This book is about the growing dominance of transnational corporations over many aspects of our lives, from executive super-pay to private sector pension funds. The authors of this book look at the hi-tech agro-chemical and genetic engineering companies that now dominate the food chain. In this detailed account, they show how a handful of companies have accelerated the industrialization of agriculture; penetrated the previously independent world of scholarly research; manipulated public opinion, and more.
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Helena Paul is an independent consultant and member of Econexus, an international non-profit research organization.
Ricarda A. Steinbrecher is Director of Econexus.
Lucy Michaels is the food and agriculture researcher at CorporateWatch UK.
Devlin Kuyek is an activist researcher.
Ricarda A. Steinbrecher is Director of Econexus.
Lucy Michaels is the food and agriculture researcher at CorporateWatch UK.
Devlin Kuyek is an activist researcher.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Debunking the hyperbolic and misleading claims of biotech,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Hungry Corporations: Transnational Biotech Companies Colonise the Food Chain (Paperback)
"Hungry Corporations" by Helena Paul and Ricarda Steinbrecher is an excellent introduction to the corporate agribusiness and biotechnology industry. The author's discussion and analysis of how industry and government are collaborating to literally force-feed a profit-driven agenda on a mostly uncaring or unknowing public is eye-opening. The book is well-supported by ample research and scores of real life news stories and case studies, which lends a high credibility factor to the authors; the solid scholarship in this book contrasts sharply with the hyperbolic and misleading claims emanating from the agribusiness sector, which makes the industry appear to be particularly insidious and cynical.The authors dispel industry's claim that genetically modified (GM) crops have been developed as a supply-side solution to alleviate hunger, which in fact is a problem that is attributable to economic and social inequality. Public relations (PR) firms have been successful in stoking the public imagination and belief in miracles to put a Panglossian spin on the agribusiness industry's dangerous experiments. We learn how industry propaganda often works in tandem with government trade initiatives to promote corporate agribusiness interests overseas. Therefore, to the extent that the U.S. is home to the most influential biotech companies and the most influential government player in the globalization game, the PR industry's success in pacifying the U.S. public has been key to GM crops gaining wider acceptance worldwide. The book discusses the many ill effects of the biotech revolution, which includes a loss of indigenous knowledge, decreased genetic diversity and contamination of non-GM plants. All of this, of course, comes on the heels of the Green Revolution which had boosted world agricultural output at the cost of significant soil and water depletion as well as the displacement of millions of small farmers from their fields. The authors are rightly worried that this ongoing assault upon the productive capacities of the earth and the people who live closest to the land could spell disaster for us all; with knowledge transferred from the field to the laboratory, the likelihood of catastrophic events atributable to disease and pest infestations increases while humankind's collective ability to adapt to rapidly-changing environmental conditions decreases. Pointing to resistance movements in the global south, however, the authors are hopeful that a diversity of local, sustainable farming practices might provide solutions. To that end, "Hungry Corporations" serves to help readers become better informed about these critical issues. I highly recommend it to everyone concerned about their own health, the future of the food supply and the health of our planet.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
