Farmbrarian

Click to find at a library near you!

Anna Lappé carries on the family tradition by examining the effects of modern agriculture on our planet in her new book Diet For A Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis At the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do About It. Lappé aims to answer three primary questions: What affect does our diet have on global warming? Why are people ignoring agriculture’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions? And finally, what should we do (or perhaps, eat)?

Lappé echoes her mother Frances Moore Lappé, author of Diet for a Small Planet (1971), by advocating for reduced consumption of meat and animal products. Included is a lengthy analysis of the greenhouse gas contributions of farm animals. Her arguments are persuasive, but ultimately I see a valid argument against animal factory farming—not animal foods in general.

Lappé looks at how the industrial food system affects climate change from start to finish. She first analyzes farming (including tilling, fertilizers, carbon sequestering, etc.); then moves on to transportation, storage, and processing; and finally discusses food waste (hint – landfills deserve real blame on this issue). All too often companies squirm their way out of culpability somewhere along the line. For example, as you’ll learn in the book, palm oil is in many processed food products; and major agribusinesses like Archer Daniels Midland have destroyed frightening amounts of rainforest (without anyone really knowing) to produce it.

In the interest of time, but to the detriment of her conclusions, Lappé often relies on limited supporting science, even when additional information exists. This is not to say her conclusions are wrong, but rather that nearly every topic covered could be examined in greater depth. For example, when countering a poorly supported claim that organic farming reduces yield, she relies on only two studies that assigned higher yields to organic farming when compared to conventional. Though I agree with her argument, more data would be useful for drawing significant conclusions.

Readers will walk away with an improved understanding of how food choices affect climate change, as well as with pre-formulated rebuttals to common arguments presented by doubters of wide scale organic, climate-friendly agriculture. Though it is no game changer, the book will certainly play a role as one piece of the puzzle in the movement towards sustainability in agriculture.

Click to find at a library near you!

We Planted a Tree written by Diane Muldrow and illustrated by Bob Staake

Beautifully illustrated and eloquently told, We Planted a Tree (2010) is a poem about the wondrous benefits of trees. Trees provide shade, help clean the air, and provide food for many. Staake’s well-known illustrations transport readers around the globe with scenes from Paris, Tokyo, and elsewhere. Muldrow also subtly pays tribute to The Green Belt Movement of Kenya. Recommended for baby-preschool.

Click to find at a library near you!

My Garden by Kevin Henkes

2005 Caldacott Medal winner Kevin Henkes ignites children’s imaginations and encourages them to get into the garden in his new book My Garden (2010). Inspired by her mother’s garden, a young girl dreams about a garden of her own where flowers bloom endlessly, jellybeans sprout jellybean bushes, and the tomatoes grow “as big as beach balls.” The large, pastel-colored illustrations are perfect for story time and spring. Recommended for preschool-grade 2.

Click to find at a library near you!

That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals by Ruby Roth

In her first book, artist Ruby Roth addresses subjects rarely mentioned in children’s literature: animal cruelty and vegetarian and vegan lifestyles. Roth’s artistry brings the story to life through color and rigid form. She contrasts animals in their natural habitats with scenes of confinement. Although not all animals raised for consumption are subject to such horrible conditions, Roth successfully raises consciousness of the harsh conditions of factory farming. Important lessons about the environmental implications of overfishing and deforestation are also taught. That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals (2009) has received widespread praise for it’s tasteful coverage of topics few, if any, have spoken of. Recommended for grade 3-6.

Click here to find at a library near you!

The Viarsa, a fishing vessel registered in Uruguay but owned in Spain, has loaded up on illegally caught Patagonian toothfish (commonly called Chilean Sea Bass), and is now on the run. In pursuit is Southern Supporter, a Fisheries and Patrol vessel belonging to the Australian government. Unarmed and unsure how to proceed, Southern Supporter decides to pursue the chase. What results, is probably the longest pursuit on the high seas in history. At stake, ultimately, is the fate of our world’s oceans, which were once thought to be an endless source of food. Author G. Bruce Knecht articulates this incredible true story in his book Hooked: Pirates, Poaching and the Perfect Fish (2006).

The Southern Supporter’s actions, along with many others attempts to thwart illegal pirating, have helped shape the current international policy on protecting fisheries around the world.

While parts of the book read like fiction, the rest is an interesting and informative look at the state of global fishing stocks and what is being done to ensure the survival of endangered species and ecosystems. I started the book with the understanding that sustainable fishing is important. I didn’t realize, however, how important it truly is, and just how severely overfished many species and areas are. Perhaps most shocking though, is the regular consumer’s complete lack of understanding and general apathy about the fish on their plate and the fish remaining in the sea.

This is a message that absolutely must be heard, and author G. Bruce Knecht does his part with the enlightening and entertaining book Hooked.

