This book argues that the factors contributing to obesity as a product of food insecurity have risen largely from the exploitation of vulnerable communities. In the past, food insecurity has been understood as primarily a matter of famine, hunger, and undernutrition. Such an understanding is no longer accurate: food insecurity is now also associated with obesity, the rates of which have increased dramatically in the past thirty years, particularly among lower-income communities and communities of color. This is likely the result of changes in the food system, including the reduction of access to fresh produce. Governments and intergovernmental bodies are therefore justified in more vigorously and directly intervening in the food system to ensure that communities have access to foods that contribute to better public health outcomes.

In response to the challenges of a growing population and food security, there is an urgent need to construct a new agri-food sustainability paradigm. This book brings together an integrated range of key social science insights exploring the contributions and interventions necessary to build this framework. Building on over ten years of ESRC funded theoretical and empirical research centered at BRASS, it focuses upon the key social, economic and political drivers for creating a more sustainable food system. Themes include: regulation and governance sustainable supply chains public procurement sustainable spatial strategies associated with rural restructuring and re-calibrated urbanised food systems minimising bio-security risk and animal welfare burdens. The book critically explores the linkages between social science research and the evolving food security problems facing the world at a critical juncture in the debates associated with not only food quality, but also its provenance, vulnerability and the inherent unsustainability of current systems of production and consumption. Each chapter examines how the links between research, practice and policy can begin to contribute to more sustainable, resilient and justly distributive food systems which would be better equipped to ‘feed the world’ by 2050.

"Representing the fruit of in-depth dynamics it invites us to give all necessary attention to the concepts of conflict, cooperation and competition. By reflecting on the possible articulations of these concepts and attempting to apply them in diverse fields of social science the editors give voice to those who are studying the world as it is and perform the service of returning a set of concepts, approaches or paradigms to their legitimate place." - Michel Wieviorka, President, International Sociological Association This ISA Handbook presents and tracks the transformation of the societies and social relations that characterize the twenty-first century. The volume is organized around a conceptualization of three processes that are fundamental to the analyses of micro, meso and macro social relations: conflict, competition, and cooperation. In addition to chapters that delve into sociological theory, case studies and overviews of subfields discuss and contextualize debates from an international perspective, incorporating relevant material about North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia. Chapters on topics and fields crucial to the experience of people around the world include, among others: childhood studies, consumption, hunger, labour studies, peace-keeping, law, health, sport, and welfare. Systematic and informed, the handbook will serve readers in all branches of the social sciences, providing both experienced researchers and novices with the materials to explore the different domains of contemporary life.

Guide to U.S. Environmental Policy provides the analytical connections showing readers how issues and actions are translated into public policies and persistent institutions for resolving or managing environmental conflict in the U.S. The guide highlights a complex decision-making cycle that requires the cooperation of government, business, and an informed citizenry to achieve a comprehensive approach to environmental protection. The book’s topical, operational, and relational essays address development of U.S. environmental policies, the federal agencies and public and private organizations that frame and administer environmental policies, and the challenges of balancing conservation and preservation against economic development, the ongoing debates related to turning environmental concerns into environmental management, and the role of the U.S. in international organizations that facilitate global environmental governance. Key Features: 30 essays by leading conservationists and scholars in the field investigate the fundamental political, social, and economic processes and forces driving policy decisions about the protection and future of the environment. Essential themes traced through the chapters include natural resource allocation and preservation, human health, rights of indigenous peoples, benefits of recycling, economic and other policy areas impacted by responses to green concerns, international cooperation, and immediate and long-term costs associated with environmental policy. The essays explore the impact made by key environmental policymakers, presidents, and politicians, as well as the topical issues that have influenced U.S. environmental public policy from the colonial period to the present day. A summary of regulatory agencies for environmental policy, a selected bibliography, and a thorough index are included. This must-have reference for political science and public policy students who seek to understand the forces that U.S. environmental policy is suitable for academic, public, high school, government, and professional libraries.

