… It has been shaped by free trade and by American immigration policies that characterize
global economic integration. In From Farm to Canal Street, Valerie Imbruce tells the story of
how Chinatown's food network operates amid—and against the grain of—the global trend to
consolidate food production and distribution. Manhattan’s Chinatown demonstrates how a
local market can influence agricultural practices, food distribution, and consumer decisions
on a very broad scale.Imbruce recounts the development of …

Manhattan's Chinatown is a food destination not only because of its many Chinese
restaurants, but also because of the fascinating scene of street-level produce markets
offering more than two hundred varieties of Asian vegetables and fruits. Valerie Imbruce's
study reveals the alternative agro-food system sustaining this unique retail scene. Imbruce's
book intersects studies on ethnic entrepreneurship, global commodity chains and the policy
implications of revitalization of urban neighborhoods. Roaming from Manhattan's Chinatown …