Book Group
In line with our mission to educate ouselves about the issues we care most about, a primary NWAEG activity is a bimonthly meeting to discuss book chapters or other readings that address the intersection of agroecology and socio-political issues. Cornell students can gain independent academic credit during the school year for active participation (1 credit). The book group typically meets on Wednesday evenings from 7-9 pm at member's homes. Meetings are informal and are open to the greater Ithaca community. They are also fun (good snacks and conversation) and a great way to meet others interested in exploring different perspectives and ideas! Our NWAEG book group is a participant-led initiative; agendas for the meeting topics are set by members at a date chosen early in the semester. We hope you will join us! For more information contact Julie or sign up for the Mailing List by following the link to your left.
Reading List and Schedule
Spring 2008 (download MS Word)
Moderators will choose their own readings or chapters. We will meet 6 times; every other Wednesday evening from 7-9 PM.
| Date | Topic/book | Moderator | Host |
| Feb 13 | History of World Agriculture: From the Neolithic Age to the Current Crisis - Marcel Mazoyer and Laurence Roudart |
Jamie Rhoads | Krista Isaacs |
| Feb 27 | In Defense of Food |
Matt Cogger | Violet Stone |
| March 12 | Everything I want to do is Illegal |
Violet Stone | Charles Hyland |
| March 26 | Farm Bill update (reading to be announced); hopefully a discussion with a local dairy farmer. |
Meagan O’Rourke | Jennifer Gardner |
| April 9 | Remaking the North American Food System - Clare Hinrichs and Thomas Lyson |
Jennifer Gardner | Julie Major |
| April 23 | Plowshares and Pork Barrels: The Political Economy of Agriculture (next chapter: government spending on agricultural research) |
Michael Wunsch | Megan O’Rourke |
| May 7 | Hungry Planet – what the world eats – Peter Menzel; presented as a slide presentation and potluck |
Allison Jack and Julie Grossman | Carriage House? (to be confirmed…) |
To register for 1 credit sign up for CSS 693, Section 3, Course ID: 620-901
- Kleinman, D. L. (2003) "Impure Cultures: University Biology and the World of Commerce" Science and Technology in Society, Kleinman, D.L. & Handelsman, J. eds. University of Wisconsin Press: Madison
- Facilitator: Allison
- Mazoyer, M. & Roudart, L. (2006) "A History of World Agriculture: From the Neolithic Age to the Current Crisis." Earthscan, James & James: 480 pp.
- Facilitator: Charles
- McNeely, J. & Scherr, S. (2002) " Ecoagriculture: Strategies to Feed the World and Save Wild Biodiversity" Island Press: Washington D.C. 286 pp.
- Learning and Knowledge in Sustainable Agriculture
- Facilitator: Ryan G.
- Salatin, J.F. (1998) " You Can Farm: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Start & Succeed in a Farming Enterprise " Polyface: Swoope , VA 480 pp.
- Jackson, D. & Jackson, L. (2002) "The Farm as Natural Habitat: Reconnecting Food Systems with Ecosystems" Island Press: Washington D.C. 250 pp.
- Facilitator: Jan
Examples of books we read
| Sustainable Agriculture in Resistance | Transforming Food Production in Cuba |
| Breakfast of Biodiversity | The Truth About Rainforest Destruction |
| Fast Food Nation | The Dark Side of the All-American Meal |
| World Hunger | Twelve Myths |
| Paradox of Plenty | Hunger in a Bountiful World |
| The Farm As Natural Habitat | Reconnecting Food Systems With Ecosystem |
| Roots of Rebellion | Land and Hunger in Central America |
| Fatal Harvest | The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture |
Master List of NWAEG Readings 2004-2007
Please contact NWAEG secretary for hard copies or pdfs of these readings.
Alinsky, S. (1971) Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals. NY: Random House.
Avery, D.T. (1997) Saving nature's legacy through better farming. Issues in Science and Technology, 14(1): p. 59-64. [weblink]
Becker, G.S. (2002) Farm Commodity Programs: A Short Primer. [PDF]
Bell , M.M. (2004) Farming for Us All: Practical Agriculture and the Cultivation of Sustainability. University Park, PA: Penn State Press. 296 pp.
Berry , W. (1977) The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture: Avon Books. 228 pp.
Berry , W. (1993) The problem of tobacco, in Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community: Eight Essays Pantheon: New York.
Berry, W. (2005) Local knowledge in the age of information. The Hudson Review, 58(3).
Biernbaum, J.A., L. Thorp, and M. Ngouajio (2006) Development of a year-round student organic farm and organic farming curriculum at Michigan State University. HortTechnology, 16(3): p. 432-436.
