This book, aimed at undergraduate students, gives an overview of how power dynamics, such as those linked to inequality and colonialism, affect global food systems and what we eat.

This report from the Landworkers' Alliance sets out how the UK government can help new farmers enter the agroecology sector. Based on a set of interviews with new entrants to the sector, it sets out current barriers to entry, including difficulties in accessing land, housing, capital, training, markets and industry connections as well as negative perceptions of farming jobs.

This book critiques three approaches to agriculture: Malthusian (expansion of agriculture), industrialisation (dependent on external inputs), and intensification (based on labour). It argues that the world can be fed with an alternative to industrial agriculture, which tends to be overlooked.

This report from the International Labour Organization and the Inter-American Development Bank examines the implications of net zero emissions policies for employment patterns in Latin America and the Caribbean. TABLE readers may be particularly interested in the report’s comments on jobs in agriculture and plant-based food production, as well as the impacts of dietary change.

This report from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future reviews the literature on the working conditions, social contexts and public health threats experienced by farmworkers and their communities in the US. 

This paper, co-authored by Table member Prof Ken Giller, investigates how herbicide use impacts casual labour patterns on farms in Central Malawi. It finds that while herbicides can be beneficial for the households using them, herbicide use can replace some casual labour. This results in many households going hungry as they cannot find work. The study is based on a survey of 275 households as well as consultation with village leaders. 

This study sets out the economic and social threats and opportunities that alternative meat products (i.e. plant-based meat replacements and cellular agriculture) pose to rural producers in the United States. It is based on interviews with 37 stakeholders, including researchers, farmers, non-profits, funding agencies, government agencies, and representatives from the cultured meat, plant-based meat, beef, soy and pea sectors.

This book examines the social and cultural aspects of the concept of a “good farmer”. It discusses the origins of the concept, symbolism, morality, gender issues and future challenges.

The average number of days that US farm workers spend working in dangerously hot conditions could double by mid-century and triple by the end of the century, according to this paper. Workplace adaptations such as longer rest breaks, working more slowly, switching to single-layer clothing and having cooled rest areas could tackle this problem, but would negatively affect farm productivity, worker earnings and labour costs.