Ubiquity Presstech@ubiquitypress.com20260528T165552Generated by RUA metadata exporter

ucp-269-m-15-978-0-520-42306-0030115978-0-520-42306-001internal-reference2690610.1525/luminos.25200BBB20110Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/0101The Almond ParadoxCracking Open the Politics of What Plants Need1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng0018603010110300Almonds 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 Future EMILY REISMAN is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.20200Almonds 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 Future EMILY REISMAN is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.30400Introduction: Naturalized Extraction and Knowing Otherwise Matter: Meaning-Making in a Nutshell Flow: Knowing Plant-Water Relations Symbiosis: Producing Pollinator Dependence Space: Creeping Toward Precarity Conjuncture: Rooting Agricultural Knowledges in Place43000Almonds 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 Future EMILY REISMAN is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.52000Open Access01000302https://storage.googleapis.com/rua-ucp/files/media/cover_images/d4eec1ce-be05-4237-9500-794c07f5bcdd.png1030610.1525/luminos.252.aCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Introduction: Naturalized Extraction and Knowing Otherwise1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access2030610.1525/luminos.252.bCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Matter: Meaning-Making in a Nutshell1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access3030610.1525/luminos.252.cCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Flow: Knowing Plant-Water Relations1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access4030610.1525/luminos.252.dCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Symbiosis: Producing Pollinator Dependence1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access5030610.1525/luminos.252.eCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Space: Creeping Toward Precarity1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access6030610.1525/luminos.252.fCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Conjuncture: Rooting Agricultural Knowledges in Place1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access01URLhttps://www.luminosoa.orgUniversity of California Press01University of California Press01Publisher’s corporate websitehttps://www.luminosoa.org02Publisher’s website for a specified workhttps://www.luminosoa.org/books/m/10.1525/luminos.252California040120251028The Author(s)02WORLD0615978-0-520-41383-20615978-0-520-41384-90615978-0-520-41384-90615978-0-520-41384-9WORLD11Unknown20082025102808ucp-269-m-15-978-0-520-41383-2030115978-0-520-41383-201internal-reference2690610.1525/luminos.25200BCB20210Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/0101The Almond ParadoxCracking Open the Politics of What Plants Need1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng0018603010110300Almonds 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 Future EMILY REISMAN is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.20200Almonds 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 Future EMILY REISMAN is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.30400Introduction: Naturalized Extraction and Knowing Otherwise Matter: Meaning-Making in a Nutshell Flow: Knowing Plant-Water Relations Symbiosis: Producing Pollinator Dependence Space: Creeping Toward Precarity Conjuncture: Rooting Agricultural Knowledges in Place43000Almonds 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 Future EMILY REISMAN is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.52000Open Access01000302https://storage.googleapis.com/rua-ucp/files/media/cover_images/d4eec1ce-be05-4237-9500-794c07f5bcdd.png1030610.1525/luminos.252.aCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Introduction: Naturalized Extraction and Knowing Otherwise1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access2030610.1525/luminos.252.bCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Matter: Meaning-Making in a Nutshell1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access3030610.1525/luminos.252.cCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Flow: Knowing Plant-Water Relations1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access4030610.1525/luminos.252.dCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Symbiosis: Producing Pollinator Dependence1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access5030610.1525/luminos.252.eCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Space: Creeping Toward Precarity1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access6030610.1525/luminos.252.fCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Conjuncture: Rooting Agricultural Knowledges in Place1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access01URLhttps://www.luminosoa.orgUniversity of California Press01University of California Press01Publisher’s corporate websitehttps://www.luminosoa.org02Publisher’s website for a specified workhttps://www.luminosoa.org/books/m/10.1525/luminos.252California040120251028The Author(s)02WORLD0615978-0-520-42306-00615978-0-520-41384-90615978-0-520-41384-90615978-0-520-41384-9WORLD11Unknown20082025102808ucp-269-m-15-978-0-520-41384-9030115978-0-520-41384-901internal-reference2690610.1525/luminos.25200EBE10710Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/0101The Almond ParadoxCracking Open the Politics of What Plants Need1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng0018603010110300Almonds 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 Future EMILY REISMAN is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.20200Almonds 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 Future EMILY REISMAN is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.30400Introduction: Naturalized Extraction and Knowing Otherwise Matter: Meaning-Making in a Nutshell Flow: Knowing Plant-Water Relations Symbiosis: Producing Pollinator Dependence Space: Creeping Toward Precarity Conjuncture: Rooting Agricultural Knowledges in Place43000Almonds 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 Future EMILY REISMAN is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.52000Open Access01000302https://storage.googleapis.com/rua-ucp/files/media/cover_images/d4eec1ce-be05-4237-9500-794c07f5bcdd.png1030610.1525/luminos.252.aCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Introduction: Naturalized Extraction and Knowing Otherwise1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access2030610.1525/luminos.252.bCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Matter: Meaning-Making in a Nutshell1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access3030610.1525/luminos.252.cCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Flow: