Sustainable Food Production: An Earth Institute Sustainability Primer

A little book with a big scope, this primer focuses on the social and ecological context for how agriculture fits into the global agenda for environmental sustainability. Timely and succinct, it is a useful resource for understanding interdisciplinary issues in development and for shifting toward more equitable and environmentally sound food systems. It could serve as an excellent add-on textbook for courses in sustainability science, agricultural policy, and agricultural ecology. -- Louise Jackson, professor emerita, University of California Davis One of today’s greatest environmental challenges is to feed a hungry planet without jeopardizing the sustainability of our food production systems or the Earth’s ecosystems and biodiversity. Written in a highly engaging style, this short book does an incredible job of explaining how to address this challenge. Broadly sweeping in scope, from historical context to forward thinking, it offers an indispensable overview of how to draw together social, ecological, and economic principles to enhance the sustainability of food, farming, and agriculture. -- Oswald J. Schmitz, Oastler Professor of Ecology, Yale University School of the Environment Sustainable Food Production brings a broad subject area with many terms and concepts into a coherent framework. Naeem, Lipton, and van Huysen provide a big picture view for students of sustainability and other readers interested in the environment, natural resources, agriculture, and human impacts. -- Mark Rasmussen, director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa State University