Today there are over a billion hungry people on the planet, more than ever before in history. While the global food crisis dropped out of the news in 2008, it returned in 2011 (and is threatening us again in 2012) and remains a painful reality for the world's poor and underserved. Why, in a time of record harvests, are a record number of people going hungry? And why are a handful of corporations making record profits? In Food Rebellions! Crisis and the Hunger for Justice, authors Eric Holt-Giménez and Raj Patel with Annie Shattuck offer us the real story behind the global food crisis and document the growing trend of grassroots solutions to hunger spreading around the world. Food Rebellions! contains up to date information about the current political and economic realities of our food systems. Anchored in political economy and an historical perspective, it is a valuable academic resource for understanding the root causes of hunger, growing inequality, the industrial agri-foods complex, and political unrest. Using a multidisciplinary approach, Holt-Giménez and Patel give a detailed historical analysis of the events that led to the global food crisis and document the grassroots initiatives of social movements working to forge food sovereignty around the world. These social movements and this inspiring book compel readers to confront the crucial question: Who is hungry, why, and what can we do about it?

Medicinal Agroecology: Reviews, Case Studies, and Research Methodologies presents information on applications of ‘green therapies’ in restoration towards global sustainability. These practices connect the world of medicinal plants with ecologic farming practice, creating a compassionate socio-political worldview and heartfelt scientific research towards food sovereignty and a healthier future on planet Earth. The book communicates benefits of using plant-based solutions to manage the challenges of unsustainable practices in human healthcare, veterinary medicine, agriculture, forestry, and water management. The contributions introduce advances around plants and their active components to potentially treat disease, regulate dysfunction, and balance ecosystems. These practices are explored in further depth through three sections: POLICIES AND FRAMEWORKS, INSIGHTS AND OVERVIEWS, and CASE STUDIES AND RESEARCH METHODS. Edited by Immo Norman Fiebrig, Medicinal Agroecology: Reviews, Case Studies, and Research Methodologies appeals to those in various disciplines including agriculture and agroecology, healthcare, environmental sciences, and veterinary medicine. Chapters 3 and 9 of this book are freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.

The agriculture system is under pressure to increase production every year as global population expands and more people move from a diet mostly made up of grains, to one with more meat, dairy and processed foods. This book uses a decade of primary research to examine how weather and climate, as measured by variations in the growing season using satellite remote sensing, has affected agricultural production, food prices and access to food in food-insecure regions of the world. The author reviews environmental, economics and multidisciplinary research to describe the connection between global environmental change, changing weather conditions and local staple food price variability. The context of the analysis is the humanitarian aid community, using the guidance of the USAID Famine Early Warning Systems Network and the United Nation’s World Food Program in their response to food security crises. These organizations have worked over the past three decades to provide baseline information on food production through satellite remote sensing data and agricultural yield models, as well as assessments of food access through a food price database. These datasets are used to describe the connection, and to demonstrate the importance of these metrics in overall outcomes in food-insecure communities.

The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record began publication in 1873. Debates for sessions prior to 1873 are recorded in The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States (1789-1824), the Register of Debates in Congress (1824-1837), and the Congressional Globe (1833-1873)

The problems created by metropolitanization have become increasingly apparent. Strategies are needed to improve the world's major cities in the twenty-first century. Tom Angotti is fundamentally optimistic about the future of the metropolis, but questions urban planning's inability to integrate urban and rural systems, its contribution to the growth of inequality, and increasing enclave development throughout the world. Using the concept of 'urban orientalism' as a theoretical underpinning of modern urban planning grounded in global inequalities, Angotti confronts this traditional model with new, progressive approaches to community and metropolis.

The Kitchen Connection Alliance, in close cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, develops an international cookbook to support the way that we eat for ourselves and for the planet. Celebrity chefs, organic farmers, indigenous cooks, and food activists share their favorite entrées and side dishes that are not only healthy and delicious but also sustainable. This gorgeous cookbook features full-color photography along with each recipe’s nutritional information and estimated carbon footprints for the most climate-friendly dishes, so you can support sustainable food systems from your own kitchen. Learn how to eat better for yourself and for the planet with The Cookbook in Support of the United Nations: For People and Planet, a global collection for global connection.