Knowing Plant-Water Relations1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access4030610.1525/luminos.252.dCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Symbiosis: Producing Pollinator Dependence1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access5030610.1525/luminos.252.eCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Space: Creeping Toward Precarity1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access6030610.1525/luminos.252.fCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Conjuncture: Rooting Agricultural Knowledges in Place1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access01URLhttps://www.luminosoa.orgUniversity of California Press01University of California Press01Publisher’s corporate websitehttps://www.luminosoa.org02Publisher’s website for a specified workhttps://www.luminosoa.org/books/m/10.1525/luminos.252California040120251028The Author(s)02WORLD0615978-0-520-42306-00615978-0-520-41383-2WORLD11Unknown36Supplier’s website for a specified workhttps://www.luminosoa.org29Supplier’s website: download the titlehttps://www.luminosoa.org/books/269/files/23c83e5f-3da9-42b3-9b23-4603f24b7e53.pdf20082025102801ucp-269-m-15-978-0-520-41384-9030115978-0-520-41384-901internal-reference2690610.1525/luminos.25200EBE10110Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/0101The Almond ParadoxCracking Open the Politics of What Plants Need1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng0018603010110300Almonds 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 Future EMILY REISMAN is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.20200Almonds 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 Future EMILY REISMAN is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.30400Introduction: Naturalized Extraction and Knowing Otherwise Matter: Meaning-Making in a Nutshell Flow: Knowing Plant-Water Relations Symbiosis: Producing Pollinator Dependence Space: Creeping Toward Precarity Conjuncture: Rooting Agricultural Knowledges in Place43000Almonds 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 Future EMILY REISMAN is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.52000Open Access01000302https://storage.googleapis.com/rua-ucp/files/media/cover_images/d4eec1ce-be05-4237-9500-794c07f5bcdd.png1030610.1525/luminos.252.aCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Introduction: Naturalized Extraction and Knowing Otherwise1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access2030610.1525/luminos.252.bCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Matter: Meaning-Making in a Nutshell1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access3030610.1525/luminos.252.cCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Flow: Knowing Plant-Water Relations1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access4030610.1525/luminos.252.dCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Symbiosis: Producing Pollinator Dependence1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access5030610.1525/luminos.252.eCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Space: Creeping Toward Precarity1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access6030610.1525/luminos.252.fCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Conjuncture: Rooting Agricultural Knowledges in Place1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access01URLhttps://www.luminosoa.orgUniversity of California Press01University of California Press01Publisher’s corporate websitehttps://www.luminosoa.org02Publisher’s website for a specified workhttps://www.luminosoa.org/books/m/10.1525/luminos.252California040120251028The Author(s)02WORLD0615978-0-520-42306-00615978-0-520-41383-2WORLD11Unknown36Supplier’s website for a specified workhttps://www.luminosoa.org29Supplier’s website: download the titlehttps://www.luminosoa.org/books/269/files/d6936369-003a-457b-a34d-d2667acc9ed5.epub20082025102801ucp-269-m-15-978-0-520-41384-9030115978-0-520-41384-901internal-reference2690610.1525/luminos.25200EDE12110Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/0101The Almond ParadoxCracking Open the Politics of What Plants Need1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng0018603010110300Almonds 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 Future EMILY REISMAN is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.20200Almonds 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 Future EMILY REISMAN is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.30400Introduction: Naturalized Extraction and Knowing Otherwise Matter: Meaning-Making in a Nutshell Flow: Knowing Plant-Water Relations Symbiosis: Producing Pollinator Dependence Space: Creeping Toward Precarity Conjuncture: Rooting Agricultural Knowledges in Place43000Almonds 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 Future EMILY REISMAN is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.52000Open Access01000302https://storage.googleapis.com/rua-ucp/files/media/cover_images/d4eec1ce-be05-4237-9500-794c07f5bcdd.png1030610.1525/luminos.252.aCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Introduction: Naturalized Extraction and Knowing Otherwise1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access2030610.1525/luminos.252.bCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Matter: Meaning-Making in a Nutshell1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access3030610.1525/luminos.252.cCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Flow: Knowing Plant-Water Relations1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access4030610.1525/luminos.252.dCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Symbiosis: Producing Pollinator Dependence1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access5030610.1525/luminos.252.eCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Space: Creeping Toward Precarity1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access6030610.1525/luminos.252.fCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)02http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Chapter0101Conjuncture: Rooting Agricultural Knowledges in Place1A01Emily ReismanEmilyReismanUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkEmily Reisman is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.01eng12000Open Access01URLhttps://www.luminosoa.orgUniversity of California Press01University of California Press01Publisher’s corporate websitehttps://www.luminosoa.org02Publisher’s website for a specified workhttps://www.luminosoa.org/books/m/10.1525/luminos.252California040120251028The Author(s)02WORLD0615978-0-520-42306-00615978-0-520-41383-2WORLD11Unknown36Supplier’s website for a specified workhttps://www.luminosoa.org29Supplier’s website: download the titlehttps://www.luminosoa.org/books/269/files/1f1c87d0-b928-4da5-9761-a17c3a4bdd76.mobi20082025102801