Food or War
Rethinking food systems for a sustainable future
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
Published:3rd Oct '19
Should be back in stock very soon
Julian Cribb's Food or War examines the intricate relationship between food supply, societal stability, and conflict, offering insights into a sustainable future.
In Food or War, Julian Cribb explores the critical role that food plays in shaping societies, cultures, and even conflicts. He emphasizes that food is not merely a source of sustenance but a central obsession across all cultures and nations. The book highlights how our future food supply is fraught with risks, and historical patterns indicate that food scarcity can lead to widespread unrest and war. Cribb's insights urge readers to consider the profound implications of our food systems on global stability and peace.
The author presents a compelling vision for a new food system that can address the challenges of an increasingly hot and overcrowded planet. He argues that while the risks associated with food supply are significant, they also open up remarkable opportunities for innovation and creativity. This duality of threat and opportunity is a key theme in Food or War, as it calls for a proactive approach to rethinking how we produce, distribute, and consume food in a sustainable manner.
Targeted at a diverse audience, including consumers, policymakers, and agricultural professionals, Food or War serves as a wake-up call for anyone who is concerned about the health, safety, and sustainability of our food sources. The urgency of its message resonates deeply in today's world, making it essential reading for those who care about the future of food and its implications for peace on our planet.
'… today's unsustainable food systems and the impossible job of feeding the estimated 10 billion people inhabiting the planet by 2050 encapsulates the multiheaded crisis humanity faces today. If you haven't heard all this then Food Or War is a good primer, vivid and punchy.' The Observer
'Perchance, ecosystems cease to function, the human jawbone would plop open, and remain plopped open, gaping and, over time, morph into a zombie-like end game of people preying upon people. … All of which serves as a prelude to Julian Cribb's brilliance as an established and celebrated science writer, recipient of 32 journalism awards, and author of ten books, with a new 'first-rate' book, now available via pre-order: Food or War. … Food or War is not only a page-turner with Cribb's clear, precise prose, but as an added bonus, it's jam-packed, like a textbook, with significant facts and statistics about the biosphere. It belongs in the hands of people who deeply care about the deteriorating condition of our poisoned planet. Incidentally, based upon very compelling evidence, yes, it is poisoned.' Robert Hunziker, CounterPunch
'Food or War offers us the context we need to consider the food we eat, the approach we use to raise food, and the manner we treat others' resources across the globe in new, revealing, and common sense ways.' Carolyn Fortuna, CleanTechnica (www.cleantechnica.com)
'Wars rage on in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere, in part driven by food shortages. What to do? … We can turn this imbalance around. Cribb points the way in this must-read book.' Tim Fischer, former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, and Chair of the Global Crop Trust with Seed Vault in Svalbard and HQ in Bonn, Germany
'Julian Cribb's comprehensive and thoughtful plan to deal with an impending global food security disaster deserves coordinated and urgent consideration by the UN FAO and all national governments.' Michael Jeffery, former Governor General of Australia
'Access to this book will enrich deliberations on critical issues of global food supply, dealing with refugees and poverty, and the food/land/water nexus. The evidence-based approach, integration across issues, and presentation of opportunities for the future make this text stand out from the crowd. It is highly recommended.' Kath Bowmer, former Deputy Chief of CSIRO Land and Water and Deputy Vice Chancellor of Charles Sturt University, Queensland
'Throughout history, food has been both a tool and a consequence of conflict and migration, which continues today exacerbated by arable land lost to cities, unreliable climate and excess consumption in rich nations while millions remain malnourished elsewhere. Cribb's analysis is urgently apposite, as is his practical call for a sustainable, nourishing and resilient global food system.' Lindsay Falvey, University of Melbourne
'[A] splendid exemplar of the new food consciousness.' Tim Lang, The Times Literary Supplement
'Drawing on his extensive scientific and historical knowledge, Cribb takes us on a grim and tightly argued odyssey to the edge of the Earth. He holds our hand while we stare into the abyss. Frightening. Having outlined the reality of our tenuous hold on the supports of life, he offers creative and imaginative solutions. A must-read for anyone who cares about the future of humanity.' Bruce Haigh, former Australian diplomat and refugee advocate
'In a time when we are absorbed in populist, political nonsense, Julian Cribb brings us to heel with the existential threat we face, in simple language; he joins all the dots.' The Honourable John Kerin, former Australian Minister for Primary Industry
'Unputdownable. Dealing with the multiple threats to humanity's most basic need - food - it unceremoniously pulls your head from the sand - but empowers you with the knowledge to do something. An absolutely essential read. This masterful work articulates clearly humanity's future and may just be warning enough for globally connected communities to avert the avalanche of existential threats bearing down.' Brad Collis, Editorial Director, Coretext and author of Fields of Discovery
'Human nature meets human need when the red and black horsemen ride in the ultimate existential food fight. At once perceptive and persuasive, Julian Cribb delivers another science-based study of the human condition at its most basic. Food or War is exceptional.' David Hulme, Publisher, Vision.org
'A compelling case for turning swords into ploughshares and building a sustainable global food supply in this century of existential climate risks.' David Spratt, American University Washington College of Law, and author of Climate Code Red
'Food, like air, water, soil and biodiversity, is one of humankind's most fundamental needs, a source of joy and creator of community. The eco-crises of climate change and loss of biodiversity reveal the total unsustainability of the current global food system. This book is an urgent call for recognition that the inescapable need for change also brings enormous opportunities.' David Suzuki, Award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster
'Food or War targets an issue that touches every human life, every day: food. And that, without it, people fight. It shows that our 'jawprint' is the heaviest of all our impacts on our finite planet - and that, for civilisation to survive, how we produce food must change … Anyone with an interest in either the human future or food should read this clear, authoritative, scary book. So should all first-year college classes.' Paul R. Ehrlich, co-author of Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic
ISBN: 9781108712903
Dimensions: 215mm x 139mm x 20mm
Weight: 440g
350 pages