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No-Nonsense Guides
The No-Nonsense Guide to World Food: New Edition
Wayne Roberts puts under the microscope a global food system that is under strain from climate change and economic disaster. He shows how a world food system based on supermarkets and agribusiness corporations is unsustainable and looks at new models of producing healthy food from all over the world.
Frances More Lappe, author of Diet for a Small Planet says: What....A book on world hunger you just can’t put down? Yes, it’s true. Here it is – filled with mind-expanding surprises, startling insights, and personal stories that make you want more. They make you want to do more, not from guilt but from the passion of Wayne Roberts that is utterly contagious. I love this book.
Wayne Roberts is a leading North American writer, activist, and practitioner in community food security. Author and columnist for NOW Magazine, he's on the board of the Community Food Security Coalition and Food Secure Canada, and coordinates the Toronto Food Policy Council, the most respected city food group in the world.
Frances More Lappe, author of Diet for a Small Planet says: What....A book on world hunger you just can’t put down? Yes, it’s true. Here it is – filled with mind-expanding surprises, startling insights, and personal stories that make you want more. They make you want to do more, not from guilt but from the passion of Wayne Roberts that is utterly contagious. I love this book.
Wayne Roberts is a leading North American writer, activist, and practitioner in community food security. Author and columnist for NOW Magazine, he's on the board of the Community Food Security Coalition and Food Secure Canada, and coordinates the Toronto Food Policy Council, the most respected city food group in the world.
144 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2008
7 people are currently reading
151 people want to read
About the author
Wayne Roberts
24 books12 followersWayne Roberts is a Canadian food policy analyst and writer, widely respected for his role as the manager of the Toronto Food Policy Council, a citizen body of 30 food activists and experts that is widely recognized for its innovative approach to food security, from 2000-2010.
Since retiring from the TFPC in 2010, Roberts has been on the board of several North American food organizations, including FoodShare, Community Food Security Coalition, Food Secure Canada, Unitarian Service Committee, Sustain Ontario and Centre for Sustainable Food Systems.
As a leading member of the City of Toronto’s Environmental Task Force, he helped develop a number of official plans for the city, including the Environmental Plan and Food Charter, adopted by Toronto City Council in 2000 and 2001 respectively. Many ideas and projects of the TFPC are featured in Roberts’ book The No-Nonsense Guide to World Food (2008).
In 2002, he received the Canadian Environment Award for his contributions to sustainable living. NOW Magazine named Roberts one of Toronto’s leading visionaries of the past 20 years. In 2008, he received the Canadian Eco-Hero Award presented by Planet in Focus. In 2011, he received the University of Toronto Arbor Award for his role in establishing food studies as a field of study at University of Toronto.
Since he started work in this area, the number of food policy councils has jumped from three to over 200, including Bristol, England and Rotterdam in The Netherlands. Roberts calls food councils "the fastest growing trend in local government politics of the past decade"
Since retiring from the TFPC in 2010, Roberts has been on the board of several North American food organizations, including FoodShare, Community Food Security Coalition, Food Secure Canada, Unitarian Service Committee, Sustain Ontario and Centre for Sustainable Food Systems.
As a leading member of the City of Toronto’s Environmental Task Force, he helped develop a number of official plans for the city, including the Environmental Plan and Food Charter, adopted by Toronto City Council in 2000 and 2001 respectively. Many ideas and projects of the TFPC are featured in Roberts’ book The No-Nonsense Guide to World Food (2008).
In 2002, he received the Canadian Environment Award for his contributions to sustainable living. NOW Magazine named Roberts one of Toronto’s leading visionaries of the past 20 years. In 2008, he received the Canadian Eco-Hero Award presented by Planet in Focus. In 2011, he received the University of Toronto Arbor Award for his role in establishing food studies as a field of study at University of Toronto.
Since he started work in this area, the number of food policy councils has jumped from three to over 200, including Bristol, England and Rotterdam in The Netherlands. Roberts calls food councils "the fastest growing trend in local government politics of the past decade"
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 12, 2013
core book for envir200 at UVic
good, concise introduction to world food issues, global food security, effects of factory farming etc.
good, concise introduction to world food issues, global food security, effects of factory farming etc.
November 24, 2010
one of the best intros to the good food movement around. concise without being trite. easy to read.
May 31, 2019
I used this book in teaching my Global Perspectives on Food Production class for upper-level undergraduates.
Like other books in the No-Nonsense series, Roberts's book is reasonably short. As with most books that claim to be about "global" or "world" food, I found the book to have a strong focus on the interests and concerns of the Global North. That said, there are a number of useful stories and lessons included from the Global South, including stories about successes of Cuba's food system after the collapse of the Soviet Union and what Belo Horizonte (Brazil) has done so effectively to address issues of hunger. I sometimes felt, though, that stories from the Global South were treated with less of a critical eye than I think most of us who have worked in the Global South would feel is justified.
The book is fairly easy to read, although I did find that among my junior/senior undergraduates reading this book, there were a number who struggled to pull out the relevant points. Since I had trouble telling how much this was because they weren't reading and how much because they struggled with the reading (something to better assess next time around), I am not sure this is a fault with the book itself. I did not find the book terribly enjoyable to read except in comparison with the other textbook I chose (and would not use again). If you are interested in food systems and care most about how global food production matters to us in places like the United States, though, the book is interesting and informative.
If anyone has recommendations for a book that effectively addresses the global food system AND includes strong but balanced perspectives from the Global South, I would love to have them.
