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Never Out of Season
Book

Never Out of Season

How Having the Food We Want When We Want It Threatens Our Food Supply and Our Future

Rob Dunn
Little, Brown US, 2017

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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Eye Opening
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

At one time, people ate only food that was local and in season, but not anymore. Food diversity has declined. Food is now homogenized. Professor Rob Dunn examines how dependence on single species of crops threatens human survival. He writes of the Irish potato famine, “chocolate terrorism,” a desperate race to save seeds for future generations, and more. Scientists have discovered more than 300,000 plant species, but “80% of the calories” people eat come from just a dozen species. Dunn warns that pathogens, pests, wars and famine can obliterate a society’s food supply. He explains that it’s urgent for qualified scientists and farmers to study and breed different varieties of crops. getAbstract recommends his report to consumers, food industry professionals, farmers, scientists and investors.

Take-Aways

  • People once ate only food that was fresh, local and in season, but not anymore.
  • The global spread of agriculture has led to shortages of different crops and a decrease in food diversity.
  • Many areas derive most of their sustenance from a single crop: corn in North America, rice in China, cassava (also called yuca or manioc) in the Congo basin, and the like.

About the Author

Rob Dunn, a professor in the Department of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University and at the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate at the Danish Natural History Museum, also wrote The Man Who Touched His Own Heart and The Wild Life of Our Bodies.

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