Keep an eye out in April as we post two more reviews on books about sustainable fishing and the current state of the world’s fishing stocks.

Click to find at a library near you!

Based on the title, I expected a different story than the one told here.  In fact, I was expecting to learn about a happy community with a well established local food culture showing the rest of us how it could be done.  What I wasn’t expecting was the author asking really tough questions about the feasibility of local food systems. Can communities in a country that prides itself on independence (really, the illusion of independence) embrace the interdependence necessary to build and maintain a local food system? What defines a local system?  Is it truly local if the people who live nearby can’t afford to buy it? How do communities react when the media pays attention only to those who have just recently discovered local food, while overlooking those who’ve been eating and producing it their entire lives? The author’s pragmatism challenged my local-food passion throughout the story and I was starting to worry that building alternatives to the current industrial food system is all a pipe dream. The good news is…I’m not going to tell. You’ll have to read the book.

Slow Food USA recently reviewed this book as well. Check out their comments here. Guest review kindly submitted by Shelley of Local Food Northern Nevada.

Click to find at a library near you!

The monumental shift in agriculture from local food economies to food supplies driven by gross domestic product and corporate profit gave rise to the modern food movement. Many now understand the frightening implications for our own health and that of and our communities. Mostly, the topic is contemplated with a strictly western perspective, even though it is lesser developed countries who have suffered the most; a pattern that isn’t likely to change. One such country is India, and it was Indian author and environmentalist Vandana Shiva who provided new insight on the issue in her 2000 book Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply.

India has traditionally been an agrarian culture. One in which farming is a common occupation, which is a far cry from the current American economy which aims to distance people from farming as much as possible. This lifestyle has obvious effects on Indian culture. For example, in India, the cow is considered sacred “because it is at the heart of the sustainability of an agrarian civilization.” (75) Furthermore, scattered across India are Chakki Wallas (local flour mills), which produce almost all the flour consumed. In fact, less than one percent of their flour is actually a brand name. (87)

Shiva explains the many ways companies like Monsanto (specifically accused) and organizations like the WTO (World Trade Organization) have deeply hurt India on a local community level. As an example she details Monsanto’s promotion of the Bollgard cotton seed, which is genetically engineered to defend itself against bollworm. While Monsanto’s marketing in India reported a 50% increase in yield, another evaluation found essentially the same yields as traditional seeds. (100) In addition, of course, farmers are legally prohibited from reusing seeds from Monsanto’s Bollgard cotton plant, despite the fact that seed-saving is as old as agriculture itself.

This book has certainly done its part to promote organic, sustainable farming, or what Indians call ahimsic krishi, which means “non-violent agriculture.” (119) Stolen Harvest delivers, in a small and readable package, an important, yet under-represented perspective on the current food system. I can only hope the world begins to hear the stories of this and other similarly vandalized cultures.

Click to find at a library near you!

Sandor Ellix Katz, author of Wild Fermentation, gives readers a thorough look at nearly every aspect of the modern food movement in his book The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved: Inside America’s Underground Food Movements (2006). I can think of no better person to explain the push for sustainable farming, wholesome food and healthy communities than someone who lives as Katz does: as part of an independent, intentional community in Tennessee.

In addition to exemplifying the revolution everyday, Katz is an excellent writer. The book is full of well-articulated arguments in favor of much needed change. While I consider myself knowledgeable on many aspects of the food movement, I learned a lot from the book, including some things that were truly eye opening.

For example, the chapter “Seed Saving as a Political Act” details a clear American intent to destroy Iraq’s agricultural infrastructure. Katz explains, “An internal State Department document from February 2003, a month before the U.S. invasion…included seed and plant patents as part of the U.S. economic agenda in Iraq.” Sadly, the U.S. was very successful, and the invasion destroyed “almost all generations of all seeds of all crops.” In summation, Katz says, “It appears from these facts that an element of the U.S. military agenda is to disrupt agricultural self-sufficiency and create dependency on the high-tech global seed market, while imposing the legal framework to permanently disempower local farmers.” Discouraging and eye opening, indeed. (48)

Katz channels many resources for the book. He quotes authors like Wendell Berry, Frances Moore Lappé and Joel Salatin, and cites books like The Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening. In addition, personal stories and recipes are dispersed throughout. Though the book’s organization seems random, it still manages to read smoothly.

The book is unlikely to reach the mainstream audience tapped by authors like Michael Pollan, but that in no way diminishes its value to the movement. Readers interested in a lengthy look at topics like seed saving, vegetarian ethics (warning: he’s not vegetarian), Slow Food, land rights and water consumption will find a good source in The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved.

Click here to visit the book's website!

