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A review by rosepoints
Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It by Tom Philpott
4.0
in "perilous bounty," tom philpott primarily focuses on the ecological degradation caused by agriculture in california and the midwest. more specifically, he touches upon california's water crisis in terms of decreasing snowmelt and depleted aquifers, soil erosion in the midwest, toxic algal blooms caused by fertilizer runoff, and the regional shifts in climate caused by global warming. altogether, i would categorize this as an environmental science book rather than a book that focuses on food.
overall, i appreciated the emphasis on broader, systemic solutions rather than individualistic ones, and he specifically writes, "we have reached the limits of 'market-as-movement' to transform the food system... well-off consumers should vote with their forks three times a day, but the pace of positive change they create has been no match for big food's massive inertia and the rapid advance of climate change." he's entirely correct in that, and it's refreshing to see this in his writing. he suggests various solutions like the use of cover crops in the midwest, scaling back agriculture to meet california's current water supply, shifting federal policy and government subsidies away from monocultures of corn/soybeans and towards alternative options, and encouraging agriculture in other regions of the US to support local and regional food chains. because i'm not an expert in agriculture, i have no idea if these solutions are feasible, but to me, his reasoning seemed sound enough.
i also appreciated his explanation of the science behind the environmental phenomenon occurring. for every piece of jargon he used, he offered a working definition, and i felt like he did his best to explain scientific concepts to a general audience. there are a few places here and there where i wondered if this would be understandable to a layman (ex: the explanation of california's wet / dry phases and the semipermanent pressure systems between the poles and subtropic regions, i could see someone not fully understanding the el nino effect in california there). however, it's pretty decent compared to other nonfiction books out there. good scientific communication is hard!
in terms of improvements, i did think that the midwest section was less organized compared to the previous chapters on california. it's not going to hinder your understanding of the concepts imo but it could have been organized to flow better from topic to topic. i also wish that there was a touch more discussion on the social ramifications of big agriculture in the united states. for example, he briefly touches on the labor required for melon farming in the california section, and he mentions the impact of immigration and deportation policies as well as the rise of minimum wage. however, it's a brief sentence or two and then he barrels onward to focus on water consumption of nut farming. i understand that this is a book primarily focused on ecological degradation, but i wished that there was just a little more discussion on the people impacted and involved in big agriculture as well. i'd rather have that than the lengthy discussion on the author's experience with interviewing someone from monsanto.
altogether, it's worth the read, and i enjoyed the book - would recommend!
overall, i appreciated the emphasis on broader, systemic solutions rather than individualistic ones, and he specifically writes, "we have reached the limits of 'market-as-movement' to transform the food system... well-off consumers should vote with their forks three times a day, but the pace of positive change they create has been no match for big food's massive inertia and the rapid advance of climate change." he's entirely correct in that, and it's refreshing to see this in his writing. he suggests various solutions like the use of cover crops in the midwest, scaling back agriculture to meet california's current water supply, shifting federal policy and government subsidies away from monocultures of corn/soybeans and towards alternative options, and encouraging agriculture in other regions of the US to support local and regional food chains. because i'm not an expert in agriculture, i have no idea if these solutions are feasible, but to me, his reasoning seemed sound enough.
i also appreciated his explanation of the science behind the environmental phenomenon occurring. for every piece of jargon he used, he offered a working definition, and i felt like he did his best to explain scientific concepts to a general audience. there are a few places here and there where i wondered if this would be understandable to a layman (ex: the explanation of california's wet / dry phases and the semipermanent pressure systems between the poles and subtropic regions, i could see someone not fully understanding the el nino effect in california there). however, it's pretty decent compared to other nonfiction books out there. good scientific communication is hard!
in terms of improvements, i did think that the midwest section was less organized compared to the previous chapters on california. it's not going to hinder your understanding of the concepts imo but it could have been organized to flow better from topic to topic. i also wish that there was a touch more discussion on the social ramifications of big agriculture in the united states. for example, he briefly touches on the labor required for melon farming in the california section, and he mentions the impact of immigration and deportation policies as well as the rise of minimum wage. however, it's a brief sentence or two and then he barrels onward to focus on water consumption of nut farming. i understand that this is a book primarily focused on ecological degradation, but i wished that there was just a little more discussion on the people impacted and involved in big agriculture as well. i'd rather have that than the lengthy discussion on the author's experience with interviewing someone from monsanto.
altogether, it's worth the read, and i enjoyed the book - would recommend!