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Social Science General

A Nation of Farmers (PDF)

Defeating the Food Crisis on American Soil

by (author) Sharon Astyk & Aaron Newton

Publisher
New Society Publishers
Initial publish date
Apr 2009
Category
General
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781550924268
    Publish Date
    Apr 2009
    List Price
    $19.95

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Description

Once we could fill our grocery carts with cheap and plentiful food, but not anymore. Cheap food has gone the way of cheap oil. Climate change is already reducing crop yields worldwide. The cost of flying in food from far away and shipping it across the country in refrigerated trucks is rapidly becoming unviable. Cars and cows increasingly devour grain harvests, sending prices skyrocketing. More Americans than ever before require food stamps and food pantries just to get by, and a worldwide food crisis is unfolding, overseas and in our kitchens.

We can keep hunger from stalking our families, but doing so will require a fundamental shift in our approach to field and table. A Nation of Farmers examines the limits and dangers of the globalized food system and how returning to basics is our best hope. The book includes in-depth guidelines for:

  • Creating resilient local food systems
  • Growing, cooking and eating sustainably and naturally
  • Becoming part of the solution to the food crisis.

The book argues that we need to make self-provisioning, once the most ordinary of human activities, central to our lives. The results will be better food, better health, better security and freedom from corporations that don't have our interests at heart.

Critical reading for anyone who eats and cares about high-quality food and food sources.

About the authors

Sharon Astyk is a writer, teacher, blogger, and farmer who raises vegetables, poultry and dairy goats with her family in upstate New York. She and her family use 80% less energy and resources than the average American household. Sharon is a member of the Board of Directors of ASPO-USA and the award-winning author of three previous books including Depletion and Abundance and Independence Days.

Sharon Astyk's profile page

Aaron Newton is a sustainable land planner and director of environmental programs at Outdoor Living, a design firm in NC. He is a founding editor of Groovy Green, an Internet magazine and writes extensively on the blog. He speaks on issues of sustainability.

Aaron Newton's profile page