cb980913-ad65-48d1-9e03-ad287af8231320260528165504Depositor Namedepositor_email@address.comRUA Metadata ExporterEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New Yorkhttps://ror.org/01y64my43Cracking Open the Politics of What Plants NeedAlmonds have become a poster crop for agriculture’s environmental controversies. Notorious for consuming vast volumes of water and trucking honeybees across the continent, California’s almond orchards appear extraordinarily needy. In Spain, however, almond trees have long epitomized the exact opposite: rainfed resilience. Often planted at the margins of agricultural viability, almonds are championed for their ecological thrift rather than their thirst. How is it that a crop can be known in such radically different ways? The Almond Paradox explores a captivating contrast between divergent ways of knowing not only how much water or pollination almond trees need, but also which trees should be grown and where. Charting the buildup to a global almond boom, this book exposes how situated histories of capitalism, land, science, and the state profoundly shape our most fundamental understandings of agriculture.“Both smart and succinct, The Almond Paradox asks big questions and delivers even bigger insights into what we think we know about the plants that feed us.” — SUSANNE FREIDBERG, author of Fresh: A Perishable History“Stunningly original. Emily Reisman builds a penetrating analysis of how agribusiness bends nature to its will, showing that the radically altered nature of almond production is not the only DNA twisted by capitalist logic. A distorted knowledge is produced along with the crop.” — RICHARD A. WALKER, author of The Conquest of Bread: 150 Years of Agribusiness in California“With sharp wit and insight, this beautifully written book uncovers the complex politics behind a deceptively simple question: What do crops need? An indispensable read for anyone interested in food, technology, and politics.” — KELLY BRONSON, author of The Immaculate Conception of Data: Agribusiness, Activists, and Their Shared Politics of the FutureEMILY REISMAN is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.Almonds have become a poster crop for agriculture’s environmental controversies. Notorious for consuming vast volumes of water and trucking honeybees across the continent, California’s almond orchards appear extraordinarily needy. In Spain, however, almond trees have long epitomized the exact opposite: rainfed resilience. Often planted at the margins of agricultural viability, almonds are championed for their ecological thrift rather than their thirst. How is it that a crop can be known in such radically different ways? The Almond Paradox explores a captivating contrast between divergent ways of knowing not only how much water or pollination almond trees need, but also which trees should be grown and where. Charting the buildup to a global almond boom, this book exposes how situated histories of capitalism, land, science, and the state profoundly shape our most fundamental understandings of agriculture.“Both smart and succinct, The Almond Paradox asks big questions and delivers even bigger insights into what we think we know about the plants that feed us.” — SUSANNE FREIDBERG, author of Fresh: A Perishable History“Stunningly original. Emily Reisman builds a penetrating analysis of how agribusiness bends nature to its will, showing that the radically altered nature of almond production is not the only DNA twisted by capitalist logic. A distorted knowledge is produced along with the crop.” — RICHARD A. WALKER, author of The Conquest of Bread: 150 Years of Agribusiness in California“With sharp wit and insight, this beautifully written book uncovers the complex politics behind a deceptively simple question: What do crops need? An indispensable read for anyone interested in food, technology, and politics.” — KELLY BRONSON, author of The Immaculate Conception of Data: Agribusiness, Activists, and Their Shared Politics of the FutureEMILY REISMAN is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.10282025978-0-520-42306-0978-0-520-41383-2978-0-520-41384-9978-0-520-41384-9978-0-520-41384-9University of California PressCaliforniahttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/10.1525/luminos.252https://www.luminosoa.org/books/m/10.1525/luminos.252https://www.luminosoa.org/books/269/files/23c83e5f-3da9-42b3-9b23-4603f24b7e53.pdfhttps://www.luminosoa.org/books/269/files/23c83e5f-3da9-42b3-9b23-4603f24b7e53.pdf1028202512910.1525/luminos.252.ahttps://www.luminosoa.org/chapters/m/10.1525/luminos.252.ahttps://www.luminosoa.org/books/269/files/a94269dd-d9f9-4b6b-a22b-8122d9ae84f8.pdf10282025304710.1525/luminos.252.bhttps://www.luminosoa.org/chapters/m/10.1525/luminos.252.bhttps://www.luminosoa.org/books/269/files/6b1c4346-e870-451d-a0ff-efd055a90e7f.pdf10282025487510.1525/luminos.252.chttps://www.luminosoa.org/chapters/m/10.1525/luminos.252.chttps://www.luminosoa.org/books/269/files/1881ad1a-cdcc-4d06-9546-95734191a2dd.pdf10282025769610.1525/luminos.252.dhttps://www.luminosoa.org/chapters/m/10.1525/luminos.252.dhttps://www.luminosoa.org/books/269/files/c345217e-23d1-4c55-bdfb-41cac8c92094.pdf102820259711910.1525/luminos.252.ehttps://www.luminosoa.org/chapters/m/10.1525/luminos.252.ehttps://www.luminosoa.org/books/269/files/b86bb45c-4d74-4537-9dfe-7a132d4b7c66.pdf1028202512012610.1525/luminos.252.fhttps://www.luminosoa.org/chapters/m/10.1525/luminos.252.fhttps://www.luminosoa.org/books/269/files/dadf47d9-f87a-45de-b20d-3405e00e340d.pdf