{"product_id":"titans-of-industrial-agriculture-isbn-9780262551700","title":"Titans of Industrial Agriculture","description":"\u003cb\u003eHow a small handful of giant transnational corporations has come to dominate the farm inputs sector, why it matters, and what can be done about it.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEvery year, hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of farm machinery, fertilizer, seeds, and pesticides are sold to farmers around the world. Although agricultural inputs are a huge sector of the global economy, the lion’s share of that market is controlled by a relatively small number of very large transnational corporations. The high degree of concentration among these agribusiness titans is striking, considering that just a few hundred years ago agricultural inputs were not even marketed goods. In \u003ci\u003eTitans of Industrial Agriculture\u003c\/i\u003e, Jennifer Clapp explains how we got from there to here, outlining the forces that enabled this extreme concentration of power and the entrenchment of industrial agriculture.\u003cbr\u003eClapp reveals that the firms that rose to the top of these sectors benefited from distinct market, technology, and policy advantages dating back a century or more that enabled them to expand their businesses through mergers and acquisitions that made them even bigger and more powerful. These dynamics matter because the firms at the top have long shaped industrial farming practices that, in turn, have generated enormous social, ecological, and health impacts on the planet and the future of food systems. Beyond analyzing how these problems have arisen and manifested, the book examines recent efforts to address corporate power and dominance in food systems and assesses the prospects for change.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAmong the first works to examine deep roots of corporate power in agriculture, \u003ci\u003eTitans of Industrial Agriculture\u003c\/i\u003e helps illuminate just how corporate actors have encouraged the “lock-in” of industrial agriculture, despite all its known social and ecological costs.Series Foreword\u003cbr\u003ePreface\u003cbr\u003eList of Acronyms\u003cbr\u003e1 Introduction\u003cbr\u003ePart I: The Rise to Corporate Bigness in the Agricultural Input Industry 1840s–1940s\u003cbr\u003e2 Farm Machinery\u003cbr\u003e3 Fertilizers\u003cbr\u003e4 Seeds\u003cbr\u003e5 Pesticides\u003cbr\u003ePart II: Consolidation and Expansion in the Mid-20th Century\u003cbr\u003e6 Lock-In and Ship Out\u003cbr\u003e7 Mergers of Distress in Farm Machinery and Fertilizers\u003cbr\u003e8 Mergers of Opportunity in Seeds and Chemicals\u003cbr\u003ePart III: 21st Century Mergers and Their Consequences\u003cbr\u003e9 Drivers of Recent Agribusiness Mega-Mergers\u003cbr\u003e10 Power to Shape Markets\u003cbr\u003e11 Power to Shape Technology\u003cbr\u003e12 Power to Shape Policy and Governance\u003cbr\u003ePart IV: Conclusion\u003cbr\u003e13 The Uncertain Path Ahead\u003cbr\u003eNotes\u003cbr\u003eReferences\u003cbr\u003eIndex“A valuable resource for anyone interested in the future of food production and the impact of corporate dominance on our planet.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWomen in Ag Magazine\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“\u003ci\u003eTitans of Industrial Agriculture\u003c\/i\u003e will keep curious readers engaged until the cows come home.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eLiterary\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eReview of Canada\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A combine harvester slicing through a monoculture cornfield is the epitome of a well-oiled machine. So too, argues Jennifer Clapp, is the entire array of economic, technological, and political factors that have converged to dominate the world’s agriculture.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eCivil Eats\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“\u003ci\u003eTitans of Industrial Agriculture\u003c\/i\u003e takes a forensic look at the changes in four sub-sectors of agriculture: machinery, [fertilizer], pesticides, and seeds.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Farmers Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eTitans for Industrial Agriculture\u003c\/i\u003e is a must-read for anyone concerned about democracy, human rights, climate, food, environmental justice, and the agency of farmers.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eAgriculture and Human Values\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“Wondering how corporations turned the rural landscape into a poisonous cesspool? Read this book. Clapp is a solid writer, avoiding drama to focus on the facts to show that agribusiness does not have our welfare in mind.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Deborah Fitzgerald, Leverett Howell and William King Cutten Professor Emerita, Program in Science, Technology, and Society, MIT\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“In this deeply thoughtful and admirably researched exploration, Jennifer Clapp uncovers the long history of corporate power in agriculture and shows why we’ll need to undo the sins of the nineteenth century if we are all to survive in the twenty-first.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Raj Patel, Research Professor, University of Texas at Austin\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“A masterful account of corporate power in the global food system. \u003ci\u003eTitans of Industrial Agriculture \u003c\/i\u003eis essential reading for anyone interested in understanding how a few multinationals came to dominate modern agriculture.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Robert Falkner, Professor of International Relations, London School of Economics\u003c\/b\u003eJennifer Clapp is Canada Research Chair in Global Food Security and Sustainability and Professor in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo. Her recent books include \u003ci\u003eFood\u003c\/i\u003e, 3rd edition,\u003ci\u003e Speculative Harvests\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eHunger in the Balance\u003c\/i\u003e. She is a member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems and previously served as Vice Chair of the Steering Committee of the High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE-FSN) of the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS).","brand":"The MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303392039141,"sku":"NP9780262551700","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780262551700.jpg?v=1767742688","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/titans-of-industrial-agriculture-isbn-9780262551700","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}