Food politics : what everyone needs to know

An overview of food politics -- Food production and population growth -- The politics of international food prices -- The politics of chronic hunger and famine -- International food aid and agricultural development assistance -- The green revolution controversy -- The politics of obesity -- The politics of farm subsidies and trade -- Agriculture and the environment -- Livestock, meat, and fish -- Agribusiness, supermarkets, and fast food -- Organic and local food -- Food safety and genetically engineered foods -- Who governs the world food system? -- The future of food politics.

""Food Politics" is the struggle among groups in society to shape the actions of governments when taxing, regulating, or subsidizing actions within the food and farming sector. In rich countries, government policies have historically favored farmers by providing income subsidies, often at the expense of consumers and taxpayers, while in poor countries it is urban consumers that have usually been favored. More recently, food politics debates have centered on preferences among more affluent consumers for foods and food production systems that will seem socially equitable (local and small scale rather than global and industrial) and environmentally sustainable (using fewer chemicals and burning less fossil fuel). In the cultural space, these new food movement demands have gained a strong following, yet among many specialists and government leaders, traditionalists have been slow to yield control"--