justified during the war. He is much harsher on the continuation of the blockade after the Germans accepted an armistice, when the Allies used the blockade as a tool to force German acceptance of peace terms. Offer points out that after the armistice, the Allies could no longer claim war-time necessity as justification, and that the German people blamed the allies for the lack of food rather than their own government, as they had during the war. Offer also examines how in the years immediately after the war the German government used what food it controlled to shape political developments
in Germany.

Still, back to the primary theme. Ever since the Corn Laws freed British grain markets from protective tariffs in the 1840s Britain came more and more to depend on overseas sources of food, including grain, fats and meat. The country was especially dependent on bread grain, of which approximately 80% was imported. Towards the end of the British harvest season the amount of bread grain in Britain could be less than seven weeks. The cargo ships carrying grain to Britain were moving silos. This was an obvious target for an enemy with a navy. At the same time it was an economically efficient specialization of resources, which benefited both the metropolis where industry flourished and the grain producing countries that grew rich
off agricultural exports. The cost to Britain was borne by the need to maintain a great navy. The author shows that the cost was covered by the economic efficiency and increased industrial production for most of the period up to the great naval building race with Germany before World War I.

The author also has insights on the role of economic specialization on Germany's war plans before 1914. Like Great Britain, Germany was also a net food importer. Although much less dependent on food imports, Germany lacked means of fully making up for a food deficit when faced with blockade. This was recognized by the German General Staff and contributed to Germany's choice of rash war plans which would work only if it won the war in an aggressive first strike through Belgium at France.

The author spends a fair amount of time on the stupid thinking of much of Germany's leadership, not only military but also civilian. He points out that three times, once in 1914, again in 1917 when it decided on unrestricted submarine warfare, and the spring 1918 offensive, it made decisions that had less than 50% chances of success, yet risked all. The blame is on intuitive thinking, shaped by the selfish biases of many German elite decision-makers.

Other themes covered include the social equality that existed in the Canadian prairies in contrast to the stratified society in Great Britain and the morality and purpose of Admiral Tirpirz's German naval program. I could go on, but will not. I repeat, I recommend this book highly.

I appreciate the writing style of this book published by The University
of Kentucky Press. It can be used in classrooms, I would think, and it
is also an enjoyable read for the casual reader who is interested in
Appalchian hill life in the first half of the 1900s. Van Willigen's
great narrative is well-complimented by some equally great black and
white photos. The author avoids using unnecessary, scholarly wording
and gets down to telling very interesting stories. Much use is made
of real wording from people he has interviewed.

For me, a Mid-westerner, this book is a must-have. I have an interest
in Appalachia and the Ozarks during the time period covered by this
book. It is a real "find" for me It will always have a place in my library.
Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to a new hardcover copy with a very nice dust jacket...you'll want to keep this book, too.

great book for any gardener interested in learning more about permaculture and sustainable gardening, not just for arid and tropcal zones

What is "the food system" and do we want one? Reminds me of hospital dining or "mystery meat" in the high school cafeterias of yore. But here we are: the food system describes the biological, economic and political, and social and cultural intertwining of processes by which people and food come together. This is a global construct, "developed, run and promoted worldwide by economic institutions in the rich and powerful nations."

Tansey, a visiting research fellow at England's University of Bradford, and Worsley, director of the Food Policy Research Unit of CSIRO, Australia (and we don't know what that organization is, sorry) have seemingly put together a truly unique book. It examines everything and everybody from the key players in food production, farmers and workers, processors and distributors, and consumers, to legal, scientific and technological control of food, with, understandably, heavy emphasis on findings from the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The book's most easily accessed information comes from numerous fact-filled boxes, so labeled, with headings such as "Ancient Rome's bread and circuses," "breast milk is best milk", " the Euro biscuit," "mind-mapping," "targeting children," "Norway's food policy," "unwelcome food bugs and their effects," "per capita spending on fast food in selected countries, 1992," and so on. Fascinating "bites" on a range of food subjects.

I was given a copy of this book because a friend contributd to the work. I previously had no background or interest in the topic, but decided to look through it out of curiosity.

As one without a science background some parts of the book were technical and mysterious to me. But I was surprised to find much of it was quite accessible, and drew my interest. This is an important topic for anyone that cares about the economy and ecology. Prof. Westendorf should be commended for compiling an impressive work.

A must read for Ford enthusiasts. A wealth of information on all the Ford conversions that I know of except Roadless which was given it's own book. I was expecting more than a brief mention of Weatherill. Just like Gibbard's Roadless book, an abundant supply of photographs.

This book argues for a better, more sustainable, and ultimately more sane way to farm: forest permaculture (forest farming). Forest permaculture is a technique of planting long-lived trees typically together with shrubs and herbs or grasses in a multi-tier ecosystem that achieves a steady state and produces food year after year without plowing or tilling, without the need for any farming machinery, and without any herbicides or fertilizers. This technique usually produces much higher yields than conventional farming, and it can be adapted to most climates, from temperate to equatorial. Writted by two well-known experts who have devoted their lives to advancing these techniques, this book is packed with excellent arguments, examples, and references, including a very comprehensive bibliography and list of organizations working in the area. It is a great introduction to the subject, although probably not a complete how-to guide. Nonetheless I think anyone who wants to know more permaculture or is considering adopting the same techniques needs to have this book handy. Also, this book would certainly be of great interest to anyone interested in the ideas and philosophy of E.F. Schumacher (author of "Small is Beautiful").