Landrush

Agriculture drives climate change, extinction, erosion and water depletion. It uses about 40 percent of all land on earth and more than 70 percent of all freshwater. Due to over-exploitation of the soil and climate change, desertification is one of the greatest threats to life on earth. F. Huber and U. Martin have been documenting the social and environmental consequences of global agriculture since 2007. In a slow journalism approach they build close relationships with farmers, ranchers and fishermen, and interview policy makers, activists and scientists. The book is divided in three big parts with 350 extraordinary, touching photos: White Gold (2007-2012) examines the social and ecological effects of global cotton production. LandRush (2011-ongoing) analyses the impact of large-scale agro-investments on rural economies and land rights, the boom of renewable fuels, the reallocation of land, and the future of agriculture around the world. Dry West (2014-ongoing) documents the hydrological society and human-shaped landscapes of the American West, where rivers run in concrete beds, across mountains and deserts and up towards money. Contents: Introduction, Texas Blues, Killing Seeds, Burkina Dreams, Dying Sea, The Road, The Farm, Familiy Affairs, Full Circle, California Drought, American Nile, Dustbowl Riviera.