Like other books in the No-Nonsense series, Roberts's book is reasonably short. As with most books that claim to be about "global" or "world" food, I found the book to have a strong focus on the interests and concerns of the Global North. That said, there are a number of useful stories and lessons included from the Global South, including stories about successes of Cuba's food system after the collapse of the Soviet Union and what Belo Horizonte (Brazil) has done so effectively to address issues of hunger. I sometimes felt, though, that stories from the Global South were treated with less of a critical eye than I think most of us who have worked in the Global South would feel is justified.
The book is fairly easy to read, although I did find that among my junior/senior undergraduates reading this book, there were a number who struggled to pull out the relevant points. Since I had trouble telling how much this was because they weren't reading and how much because they struggled with the reading (something to better assess next time around), I am not sure this is a fault with the book itself. I did not find the book terribly enjoyable to read except in comparison with the other textbook I chose (and would not use again). If you are interested in food systems and care most about how global food production matters to us in places like the United States, though, the book is interesting and informative.
If anyone has recommendations for a book that effectively addresses the global food system AND includes strong but balanced perspectives from the Global South, I would love to have them.
March 1, 2015
If you really want to know the naked, nasty truth about the world's food system, you simply must read this book. I've read several books on this topic, or related to it, and none of them do the job as completely and efficiently as this one.
Mr. Roberts lays then entire system bare, on the table, and picks through it's bones! The picture isn't pretty, not by a long shot. He exposes the fallacies of 'cheap food', how the U.S. in particular has used agriculture to dominate the economies of the Southern Hemisphere for decades, and how the so-called attempts to 'feed the world' were really just a mask for exporting excess grain and undermining local economies in Africa, South America, and beyond. This drive to dominate has led to the destruction of the environment, the reliance on fossil fuels to keep the system going, and the impoverishment of nations all around the world.
But Roberts also sees positive movements towards a more sustainable world, especially through urban agriculture, focusing on organic, locally produced food. The solution, he argues--and he's right by the way--is to decentralize food production, by putting it back in the hands of the people, and out of the hands of massive corporate farms. Food should be a human right, not a commodity.
If you're interested in a new revolution, in overturning the corrupt political and economic systems, then you need to read this book.
Mr. Roberts lays then entire system bare, on the table, and picks through it's bones! The picture isn't pretty, not by a long shot. He exposes the fallacies of 'cheap food', how the U.S. in particular has used agriculture to dominate the economies of the Southern Hemisphere for decades, and how the so-called attempts to 'feed the world' were really just a mask for exporting excess grain and undermining local economies in Africa, South America, and beyond. This drive to dominate has led to the destruction of the environment, the reliance on fossil fuels to keep the system going, and the impoverishment of nations all around the world.
But Roberts also sees positive movements towards a more sustainable world, especially through urban agriculture, focusing on organic, locally produced food. The solution, he argues--and he's right by the way--is to decentralize food production, by putting it back in the hands of the people, and out of the hands of massive corporate farms. Food should be a human right, not a commodity.
If you're interested in a new revolution, in overturning the corrupt political and economic systems, then you need to read this book.
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August 12, 2015http://rabble.ca/books/reviews/2013/1...
Review by Joan Baxter
Wayne Roberts began the first edition of his No-Nonsense Guide to World Food with an endearingly frank admission. "Like most things in my life," he wrote, "I stumbled into food activism without knowing what I was getting into."
He may have stumbled into food activism, but there is no doubt that Dr. Roberts, a social and political historian and winner of many awards for his work on food, landed solidly on his feet.
A regular food columnist for Now Magazine in Toronto, and after years of managing the Toronto Food Policy Council, he is now an internationally respected food policy analyst and one of Canada’s foremost and most upbeat activists, advocates and writers about food and food systems.
Read more here: http://rabble.ca/books/reviews/2013/1...
Review by Joan Baxter
Wayne Roberts began the first edition of his No-Nonsense Guide to World Food with an endearingly frank admission. "Like most things in my life," he wrote, "I stumbled into food activism without knowing what I was getting into."
He may have stumbled into food activism, but there is no doubt that Dr. Roberts, a social and political historian and winner of many awards for his work on food, landed solidly on his feet.
A regular food columnist for Now Magazine in Toronto, and after years of managing the Toronto Food Policy Council, he is now an internationally respected food policy analyst and one of Canada’s foremost and most upbeat activists, advocates and writers about food and food systems.
Read more here: http://rabble.ca/books/reviews/2013/1...
April 2, 2014
This book is eminently and thoroughly researched. Secondly it is written with passion and enthusiasm that jump off the page. Most importantly a careful study of this work reveals a plethora of practical stepping stones to transitioning our food system towards a more sustainable, healthy, and equitable one. Well done Wayne Roberts this book truly is worthy of another feather in your cap.
April 1, 2014
This is an absolutely essential starting point for anyone wanting to understand how their food reaches their plate. Accessible and lively, anyone concerned about the state of the planet, the state of their diet, or the state of their health should read this book.
January 24, 2009
solid book on what is really happening with food. helpful for throughing numbers together for a presentation
May 2, 2011
excellent..
September 7, 2011
Highly readable and witty.
November 4, 2012
Very interesting...lots of good info.
September 6, 2014
An eye-opening introduction to global food issue.
September 3, 2012
Good intro to the topic of food systems.
January 19, 2013
Good ideas. Writing is so-so.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews