Titans of Industrial Agriculture Explained: Who Controls Our Food System?

Dr. Jennifer Clapp, Tier I Canada Research Chair in Global Food Security and Sustainability and Professor in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo, joins us to discuss the critical themes from her new book Titans of Industrial Agriculture, which examines how corporate consolidation has transformed the global farm sector and why it matters. Corporate dominance in agriculture has emerged through a century of technological change, policy choices, and market consolidation that gradually shifted power from farmers to a handful of global firms. From tractors, synthetic fertilizers, and hybrid seeds to today’s digital tools and genome editing, each wave of innovation has reinforced an industrial model that locks farmers into costly input systems and benefits large corporations with patents, scale, and privileged access to finance. The result is concentrated control over machinery, seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides, with significant consequences for prices, farmer autonomy, environmental sustainability, and the resilience of global food systems. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. For more information, please visit www.globalmanagementconsultancy.com. Disclaimer: A. The background music used in this video is the property of its respective developer and is protected by Copyright. Although it is a free version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy and Deepak Bhatt do not hold the rights to this music. B. Dr. Jennifer Clapp has generously shared profound insights from her book, “Titans of Industrial Agriculture,” during her appearance on the Business Talk podcast channel. The uploaded video contains copyrighted material; therefore, any modifications to graphics, music, or the presence of the author or host are strictly prohibited.