The Broken Promise of Agricultural Progresss

Australia is a country of extremes: it can be extremely hot and
dry but also wet and prone to very big floods and its soils are
poor and thin. Regardless of these extremes farmers have carved
out livelihoods in his hostile environment. It is the story of
how Australian farmers have tried to grow food and cotton, and
conserve the environment, with all the environmental ignorance,
the violence and courage that marked this endeavour. A new book
entitled The Broken Promise of Agricultural Progress. An
Environmental History journeys to the inland plains of Australia
and tells the story of how the arrival of modern agriculture
promised ecological and social stability but instead descended
into dysfunction. This episode of the podcast features Cameron
Muir, a researcher at the Australian National University and
author of The Broken Promise of Agricultural Progress. This
fascinating book brings together the fields of environmental,
cultural and agricultural history as well as political history.
It is a true tour de force that starts in regional Australia but
also touches on the global food system.


Music credits: Over and Outback by Martijn de Boer (NiGiD),
River by Jeris, 2013/B by unreal_dm. All available from
ccMixter.org