From Small to Large: America’s farmland shift

The societal shift from small to large farming in the United States is undeniable.  As the 20th Century marched forward so did the mass-production methods of agribusiness and the destruction of the small family farm.  When the majority of all farm land and water rights in the most productive regions of the nation are held by a small oligarchy of agribusinesses, there is literally no room for the small farms and common lands that were once mainstays of the American food system.  Evaggelos Vallianatos is a scholar and author of several books, including , “Poison Spring: The Secret History of Pollution and the EPA” (with McKay Jenkins) with a keen eye to the context of this problem.  He draws from history and migrations in America’s past as well as thought leaders in the new food movement in his blog post, “Civilization Shift” for the Huffington Post.  His perspective on the problem and his study of the statistics of the change gives life to a problem hallmarked by government subsidies.