Publication date:
13 December 2012Length of book:
200 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersDimensions:
234x154mm6x9"
ISBN-13: 9781442206519
This compelling book exploresthe intimate connections between people and plants, agriculture and cooking, and the practical work of building local food networks and transnational social movements. Lauren E. Baker uses corn and maize to consider central debates about food security and food sovereignty, biodiversity and biotechnology, culture and nature, as well as globalization and local responses, in Mexico and beyond. For the author, corn symbolizes the commoditization of agriculture and the cultural, spiritual, ecological and economic separation of people from growing, cooking, and sharing food. Conversely, maize represents emerging food movements that address contemporary health, environmental, and economic imperatives while rooted in agricultural and culinary traditions. The meeting of corn and maize reveals the challenge of, and possibilities for, reclaiming food from its commodity status in the global context of financial turmoil, food crises, and climate change.
The slogan ‘in defense of maize’ is used in Mexico to support local farming initiatives and agricultural knowledge to protect the diverse, multiple forms of this plant. Environmental studies scholar Baker uses corn (the English translation of maize) as a contrasting metaphor to refer to large-scale commercial food production. The book explores the relationship between local maize and commercial corn in contemporary Mexico in the context of a global food crisis, increasing use of genetically modified crops (including corn), and the government's dramatic reduction of support for small-scale farmers at the same time that these farmers compete with highly subsidized crops from the US under the North American Free Trade Agreement. The three rich case studies illustrate the possibilities of food sovereignty in contrast to neoliberal models. One case study is Itanoní Tortillería, a family-run restaurant in the city of Oaxaca serving maize-based dishes from crops grown by a network of regional farmers. . . . This valuable book will be of interest to scholars in food studies, Latin American studies, and environmental economics. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students, faculty.