Summary of ‘Hope’s Edge’ by Frances Moore Lappe
In 2000, Frances Moore Lappe and her daughter Anna Lappe made a pilgrimage to five continents. They were looking for models of community development that did not depend on multinational corporations. They challenge the myth of global food shortages and the strategies of multinationals to dominate agribusiness.
Agribusiness promotes the use of hybrid seeds, chemical fertilizers and herbicides in third world countries, as well as in developed countries such as the United States. The results are devastating, farmers commit suicide as their debt increases, and there are other unforeseen outcomes.
Who would have guessed that agribusiness expansion plans would cause globalization and the consolidation of our food system? Or an alarming loss of plant diversity? Or the continuing agricultural crises? Or the disappearance of water and soil resources? Or the genetic modification of our food crops, including soybeans and corn?
In India, the Lappe met Vandana Shiva, who inspired the Nine Seed Movement called ‘Navadanya’. Farmers are encouraged to regain their traditional agriculture by saving and sharing seeds. Thousands of farmers have been helped.
In Bangladesh, thousands of women use microcredit to start businesses and lift them out of poverty.
In Brazil, the Landless Workers Movement (MST) has seized uncultivated lands to cultivate them. More than 250,000 families participate. The infant mortality rate has been cut in half. They practice sustainable agriculture rather than turning to agribusiness to get started.
In Kenya, poor villages are creating their own tree nurseries. The Greenbelt Movement has planted 21 million trees to replace deforested areas that loggers have stripped.
In Berkeley, California, children are learning how to grow organic and cook natural foods at their public high school.
Communities in the US are turning to community gardens to grow their own organic food. In various localities, small farms are forming cooperatives and growing organic vegetables and fruits. They sell their produce at farmers markets.
In their book, each chapter includes delicious recipes from the country they are talking about. The last section, ‘Coming to Our Senses’, the Lappes include over 50 gourmet recipes from top chefs and cookbook authors.
The Lappes encourages us to think broadly and look at whole systems of people and cultures. In ‘Hope’s Edge’ they report on inspiring examples of micro-efforts to make a difference in the health of the planet and the local economy. They challenge the myth of global food shortages and the strategies of multinationals to dominate agribusiness. They give us recipes that reflect the cultures of the five continents they visit and delight us with gourmet recipes from the best chefs and cookbook authors. Come join the revolution of our little planet.