Editor C.R. Lindemer delivers a humorous and heart-warming collection of stories in True Cow Tales: Literary Sketches and Stories by Farmers, Ranchers, and Dairy Princesses (2009).

Everyday folks who owned cattle or grew up alongside them share their memories in the 40 stories that comprise True Cow Tales. Contributions include loving tales about calves; recounted experiences of dairy princess pageants and tours; stories of roaming herds and subsequent round-ups; and tales that recall the strong family ties forged a midst this all.

Ranchers and farmers will surely relate to the stories, which showcase the wild antics and vivid personalities of the bovine breed.  Those who have never experienced farm life will find the stories enlightening and entertaining.

Overall, the literary voice of the text is elementary. But the raw writing style enhances the experience. The text reads like an oral history anthology. Each tale could have easily been told around the dinner table or lifted from the pages of an old journal. The archival quality of the stories is, by far, the strongest aspect of the book. True Cow Tales preserves stories about small-scale dairy farming that might otherwise have been lost. Luckily, a second volume is in the works.

Click to find at a library near you!

The Locavore Way: Discover and Enjoy the Pleasures of Locally Grown Food (2009) by Amy Cotler is a comprehensive, easy-to-read guide on how to find, buy, and cook locally grown food. She covers every aspect of eating locally: from the basics, like what to look for at farmer’s markets, to the more complex, like how to buy meat and poultry in areas where local food is not available in stores. Recipes and tips for preparing many vegetables and fruits help those of us less experienced with creating meals with fresh food. The author also stresses the importance of consumer expectations of the companies, restaurants, and schools linked to our meals and how to effectively advocate for change. The Locavore Way includes a great resource section to get you started, and my favorite – testimonials from farmers, chefs, and families who make local food a part of their lives.

Thanks to Storey Publishing for the review copy and to one of Reno’s own locavores Shelley of Local Food Northern Nevada for the review! Shelley’s site is a great resource for area residents, check it out!

Click to find at a library near you!

Jonah Raskin’s Field Days: A Year of Farming, Eating and Drinking Wine in California (2009) is a poetic love letter to Sonoma County. Readers will most definitely fall hard for the area’s agricultural history, idyllic landscape, hard-working people and fresh food as described by Raskin.

The memoir recounts a year’s worth of experiences traveling throughout Sonoma working on sustainable farms, most notably Oak Hill Farm in Glen Ellen, California. Raskin meets an array of people who are passionate about growing food that is healthy for us and the planet, and he eloquently shares each of their stories. The strongest aspect of the text is the focus on immigrant workers and the role they play in supporting our food system.

Raskin captures the romantic notions and realities of small-scale sustainable farming in a book the San Francisco Chronicle named one of the “50 notable Bay Area books of 2009.” Anyone who has felt a tug to escape a conventional lifestyle and connect with the land that sustains us will appreciate Raskin’s journey.

Click to find at a library near you!

The Carrot Seed – Written by Ruth Krauss, Illustrated by Crockett Johnson

This classic tale begins with a little boy planting a carrot seed. Ignoring the pessimistic refrain from his father, mother, and big brother that the seed will not come up, the boy resolutely cares for the seed each day, providing it with water and removing weeds. His perseverance finally pays off when the seed grows into a gigantic carrot, “just as the little boy had known it would.”

Over 60 years after its publication, Krauss’s simple story about one boy’s unwavering faith still has the power to captivate young readers. The succinct text is full of repetition, making it easy for young readers to follow. The text is matched perfectly by the minimal illustrations that capture the spirit of the story by reflecting the boy’s patience, determination, and ultimate validation. Recommended for ages 3-6.

Click to find at a library near you!

Winnie Finn, Worm Farmer – Written by Carol Brendler, Illustrated by Ard Hoyt

Young Winnie Finn is passionate about earthworms, going so far as to take them for rides around Quincy County in her wagon. With the Quincy County Fair approaching, Winnie hopes to win a prize for best worms. Though several of her neighbors are dismissive of her idea, Winnie remains undeterred and builds a worm farm. The fertilizer it produces is used by Mr. Abernathy to grow tall corn, which is then used by Mrs. Yamasaki-O’Sheridan to feed her Plymouth Rock hens, whose eggs are used by Mr. Peasley to make his Afghan puppies coats shine, causing all three to win first prize at the fair. Winnie is an appealing, clever heroine who uses her ecological knowledge to save the day for Quincy’s residents. The humorous, detailed illustrations depicting Winnie’s adventures are bound to elicit chuckles. An author’s note includes instructions on how to build a worm farm for budding worm enthusiasts like Winnie. Recommended for ages 5-8.

Thanks again to our friend and Children’s Librarian Cassandra for the great reviews! For many, many more suggested children’s titles about agriculture, see School Library Journal‘s “Farm Fresh” report.