ABSTRACT
I begin with a review of agricultural practices that have become conventional over the last century. These practices harm the environment and contribute to the depletion of irreplaceable natural resources by eroding the potential for growing food in the future. The chapter then shifts to other connections between food and quality of life, including limited access to full-service supermarkets, the aesthetics of fastfood dining, and the increased occurrence of obesity. These rising obesity rates have raised the specter of a shortened American life expectancy, an outcome that makes for a dramatic reduction in the nation’s living standard. I also address the concern of achieving global food security in light of projections that the world population will grow to 9 billion people by midcentury. The final sections provide an economic analysis of the issues raised in this chapter and recommend several policies that have already been demonstrated to be effective.
