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THE PAKISTAN DEVELOPMENT REVIEW 

Paul Roberts (ed). The End of Food. New York: Mariner Books Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Bosten. 2009. xv+330 pages. (Price not given).

Author: Lubna Naz

The modern food economy has evolved over time. The calorie dense food (meat) has taken the place of plants and a technologically driven agriculture system has replaced the traditional food system. Several factors such as industrial revolution, opening of trade, end of communism, female market participation and technological change have contributed in shaping the rules of modern food production system. The endless efforts of the scientists geared towards discoveries has led to a green revolution in the field of agriculture and have done enough to untrue the earlier predictions of mass famine by Thomas Malthus. However, all such man made progress has not done much to resolve challenges of food security, food economy liberalisation and food safety being faced by every country today. This book presents well researched answers to questions raised at every forum on global food security such as; how did the primitive food system evolve into its present shape, what has motivated less spending on food, what has promoted the idea of convenience food in retail business, what has led to technology driven revolution in agriculture output, what radical steps are needed to escape from evils of hunger and malnutrition in the present world, what provokes food producers in developed countries to rule out unfettered functioning of food trade, and finally what turns around the progress that has ever been made in agriculture.

Lubna Naz