The world food problem -- Mexico's way out -- A continent of peasants -- We shall release the waters -- A very big, very poor country -- Parable of seeds -- You can't eat steel -- The meaning of famine -- The conquest of hunger -- Present at the recreation

"Global Networks and New Histories Rice today is food to half the world's population. Its history is inextricably entangled with the emergence of colonialism, the global networks of industrial capitalism, and the modern world economy. The history of rice is currently a vital and innovative field...

The average cost of producing a hundred pounds (cwt) of rice was $6.00 for U.S. producers surveyed in 2000, ranging from about $2 per cwt to more than $10. Producers in the lowest quartile of production costs averaged $3.99 per cwt compared with $8.94 for producers in the highest quartile....