Transfarmation - by Leah Garcés

About the Book

"The story of factory farmers, rescued farm animals, and rural communities standing up to big corporations and constructing their own new world that will change the way we eat"--

Book Synopsis

The story of factory farmers, rescued farm animals, and rural communities standing up to big corporations and constructing their own new world that will change the way we eat

In Transfarmation, president and CEO of Mercy For Animals Leah Garcés explains how food and farming policies have failed over decades and offers insights into the wave of change coming from a new crop of farmers and communities who are constructing a humane and sustainable farming system. Factory animal farming faces an abundance of issues--from environmental concerns and animal cruelty, to exploited farmers and poor working conditions--and more and more farmers are searching for a way out and for a new start.

Using insights from interviews and fieldwork, Garcés shares the perspectives of three groups:

--Farmers--such as the Halley farm, where a family crushed by chicken factory farming builds a new way by transitioning their farm to growing hemp and rescuing dogs.
--Animals--like Norma, an industrial dairy cow who was sentenced to death after injuring a worker in an effort to protect her calf.
--Farm communities--including stories like how the hog industry in North Carolina preys on historically Black communities by contaminating the air and water for decades with hog pollution.

Garcés demonstrates the reasons why we must end factory farming and calls on readers to imagine a future world where Transfarmation is complete and we have transitioned to a just food and farming system.

Review Quotes

"Impassioned treatise . . . Garcés makes clear how animals and humans suffer under the status quo, and she offers practical suggestions for reform, including bolstering animal welfare protections and improving labor standards for farmers. This strikes a chord."
--Publishers Weekly

"By giving birds, pigs, and cattle proper names, Garcés heightens readers' sympathies for abused creatures while making a good case for alternative farming methods."
--Booklist

"This highly recommended title is for readers concerned about current agricultural policies and practices and the future of the nation's food production."
--Library Journal

"Factory farms are a crime against nature, and Transfarmation convincingly argues that we can feed ourselves, must heal ourselves, without them."
--Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation

"A book that gives me hope that radical transformation is possible and is happening [and] a must-read for all those who want to see a brighter, more sustainable, and ethical future."
--Vicky Bond, president of the Humane League

"A brilliant, essential read, clear-eyed and kind, showing how animal agriculture is cruel not just to farm animals but to farmers, farmworkers, and the land, and how there's a happier, gentler path forward for all of us. It comes from one of the world's authorities on transforming what we eat and how we eat."
--Annie Lowrey, author of Give People Money

"What a wonderful antidote to the negativity and cynicism all around us. Leah Garcés gets things done!"
--A. J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically

"Heartfelt, insightful, grounded, and upbeat, this book provides deep breaths of fresh air and fresh thinking."
--Philip Lymbery, global chief executive, Compassion in World Farming, and author of Farmageddon

"More importantly illustrates a hopeful and sustainable path out of that deeply broken system to a more humane world for all involved--animals and people."
--Matt Bershadker, president and CEO, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

"Garcés has given us a powerful road map in Transfarmation, with her ideas and her dignified approach to farmers and workers just as badly trapped in the misery of factory farming as the animals it consumes."
--Kitty Block, president and CEO, Humane Society of the United States

"Unveils the harrowing experiences of exploited farmers, abused animals, and marginalized communities . . . A revolutionary shift toward a humane and sustainable food system."
--Suzy Welch, author, professor, and business advisor

About the Author

Leah Garcés is the CEO and president of Mercy For Animals and author of Grilled: Turning Adversaries into Allies to Change the Chicken Industry. With decades of leadership experience in the animal protection movement, she has partnered with corporations, communities, and governments around the world on a mission to build a better food system. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Chicago Tribune, among many other media outlets. She lives in Georgia, with her husband, three kids, and cat.