The Third Relationship 1 we undertook looked at a possible invasion, or if the disease was already
established, how it was transmitted and spread. The modern food sys-
tem, with its constant incentives to increase production, had helped
create some of the problems we were addressing. While our work could
call attention to the underlying causes, policymakers knew they were on
thin ice if they put forward policies that challenged the premise that we
must always produce more.
When I moved from USDA to Costa Rica and the International
Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA), I hoped the politi-
cal constraints to helping countries safeguard their food and protect
the health of their plants and animals were behind me. Yet as the years
went by, I realized how closely international development was tied to
replicating the modern food system. To the extent that they succeeded,
these countries would face the same consequences from unprecedented
abundance that the United States was experiencing.
When I returned stateside, I landed at Michigan State University.
Over the years, my misgivings about the modern food system and its
implications continued to build. On a campus of this size, one which
benefits from Lincoln’s signature and America’s third relationship to
food, MSU seemed like a good place to channel my observations into a
larger context for understanding.
Soon enough, I realized the depth of expertise residing in one place.
Whether I had questions on bacteria in soil or malnutrition in infants,
there seemed to be someone on campus who could provide answers.
MSU was well regarded and had done an admirable job affirming its
historical purpose—specialized research and education.
Yet some of the strengths that had served the university so well in
the past were limitations when looking forward. In the end, exploring
broader linkages across the modern food system proved difficult. Like
many universities, its infrastructure and administration prized advance-
ment within narrow fields of specialization. While some faculty wel-
comed broader exploration, others simply responded to my questions
with “not my area of expertise.”
One day, the dean of my college wanted to talk. Over the years, we
had closely collaborated and many times had traveled together to
meetings. We knew each other well. When he suggested that I write
a book that would become The Grand Food Bargain, I listened without