Will the Bounty End?: The Uncertain Future of Canada's Food Supply

Ron Goldsmith is a professor of Geography at the Ryerson Polytechnical
Institute.

Will the Bounty End? is an extremely ambitious and remarkably effective examination of the most sensitive facets of Canada’s agricultural system. Its author, well-known journalist Garry Fairbairn, has synthesized a vast amount of current scientific research and a plenitude of personal views, and has succeeded in presenting this synthesis in a manner which should bring agricultural issues much more to the forefront of public attention. Plaudits are also due to the Agricultural Institute of Canada, sponsors of the study, for acting upon the realization that an in-depth, balanced assessment of this sadly underemphasized set of issues has been long overdue.

The book consists of eight rather short chapters, each of which is replete with pertinent and often startling information. Individual chapters deal with erosion, soil quality, chemical use and abuse, the present and future role of agriculture in Canada’s economy, and other topics. With few exceptions, these assessments convey a sense that changes are urgently needed, but also convey a clear understanding of why these changes are often so difficult to initiate. Particularly impressive are Fairbairn’s analyses of the degradation of soil quality (chapter 3) and the loss of farmland to other activities (chapter 5).

Much could be said about individual sections of Will the Bounty End?; indeed, each chapter contains a wealth of provocative ideas, facts and figures, and quotable statements which should make a reviewer’s task almost unconscionably easy. In this case, however, to concentrate on detail would detract from the most profound strength of the book, which lies in its overall approach and tone. While a considerable amount has recently been said and written for public consumption on the subject of Canadian agriculture, it has generally been too fragmented and specialized to have a broad impact. Furthermore, it has sometimes originated from special interests who either naively romanticize the profession of farming or cynically attack it on the basis of misinterpreted consumer price indices. Fairbairn’s real accomplishment in this book is his presentation of a realistic, hard-hitting and comprehensive analysis of the issues in a manner which is sympathetic to, but not uncritical of, the farming community and the agricultural industry.

Will the Bounty End? should be made accessible to the widest possible audience. It can provide important insights for agriculturalists, but equally important is its potential to contribute to a much more informed and intense public response to this critical aspect of Canadian life. Its style, while sometimes ponderous, is generally well suited to both academic and general audiences. I strongly recommend this book to anyone with even the remotest interest in agriculture, conservation, or the economy; it is difficult, in fact, to imagine a serious reader who would not find it worthwhile and thought-provoking.