Field Guide to California Agriculture: Volume 98 (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780520265431)

Anyone who travels California's byways sees the many faces of agriculture. A huge entwined business, farming and ranching are the state's dominant land use. Yet few Californians understand what animals and crops are raised or how agriculture reflects our relationship with nature. This fascinating and gorgeously illustrated field guide gathers essential information about agriculture and its environmental context, and answers the perennial question posed by California travelers: "What is that, and why is it growing here?" Paul F. Starrs's lively text explores the full range of the state's agriculture, deftly balancing agribusiness triumphalism with the pride of boutique producers, sketching meanwhile the darker shadows that can envelop California farming. Documented with diverse maps and Peter Goin's insightful photographs, A Field Guide to California Agriculture captures the industry's energy and ingenuity and its wildly diverse iconography, from the mysteries of forbidden crops (like marijuana) to the majesties of scale in food production.

Author: Paul Starrs, Peter Goin
ISBN-10: 0520265432
ISBN-13: 9780520265431
Publisher: University of California Press
Language: English
Published: 07/06/2010
Pages: 504
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.56lbs
Size: 7.28h x 4.52w x 1.30d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 01/01/2011