Handbook of the International Political Economy of Agriculture and Food

Handbooks of Research on International Political Economy series

Edited by Alessandro Bonanno, Sam Houston State University and Lawrence Busch, Michigan State University, US

This book tackles the central question of the political and structural changes and characteristics that govern agriculture and food. Original contributions explore this highly globalized economic sector by analyzing salient geographical regions and substantive topics. Along with chapters that investigate agri-food in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Oceania, the book includes contributions that cover topics such as labor, science and technology, the financialization of agri-food, and supermarkets.

‘The Handbook will leave readers feeling more confident in their understanding of the political economy of global agri-food systems, and of neoliberalism in particular – a worthy objective for a subject that intimidates many.’
– Agriculture and Human Values

‘This Handbook makes an important contribution to agrifood studies. Departing from more generalized analyses of globalization and neo-liberalism we are presented with a rich range of country level and thematic studies by highly respected authors. In this way, common trends are subjected to the detailed scrutiny of individual Nation States both in the North and the South, unwrapping the heterogeneous forces at work in each. The thematic section in its focus on key issues and actors similarly exposes the complex tendencies often hidden by more generalized accounts of the global agrifood system. Political economy at its best!’
– John Wilkinson, Graduate Center for Development, Agriculture and Society, Rural Federal University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil