Abstract
This research paper sets the groundwork for an explanation of the global
food system using complexity science as the theoretical framework to recount
the story of the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), its origin (Solanum
pimpinellifolium), its role in popular culture how the tomato enters and
exits the global food system and our digestive systems. By arguing in defense
of the right of every person to eat a healthy tomato this study focuses upon
the benefits and risks of herbicides, specifically N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine. I approach solutions from an
environmental justice standpoint. I focus on the role of access to
information as a leverage point. Methodologically, a detailed media survey led
to the creation of a database that produced a timeline. Critical analysis of
this timeline, actors and institutions allowed for focus on specific
touchstones by which to ground my account. A review of the literature including
environmental novels frames this timeline starting in the mid-to late 1800’s,
through the age of industrialization incorporating the aftermath of
Breton-Woods to 1971, Nixon, the Club of Rome, the year of my birth and Neil
Armstrong walking on the moon. The next pivotal time is my coming of age
working as an agent for CIDA in the rain forest of Guyana, The Rio Summit, and
my reading of the Brundtland Commission Report, “Our Common Future” in
1992. This brings us to the present day
of 2016 where the world's agriculture, chemical, and pesticide and
pharmaceutical companies can be counted on one hand plus a finger. 2050 is a touchstone for a future that is
just around the corner in historical scale. Influential authors and thinkers
include Swift, Malthus, Thoreau, Geisel, Georgescu-Roegen, Carson, Meadows,
Holling, Daly, Brundtland, and Atwood taking us into possible futures. This
paper’s interest in neo-liberalism is rooted in deep-satire. This paper is
completed with the philosophy of Plato allowing for further exploration of
theories of Justice and Human Rights as they relate to everyone’s access to
fresh healthy food.
Keywords:
Agriculture,
Analysis, Complexity, Climate Change, Ecology, Food, Family
Solanum, Glyphosate, Justice, Policy, Sustainability, Systems
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