nitrogen: organic and inorganic plant addition

The commodity chains in Latin America is a fascinating thesis. The authors collaborative effort to review, research and compose a series of historical studies from a more complex framework of the social life of things in the southern americas is superlative despite the admonition that it may be incomplete. (not a complete inventory of commodities supply)
The methodology of the  "use of a commodity chain approach to investigate the relationships between producers, intermediaries, and consumers/" is brilliant and a easily managed delivery. The perspective that the commodity chain is an experiment that developed over time between European and Latin American actors creates investigation of networks instead of nations. Which leads commodity history into a more global study structure.
The most attractive commodity for me was chapter nine and fertilizer commodity chains. Other than the graphic representations, the historical significance of a commodity that enhanced agricultural industry and the need for food consumption was appealing. In addition, the aspect of historical research of export revenue, archival research in to businesses and "international political consequences of the nitrate trade" gave the nitrate commodity significant historical meaning.
Economic, social, political and ecological underpinnings are well developed in the chapter. Export booms and the evolution of guano to nitrate as major components of change in nitrate are new perceptions for a commodity that had a life time of basically 1840-1930. I admit that this period of time coincides with my research which gave it another dynamic to my interest in botany and slave to free labor.
Comparative analysis to other commodities revealed that the guavo to nitrate trade also included a state monopoly to free trade, the introduction of LLC's, as well as reduction in cost of capital and war from competition in Bolivia and Chile. And finally, the section on the intermediaries, as outlined in the introduction as a factor of commodities history that has often been excluded, is explained without graphics, but a clear narrative of the importance of the intermediaries. Knowledge and skill become an integral link in the commodity (value) chain.
The one weakness for me in the nitrate chapter was that there was no graph to show the plant consumption of nitrate. There is some mention that certain organic chemicals are needed for different kinds of plants, beets (root vegetables) vs, cotton, sugar, tobacco etc.
From Silver to Cocaine is a deceptive title. This book delivers an outstanding historical perspective of commodities that is clear and meaningful. A perfect seque from "The Social History of Things" to the more dense study of a singular commodity.