This is a close study of the ways in which the capitalist mode of production and distribution contributes to the massive inequalities and injustices in the world today, focusing on the problems of food supply and entitlements. The author, a professor of agrarian political economy at the Trent University, Canada, explains how the operation of the global food system marginalizes family and small-scale peasant farmers and perpetuates a global subsistence crisis. Beginning with a simple statement of the facts: numbers that express the dimensions of the crisis, in which hunger and uncertainty are the norm for over 2 billion people--and obesity and its attendant problems are the norm for a half a billion--it goes on to look at several crucial case studies, showing how family and small-scale farmers are compelled to make decisions that go against their interest. The story of how this state of affairs was engineered in the developing countries follows, with some fascinating observations on the counterintuitive role that the Green Revolution played in this process. A brief history of resistance and peasant rebellions of the twentieth century is included. The role of transnational capital in deepening the crisis is pointed out, and a series of propositions are set forth in the final chapter, attempting to provide possible solutions to the injustice and inequity that permeate modern food distribution systems. A necessary book for anyone concerned with the possible futures of the human civilization. Kumarian Press is an imprint of Stylus Publishing. Annotation ©2014 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)