Food Policy for Developing Countries

by Per Pinstrup-Andersen and Derrill D. Watson II

Despite technological advances in agriculture, nearly a billion people around the world still suffer from hunger and poor nutrition while a billion are overweight or obese. This imbalance highlights the need not only to focus on food production but also to implement successful food policies.In this new textbook intended to be used with the three volumes of Case Studies in Food Policy for Developing Countries (also from Cornell), the 2001 World Food Prize laureate Per Pinstrup-Andersen and his colleague Derrill D. Watson II analyze international food policies and discuss how such policies can and must address the many complex challenges that lie ahead in view of continued poverty, globalization, climate change, food price volatility, natural resource degradation, demographic and dietary transitions, and increasing interests in local and organic food production.Food Policy for Developing Countries offers a "social entrepreneurship" approach to food policy analysis. Calling on a wide variety of disciplines including economics, nutrition, sociology, anthropology, environmental science, medicine, and geography, the authors show how all elements in the food system function together.

Genres: Food

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's difficult to write a review of a textbook that's not just, "yes this book did teach me what I wanted to learn," or, "no, this book did not teach me what I wanted to learn."

That being said: yes, this book did teach me what I wanted to learn. It's an excellent overview of the global food system with a focus on agricultural development and food security. I would recommend that anyone working in or interested in international development in the food/nutrition security space read this book. I would also advise future readers to keep in mind that this book comes from a very "status quo" perspective of neoliberal capitalist economics that is hardly every critiqued. So take that with a grain of salt.

[Tinea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teach yourself food policy in one textbook! Excellent, if dense, review of global food systems, agricultural trade, malnutrition, and food policy debate. The book assumes a certain level of economics background but I think it teaches a lot of econ, too, so it might be a useful way to learn applied economics. This is a "dominant paradigm" kind of book, even if Pinstrup-Andersen is critical and incredibly knowledgeable. Take it with its limits and seek out additional perspectives.