Description
Now in a thoroughly revised and updated edition, Tangled Routes offers a vivid interdisciplinary examination of the global food system through the journey of a corporate tomato. Through case studies in the three NAFTA countries—Mexico, the United States, and Canada—Deborah Barndt examines the dynamic relationships between production and consumption, work and technology, biodiversity and cultural diversity, and health and environment. The compelling stories of women workers along the tomato trail humanize her analysis of globalization, taking into account the intersections of gender, race, class, family status, and north-south relations.
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Building on the tradition of global commodity chain analysis developed by Gary Gereffi and others, Barndt (environmental studies, York U., Canada) considers the journey of the corporate tomato across the three NAFTA countries for what it can reveal about the global food system and the shifting role of women working within it. She examines three major stages for the tomato: the production of tomatoes in Mexico; their transport, trade, and distribution into the United States and Canada; and their commercialization and consumption in Canada. She also offers comparative discussion of alternative local production and consumption of the "tomatl" (from the Aztec). She offers case studies of McDonalds, the Canadian chain Loblaws Supermarkets, truckers, and agricultural migrant workers. She compares the experiences of women workers along these stops in the tomato chain and discusses resistance to the form of globalization represented by the travels of the corporate tomato. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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