A precautionary tale How one small town banned pesticides, preserved its food heritage, and inspired a movement

This volume illustrates the tension between organic and chemical-based agriculture. At its best (and its worst), it is an engaging infomercial for the South Tyrol region in Italy. The subcontext is an issue of money, and whether current practice limits future options. Which is preferred as an economic model: value-added incentives for organic growers, or production-based efficiency of scale? Can the two coexist? The book suggests not, and describes how one region opted to become pesticide-free as a matter of economic and social policy. Ackerman-Leist (Green Mountain College) weaves an engaging story juxtaposing the past with current events. But he often uses unfair dichotomies to create stark contrasts between options, as though no alternatives exist. He is selective with his science. Ackerman-Leist's bias is clear, so it is unfortunate that he sets up the apple industry as a bogeyman. In contrast to his representation of the residents of Mal supporting the pesticide free zone, conventional apple farmers are both faceless and nameless. But one can't deny that he makes a compelling case for alternative approaches to agriculture that rely less on chemical control than bio-organic management and diversity. Summing Up: Recommended. With reservations. All readers. --Mark Steven Coyne, University of Kentucky

Northern Italy's South Tyrol province is at a cultural crossroads where the Swiss, Austrians, and Italians have all claimed the region's fertile slopes. The latest struggle for the area is agricultural, pitting organic farmers against Big Apple, the opposition's nickname for a cooperative of fruit growers who spray pesticides on their high-tech orchards up to 20 times per year. Due to frequent winds, Big Apple's pesticides drift into the adjacent organic fields, harming the income and reputation of farmers who pledged to be chemical-free. Thanks to its remoteness, Mals, a municipality in South Tyrol, has been out of Big Apple's reach, but the construction of industrial orchards is approaching. This is the story of Mals and its successful, preemptive campaign to ban pesticides within the township borders. With profiles of organic farmers, descriptions of traditional foods, and accounts of creative local politics, the book will appeal to those who enjoy reading encouraging stories of grassroots environmental action. A short activist's primer is included.--Roche, Rick Copyright 2017 Booklist

In this down-to-earth volume on the effects of pesticides, Ackerman-Leist (Rebuilding the Foodshed), a farmer and professor at Green Mountain College, chronicles the agricultural battles waged in Mals, a town in the Italian Alps filling fast with apple orchards. Residents had grown accustomed to the "gradual march of the orchards up the slopes" but were dismayed by the "enveloping mists blasted from the spray machines mounted on the back of the advancing tractors." Ackerman- Leist profiles some of the crucial actors in Mals's fight against "Big Apple," during which the residents of Mals passed a referendum vote to ban pesticides. He introduces Günther Wallnöfer, an organic dairy farmer whose family business sat adjacent to a new orchard; residue from the orchard's chemical sprays had found its way to Wallnöfer's livestock. Ackerman-Leist also talks with Peter Gasser, a veterinarian who interacted daily with farmers and livestock. As a result of this work Gasser had a thorough knowledge of the community's issues, which he would later use to help lead the fight against pesticides in the town. Ackerman-Leist argues that Mals's story has particular relevance for American farmers who face similar circumstances, and he concludes his discussion with useful suggestions for farming communities on topics such as information gathering and political engagement. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.