Farm bill basics. What is the farm bill? -- Why does the farm bill matter? -- Who benefits from the farm bill? -- How does the farm bill work? -- The history of food policy. Origins of the farm bill -- The changing face of agriculture -- The changing face of hunger -- The conservation era -- Key policy issues. Crop subsidies -- Nutrition, SNAP, and healthy eating -- Agribusiness versus family farms -- Job creation -- Trade -- An alternative system -- Reforming the farm bill. Opportunities for change -- Public health -- Food security -- Ethanol -- Energy and climate change -- Conservation -- National security -- The future of food policy. Ecosystem-based agriculture -- Local food -- A citizen's farm bill -- Twenty-five solutions -- A vision of sustainable food.