Boucher, D.H., ed. (1999) The paradox of plenty: hunger in a bountiful world. 1999, Food First Books: Oakland, CA. 342 pp.
Campbell , T.C. and T.M. Campbell (2005) The China Study: The most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted and the startling implications for diet, weight loss and long term health. Dallas, TX: Benbella Books.
Carey, E., K. Kelly, M. Hendrickson, D. Nagengast, J. Quinn, C. Volland, and L. Kumar (2006) The growing growers training program: An apprenticeship program for market gardeners serving Kansas City. HortTechnology, 16(3): p. 439-443.
Center for Rural Affairs. (2006) 2007 Farm Bill White Papers. [Accessed; February 25, 2007] [weblink]
Community Food Security Coalition (2002) Farm Bill Conference Summary. [Accessed; February 25, 2007] [PDF]
Congress (2002) Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002.
Congress (2004) Review Iraqi Agriculture: from Oil for Food to the Future of Iraqi Production, Agriculture and Trade.
Cooley, D. and B. Coli (2005) Bringing Scholarship to the Orchard: Integrated pest management in Massachusetts, in Engaging Campus and Community: The Practice of Public Scholarship in the State and Land-Grant University System, S. Peters, et al., Editors. Kettering Foundation Press: Dayton, OH. p. 157-196.
Delate, K. (2006) Incorporating organic and agroecological approaches into university curricula: The Iowa State University graduate program in sustainable agriculture. HortTechnology, 16(3): p. 445-448.
Diamond, J.M. (2005) Collapse: How societies choose to fail or succeed. New York: Viking. 575 pp.
Ferguson , J.J., E. Lamb, and M. Swisher (2006) Developming an interdisciplinary organic and sustainable agriculture curriculum at the University of Florida. HortTechnology, 16(3): p. 436-438.
Funes, F., L. Garcia, M. Bourque, N. Perez, and P. Rosset, eds. (2003) Sustainable Agriculture and Resistance: Transforming Food Production in Cuba. 2003, Food First: Oakland, CA. 400 pp.
Hendersen, E. (2006) Farm Bill Priorities for the Northeast Organic Farming Association. Organic Farms, Folks & Food, Mid Spring 2006.
Howard, A. (1947) Soil and Health: A Study of Organic Agriculture. New York: The Devin-Adair Company.
Jackson, D. and L. Jackson (2002) The Farm as Natural Habitat: Reconnecting Food Systems with Ecosystems. Washington D.C.: Island Press. 250 pp.
Kimbrell, A. (2002) The Fatal Harvest Reader: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture. Washington D. C.: Island Press. 369 pp.
Kleinman, D.L., ed. (2003) Impure Cultures: University Biology and the World of Commerce. Science and Technology in Society, ed. D.L. Kleinman and J. Handelsman. 2003, University of Wisconsin Press: Madison, WI.
Kolbert, E. (2005) The Climate of Man I. The New Yorker, 81(10): p. 52.
Kolbert, E. (2005) The Climate of Man - II. The New Yorker, 81(11): p. 64.
Kolbert, E. (2005) The Climate of Man - III. The New Yorker, 81(12): p. 52.
Lappe, F.M., ed. (1998) World Hunger: Twelve Myths. 1998, Grove Press. 270 pp.
Lodgsdon, G. (2000) The failure of agricultural education, in Living at Nature's Pace: Farming and the American Dream. Chelsea Green: White River Jct., VT. p. 250.
Lundgren, B., J. Biergiel, M. Donovan, C. Lee, and K. Merrigan (2006) The Conservation Security Program: Rewards and challenges for New England Farmers. [PDF]
Lyson, T.A. (2004) Civic Agriculture: Reconnecting Farm, Food and Community: Tufts University Press University Press of New England. 160 pp.
Madison, D. and P.B. Arenas (2005) Grace Before Dinner. Orion Magazine, March/April.
Mander, T. (2000) Views From the South: The Effects of Globalization and the WTO on Third World Countries. Oakland, CA: Food First Books. 195 pp.
Manning, R. (2000) Foods Frontier: The Next Green Revolution. New York: North Point Press. 225 pp.
Markhart, A.H. (2006) Organic educational opportunities at the University of Minnesota: The role of a student-run organic farm. HortTechnology, 16(3): p. 443-445.
Mazoyer, M. and L. Roudart (2006) A History of World Agriculture: From the Neolithic Age to the Current Crisis: Earthscan, James&James. 480 pp.
