Growing a better future: Food Justice in a resource-constrained world

by Robert L. Bailey, Duncan Green, Naomi Hossain

The global food system works only for the few – for most of us it is broken. It leaves the billions who consume food lacking sufficient power and knowledge about what they buy and eat, and the majority of small food producers dis-empowered and unable to fulfil their productive potential. The failure of the system flows from failures of government – failures to regulate, to correct, to protect, to resist, to invest – which mean that companies, interest groups, and elites are able to plunder resources and to redirect flows of finance, knowledge, and food. Growing a Better Future describes a new age of growing food price spikes and oil price hikes, devastating weather events, financial meltdowns, and global contagion. It shows how the food system is at once a driver of this fragility and highly vulnerable to it, and why in the twenty-first century it leaves 925 million people hungry.Growing a Better Future supports a new campaign with a simple another future is possible and we can build it together. Over the coming years, decisive action around the world could enable hundreds of millions more people to feed their families and prevent catastrophic climate change from destroying their (and our) futures. In this new enhanced edition, Oxfam adds papers and research which develop and update the main themes of the land, and the growing scandal surrounding the new wave of investments (‘land grabs’); how climate change is related to food security and the East African food crisis; and how people living in poverty around the world have coped with food price crises. There are also extended case studies from Bolivia, Brazil, Guatemala, India, Malawi, and Nepal, and an extended and updated bibliography and resources list.

Genres: Nonfiction

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 3, 2011

Reviews

[I. Mónica del P Pinzon Verano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este es un informe de Oxfam producto de la investigación y recopilación de información, que da cuenta sobre la crisis alimentaria y ambiental que vivimos actualmente, de cómo surgió y cómo tiende a agudizarse de no tomarse medidas desde hoy. El informe, por medio de cifras y datos contundentes alerta del sistema agrícola insostenible que se practica y del deterioro de los recursos naturales que produce, adicional al hambre y desnutrición que sufren las poblaciones más vulnerables del planeta, y los intereses económicos y ausencia de políticas que hay detrás de esta problemática. También muestra el importante rol que tiene la agricultura sostenible para reducir la brecha de desigualdad existente, jalonando el desarrollo económico, produciendo ingresos para los agricultores (que en muchos casos viven en la pobreza), haciendo accesibles los alimentos y conservando los recursos naturales.

Y lo que cuenta el informe es interesante y me importa. Las cifras no están deshumanizadas porque el informe incluye la voz de personas que viven la problemática, pero, PERO, es reiterativo lo que cuenta, la mayor parte del documento es repetición del primer 20% de contenido, leía y leía y más allá de unos datos nuevos, no me parecía avanzar. Abrumadora tanta repetición, una lectura agotadora que da pesar porque la alimentación y los recursos naturales son temas que nos concierne a todos, y porque la desigualdad es una tragedia de la que debemos concientizarnos y hacernos cargo como sociedad.

[Matteo Anelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprise! The reason behind food scarcity is not the rampant dominance of multinationals or ogms is the lack of a real economy. Most of the food market is simply unattended because it's fractured in millions of small scale producers that are not motivated to play in the open market due to subsides. Subsides are skewing the market, leaving lots of production unsold and prices artificially high. The only very lacking point about the book is the way they look at developing country: if a farmer in the open market of sri lanka can earn 1.20$ a day is not necessary a scandal to our eyes: it's a matter of society that, in a really open market, will adjust itself. The book don't say that openly but when it compares the production sales of small and big scale farms, the earnings of developing countries food productions is indeed rising and so are the living standards. It's nice to read a book that talks about real facts, with a huge bibliography of facts and data. It's still nicer that someone is starting to denounce an economy made of subsides.

[Askaso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy entretenido para ser un conjunto de artículos sobre política alimentaria.
Varios artículos, muy bien escritos, sobre política alimentaria. Son todo lo partidista que uno quiera creerse pero los que cuenta es real. Quizás otras políticas económicas produjeran otros problemas. Pero es un libro sobre diferentes políticas alimentarias y sus consecuencias. Magnífico y para ser redondo le faltan muchas páginas.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an interesting read and good to see examples of countries reducing food poverty effectively. It was definitely worth the read, I learned a few things and gave me some things to think about. It was easy enough to read.

[Senake Atureliya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A timely and interesting read.

[Velvetink]

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