Lockie, Stewart (2001) Book Review: "The Living Land: agriculture, food and community regeneration in rural Europe" by J. Pretty. London, Earthscan, 1998. ISBN: 1-85383-516-1. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 14 (1). pp. 105-108.

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Abstract

[Extract] In The Living Land, Jules Pretty offers an argument that most readers of this journal will already accept; namely, that social and natural capital are the bedrock of economic prosperity, meaning, of course, that only technologies, practices, and processes that build social and natural capital provide the basis for a bigger and better economic pie and for more jobs and services. What sets Pretty's contribution apart is the mass of data and examples he assembles to make this argument accessible and compelling to those who are either unfamiliar with it or skeptical of its veracity. The principle conceptual tool here is that of the "sustainability dividend;" a measure of the benefits that accrue in economic terms as a result of putting people and environments first. While reducing the concept of sustainability to an economic measure will be anathema to some, Pretty uses it to convincingly argue that when the full costs of modern agriculture are taken into account, and stacked up against more ecologically and socially sustainable alternatives, the economic rationality of high input industrialized agriculture becomes more and more questionable.

Item ID:	34882
Item Type:	Article (Book Review)
ISSN:	1573-322X
Date Deposited:	24 Jan 2017 00:09
FoR Codes:	16 STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY > 1608 Sociology > 160801 Applied Sociology, Program Evaluation and Social Impact Assessment @ 50% 16 STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY > 1608 Sociology > 160804 Rural Sociology @ 50%
SEO Codes:	96 ENVIRONMENT > 9607 Environmental Policy, Legislation and Standards > 960705 Rural Land Policy @ 20% 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9605 Ecosystem Assessment and Management > 960504 Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Farmland, Arable Cropland and Permanent Cropland Environments @ 80%
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