Perilous Bounty and the future of farming in America [Book review]

Abstract

First paragraph: In Perilous Bounty, Tom Philpott builds a meticu­lously researched argument that the U.S. is too reliant on farming methods and economic systems that are destroying our critical ecosystems. Mixing investigative journalism, eye-opening statistics, and farmer profiles, he paints a stark picture of the current state of industrial agriculture. He focuses on the two predominant U.S. agricultural regions, presents the major challenges facing each region, and discusses the “handful of seed-pesticide cor­porations, investment funds, and magnates who benefit from these dire trends (p. 8).