Perilous Bounty

Centralized, uber-efficient, industrialized agriculture is often presented as necessary to “feed the world.” In his new book, Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It, veteran food, agriculture, and climate journalist Tom Philpott argues the opposite: that “industrial agriculture, as currently practiced, threatens the food security of everyone who now relies on it for sustenance.” In this episode, he talks to host Lisa Held about his reporting on the US’ resource-consuming systems—from a water crisis in California’s Central Valley to soil loss in the Midwest’s corn and soy fields—and what more resilient systems might look like.