ABSTRACT
As noted in the Preface to this book, my aim here is to explore three theses. The first is that modern agricultural production – particularly the form of grain production that predominates in today’s world – has become both a marvel and a menace, and that its menacing characteristics are now so unsustainable as to present an existential threat to the human species. The second thesis is that an alternative system of food production – replacing the system that now supplies nearly two-thirds of all human caloric intake – is possible through advanced crop science and ecological research. The third thesis is that this alternative system of food production is also possible as a legal matter; that is, changes in law can be made, based on precedents in our recent past, which will facilitate a transition from the current system to a new system of grain production that will bring a range of benefits.
