RIGHTS SOLD
World rights: Public Affairs Books, 2011
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
PIERRE DESROCHERS is an associate professor of geography at the University of Toronto. He is the author of over 40 peer-reviewed articles on topics ranging from economic development and globalization to energy and transportation issues and is affiliated with numerous policy research centers. Pierre has always made an effort to reach a broad audience through his over 100 columns and shorter pieces and regular contributions to various media outlets. He maintains a detailed website at http://epsem.erin.utoronto.ca/desrochers His unique strength as one of the most well-known critics of the locavore movement is his knowledge of a broader set of issues than other critics who have attacked only one facet of this movement.
HIROKO SHIMIZU was trained as an economist in one of Japan’s premier universities. She holds a Master’s of Public Policy from University Osaka. She has studied and worked at several academic institutions and private companies in Canada, Japan, China and the United States. She has also travelled worldwide to over 30 countries. Based on her international experiences and observations, she describes her policy approach as “applying global common sense” to politically correct but ultimately mistaken ideas. She has been published in three languages (Japanese, English and French) in both the academic and popular literature.
A Manifesto in Praise of the 10,000-Mile Diet
by Pierre Desrochers and Hiroko Shimizu
EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT, AT BEST, LOCAVORISM IS A MARKETING FAD AND, AT WORST, A DANGEROUS DISTRACTION FROM THE TRUE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF MODERN FOOD PRODUCTION, THE RISK TO FOOD AFFORDABILITY, AND THE ECONOMIC WELFARE OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
“Eat local” has become the mantra of a new generation of food activists and has inspired many accounts of this lifestyle. Implicit in the locavore agenda is the belief that it combines healthy eating and a high standard of environmental stewardship, while delivering important economic benefits and increasing food security within local economies.
But evidence tells us that these claims are mistaken and suggests that, at best, locavorism is a marketing fad that severely distorts the environmental impacts of agricultural production. At worst, it constitutes a dangerous distraction from the true environmental impact of modern food production, the risk to food affordability, and the economic welfare of developing countries.
In The Locavore’s Dilemma, the husband-and-wife team of geographer Pierre Desrochers and economist Hiroko Shimizu offer the first book-length attack on the locavore perspective. They bring to our attention several inconvenient truths discovered and documented by engineers, economists, historians, and nutritionists -- facts that have yet to be collected under one book cover. Deliberately provocative, but based on incontrovertible evidence, The Locavore’s Dilemma challenges some well-meaning but ultimately mistaken ideas. It proves that:
- Our modern food-supply chain is a superior alternative that has evolved through constant competition and ever-more-rigorous efficiency.
- A world food chain characterized by free trade and the absence of agricultural subsidies would deliver lower prices and more variety in a manner that is both economically and environmentally more sustainable.
- There is no need to feel guilty for not joining the locavores on their crusade. Becoming intransigent globavores will not only give us the opportunity to enjoy the incredible variety that world food markets offer us, but will also to help save the planet.