McKibben, B. (2005) The Grand Experiment: Living off the land during a long Vermont winter requires patience, planning, and a little help from your friends. Gourmet Magazine. [weblink]
McNeely, J. and S. Scherr (2002) Ecoagriculture: Strategies to Feed the World and Save Wild Biodiversity. Washington D.C.: Island Press. 286 pp.
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2007) Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. [Accessed; February 25, 2007]; [weblink]
Minnick, R.F. (2005) Seeds of Hope. Prarie Grains, (66). [weblink]
Mittal, A. (2002) Giving away the Farm: The 2002 Farm Bill. Food First Institute for Food and Development Policy, 8(3). [PDF]
Mooney, H., A. Cropper, and W. Reid (2005) Confronting the human dilemma: How can ecosystems provide sustainable services to benefit society? Nature, 434: p. 561-562.
Nabhan, G.P. (2002) Coming Home to Eat: the pleasures and politics of local foods. New York: Norton. 330 pp.
Ngouajio, M., K. Delate, E. Carey, A.N. Azarenko, J.J. Ferguson, and W.J. Sciarappa (2006) Curriculum development for organic horticulture: Introduction. HortTechnology, 16(3): p. 414-417.
North, K. (2006) Notes on sustainability of pyrolization of biomass for fuel and fertilizer production.
Orr, D.W. (2004) The corruption (and redemption) of science. Conservation Biology, 18(4): p. 862-865.
Orr, D.W. (2005) Armageddon Versus Extinction. Conservation Biology, 19(2): p. 290-292.
Parr, D.M. and M. Van Horn (2006) Development of organic and sustainable agriculture education at the University of California, Davis: a closer look at practice and theory. HortTechnology, 16(3): p. 426-431.
Patzek, T.W. and D. Pimentel (2005) Thermodynamics of Energy Production from Biomass. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 24: p. 327-364.
Pollan, M. (1991) Second Nature: A Gardener's Education. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press.
Pollan, M. (2006) The Omnivore's Dillemna: A Natural History of Four Meals. New York: Penguin Press. 450.
Salatin, J.F. (1998) You Can Farm: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Start & Succeed in a Farming Enterprise. Swoope, VA: Polyface. 480 pp.
Schlosser, E. (1995) In the Strawberry Fields. Atlantic Monthly, 276(5): p. 80-108.
Schlosser, E. (2001) Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. New York: Houghton Mifflin. 357 pp.
Schroeder, M.S., N.G. Creamer, H.M. Linker, J.P. Mueller, and P. Rzewnicki (2006) Interdisciplinary and multilevel approach to organic and sustainable agriculture education at North Carolina State University. HortTechnology, 16(3): p. 418-426.
Severson, K. (2006) Greenmarket at 30, Searching for itself, in The New York Times: New York.
Shiva, V. (2000) Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply. Cambridge, MA: South End Press. 146 pp.
Singer, P. and J. Mason (2005) The Way We Eat: Why our food choices matter. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press. 328 pp.
Smith, J. (2005) Order 81. The Ecologist, 35(1): p. 40-44.
Stokstad, E. (2005) Taking the pulse of earth's life support systems. Science, 308: p. 41-43.
The Weekend Farmer Company (2006) The Farming Game. [Accessed; February 25, 2007] [weblink]
Thompson, C. (2006) Farm Scene: Ethanol plants to open new market to growers, in Associated Press State and Local Wire.
Thompson, C.D. and M.F. Wiggins, eds. (2002) The Human Cost of Food: Farmworkers Lives, Labor and Advocacy. 2002, University of Texas Press: Austin, TX. 357 pp.
Trust, A.F. (2006) Healthy Farms, Healthy Food, Healthy People: AFT's Farm Policy Campaign.
UN (2000) Bioenergy Primer: Modernised Biomass Energy for Sustainable Development. [Accessed; February 25, 2007] [weblink]
USDA 2007 USDA Farm Bill Proposals. [Accessed; February 25, 2007] [weblink]
Vandermeer, J. and I. Perfecto (1995) Breakfast of Biodiversity: The Truth About Rainforest Destruction. Oakland, CA: Food First. 184 pp.
Wolford, W. (2005) Agrarian moral economies and neoliberalism in Brazil: competing worldviews and the state in the struggle for land. Environment and Planning A, 37: p. 241-261.
Wright, A. and W. Wolford (2003) To inherit the earth: the landless movement and the struggle for a new Brazil. Oakland, CA: Food First Books. 368 pp.
Zimdahl, R.L. (2003) The mission of land grant colleges of agriculture. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture, 18(2): p. 103-115.