ABSTRACT
Most shocking in the modern world is the contrast between what could be and what is. Biologically speaking, the human species should be near the beginning of its evolutionary run. Tsunamis and volcanoes happen, and asteroids are a constant threat, but the long history of the world suggests that with average luck our species should last for another million years. The world's economies have not recovered from the collapse of the banks in 2008 - and, more to the point, it is clear to everyone who does not have a serious vested interest in the status quo that the prevailing, neoliberal economy, taking its lead from the "deregulated", maximally competitive global market, just will not do. Agriculture is at the heart of all setbacks - affected directly by all of them, and a significant cause of most of them. Farming has to be productive of course, but it also has to be both sustainable and resilient.
