15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent call(s) to action, January 11, 2008
This review is from: Manifestos on the Future of Food and Seed (Paperback)
Okay. Michael Pollan's note (see his "review" of this book) has worked. He's clearly no longer listed as the "author" of this wonderful little book. I'm glad that this was straightened out. The problem is that his 1-star rating has pulled down the overall rating for Manifestos on the Future of Food and Seed. This is a real shame, because the book is a gem.
Edited by Vandana Shiva, the tireless scientist and food activist/ecologist, the book collects papers read at Terre Madre conferences in Italy. Participants in the conference were proponents of the slow food movement, advocates of organic farming, local eating, and the deindustrialization of the food industry, and people who object to the patenting and industrial control of seeds (Shiva has led the way in this battle).
Sandwiched in between the lectures (including the one by Michael Pollan) are the two manifestos, one on food and one on seeds, which give the book its title. They call for concerned and united action on behalf of the good earth, farmers, human consumers, and members of the biosphere affected by industrial agriculture's heavy reliance on chemicals and, now, GMOs.
A very timely and worthwhile introduction to alternatives to agribusiness, fast food culture, and agriculture-based environmental and economic devastation. The essays are all solid and interesting (I was especially impressed by Prince Charles', largely, I suppose, because I unfairly didn't expect much from it). People who want a quick but reliable primer on food will benefit from reading them.
And so Mr. Pollan: delete your review so that the ratings for this fine book can soar,won't you?
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A deftly composed treatise, May 6, 2008
This review is from: Manifestos on the Future of Food and Seed (Paperback)
No matter how much technology advances, no matter what new advances in medical science society make, somethings will never change - that humanity will have to do one thing the same way it did when it was closer to beast then man - eat. "Manifestos On The Future of Food & Seed" is an examination of modern agriculture, and an encouragement to increase the world's cultivating range and trade amongst each other, stating the fact of 80,000 plants in the world are edible for food, 150 of them are grown intentionally, and only eight are traded internationally. "Manifestos On The Future of Food & Seed" is highly recommended as a deftly composed treatise in the form of essays from five intellectuals on the subject and deserves a place on any community library agriculture shelf.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
an important book but not a great read, August 1, 2010
This review is from: Manifestos on the Future of Food and Seed (Paperback)
I wish not to bash this book because it stands for something great that we should all contribute to. However, to me it was not an interesting read. That's because many of the things talked about appear over and over in information stemming from different people (some of which could come from speeches), such as for instance that we should support small farms. This is true, but rather than mentioning it several times, I wish it was talked about it in more depth once. Also, I would have loved some more concrete data and better support for the data that is provided. If you make a controversial claim, back it up or else nobody believes it. Also, the book is just plain boring because of how it is fragmented, but also because for half of the book you are reading a summary of what was coined at a convention.
I give this book four stars, because I strongly support its cause. If it was for the way it was put together and the uninteresting way in which the information is presented, I would give it one star. Also, I think Vandana Shiva is an amazing lady. She is brilliant and determined to do what is right for this planet. We need more people like her, and probably also more of those other people who meet at Terra Madre. These selfless people will brighten our future.
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