India, Sept. 18 -- There is a quiet war underway, and the ripple effects show up in your pantry.

How did blueberries get there? Why is chocolate fading?

At the root of these questions are so many others: What is the true role of land; where should water go; how should we best juggle our need for space, forests, cities and farms?

Over and over, as we tussle with these questions, it is the farmer who ends up with less. Less water, land, attention, revenue. certainty.

How did a role this vital become so sidelined?

For 14 years, Iranian-British sociologist Maryam Aslany, 46, has explored answers to these questions. Her research has taken her through parts of rural Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Born and raised in Iran, she first became...