Message-ID: <3572FD2E.259D@hct.ac.ae> Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998 15:12:46 -0400 From: Tom Pawlick <mailto:tpawlick@hct.ac.ae> Subject: The Invisible Farm To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
Several list members have e-mailed to say they'd like further information on the book mentioned in my previous query. Accordingly, the title is:The Invisible Farm: the worldwide decline of farm news and agricultural journalism training (ISBN 1-58112-022-2)
The book is the result of 2.5 years of research conducted at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, and at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. My purpose in writing was to alert agriculturalists and journalists alike to the fact that one of the most important subjects in human life--how we get our food--is being all but ignored by the major media, and neglected in our journalism schools. As a result of the failure of mainstream media to cover the subject, most urban consumers haven't a clue how a modern North American or European farm functions, or the conditions farmers in the Third World face when competing against them. Consequently, voters can't make informed decisions on farm policy when they go to the ballot box. The book is divided into two sections. The first, aimed at urban newspeople who may have no farm background, gives a rundown of the key social, economic and environmental issues in modern agriculture. The second reviews the history of agricultural development and of farm journalism in North America (representative of the industrialized countries), the former states of the Soviet Union (representing the East) and sub-Saharan Africa (representative of the Third World). In all three regions, the quantity and quality of farm coverage has declined sharply, in some cases to the point of extinction, at a time when major changes are occurring in the industry. The easiest way to find the book is to access Amazon Books (Amazon.com) on the Internet, then use Amazon.com's homepage search engine to locate the title "The Invisible Farm" I'd be interested in hearing comments about the thesis, as well as suggestions for futher research.