The authors are Pierre Desrochers and Hiroko Shimizu (husband and wife), and the subtitle is In Praise of the 10,000 Mile Diet:
The publisher’s page summarizes it thus:
Today’s food activists think that “sustainable farming” and “eating local” are the way to solve a host of perceived problems with our modern food supply system. But after a thorough review of the evidence, Pierre Desrochers and Hiroko Shimizu have concluded that these claims are mistaken.
In The Locavore’s Dilemma they explain the history, science, and economics of food supply to reveal what locavores miss or misunderstand: the real environmental impacts of agricultural production; the drudgery of subsistence farming; and the essential role large-scale, industrial producers play in making food more available, varied, affordable, and nutritionally rich than ever before in history.
They show how eliminating agriculture subsidies and opening up international trade, not reducing food miles, is the real route to sustainability; and why eating globally, not only locally, is the way to save the planet.
I very much enjoyed reading the book, you can order a copy here. For the pointer I thank Daniel Klein.
Originally posted on Marginal Revolution – click to see comments and suggestions.
Also see:
- “The Locavore’s Dilemma: Why Pineapples Shouldn’t Be Grown in North Dakota,” by Jayson L. Lusk and F. Bailey Norwood, Library of Economics and Liberty, January 3, 2011
- “The Locavore’s Dilemma: What to do with the kale, turnips, and parsley that overwhelm your CSA bin.” By Catherine Price, Slate, March 25, 2009
- “The Locavore’s Dilemma,” by Glen Martin, Cal Alumni Association, Winter 2009
- “Comparative Advantage: The ‘Locavore’s Dilemma’,” Center for Consumer Freedom, November 16, 2011
- “Yes We Have No Bananas: A Critique of the ‘Food Miles’ Perspective,” by Pierre Desrochers and Hiroko Shimizu, Mercatus Center, Oct 24, 2008
