How to Feed the World

The History and Future of Food

By: Vaclav Smil

Narrated by: Joe Jameson

An indispensable analysis of how the world really produces and consumes its food—and a scientist's exploration of how we can successfully feed a growing population without killing the planet

We have never had to feed as many people as we do today. And yet, we misunderstand the essentials of where our food really comes from, how our dietary requirements shape us, and why this impacts our planet in drastic ways. As a result, in our economic, political, and everyday choices, we take for granted and fail to prioritize the thing that makes all our lives possible: food.

In this ambitious, myth-busting book, Smil investigates many of the burning questions facing the world today: why are some of the world’s biggest food producers also the countries with the most undernourished populations? Why do we waste so much food and how can we solve that? Could the whole planet go vegan and be healthy? Should it? He explores the global history of food production to understand why we farm some animals and not others, why most of the world’s calories come from just a few foodstuffs, and how this might change in the future.

How to Feed the World is the data-based, rigorously researched guide that offers solutions to our broken global food system.

Critic reviews

“Smil takes readers on a scholarly and accessible exploration of the history, key concepts, and important questions about what we eat…[How to Feed the World] is a necessary book for readers seeking authoritative information on the future of successfully nourishing the world’s growing population.” —Booklist

“Concise and erudite… How to Feed the World is weighted with statistics, but there is something light and irresistible about the way Smil structures his argument and propels his narrative… After 200 pages of cold realism, it is a relief to discover that all those numbers add up to a future in which we can be hopeful.” — The Lancet

“[Smil] delves into the details of global food production [and]… recommends focusing on reducing food waste through flexible pricing and innovations in packaging design, as well as improving sustainability by decreasing meat consumption. [He] makes a convincing case for “doing more with less.'"—Publishers Weekly

"Vaclav Smil is my favorite author."—Bill Gates

Analysis failure: health and environmental costs of aquaculture and commerical fishing.

While the author has done a fair job covering terrestrial food supply (albeit on the rosey side), it's very clear that the realities of acquaculture and commercial fishing were not deeply researched nor understood.

As researchers and policy makers could rely on what is presented herein, it is advised to better understand sustainability and health realities of and type of seafood - the most toxic and environmentally destructive of the animal food categories.

If you don't understand the implications of bottom trawling, bycatch, ghost nets, longlines, the critical role of overfished krill, or that pesticides are sprayed on aquaculture fish (to kill sea lice and other parasites in the fish meat), then it becomes clear the author has not presented a factual characterization of the true costs, unsustainability, and dangers of seafood on our plates.

Sadly, the author missed the opportunity to educate and positively influence health in this category.

Learn more from:
Seaspiracy documentary
Sea Shepherd
Etc.

Unreliable:
Commercial fishing industry reports

The not apparent layers of complexity in real food discussions.

I really appreciated the dtailed and layered here are facts presentation while remaining skeptical of broad claims.

Full of good info, but not for audiobook format

I read several of Smil's books, and they are full of facts and numbers. I tried this in audiobook but was difficult to follow, with so many numbers. Perhaps an accompanying PDF would have helped. However, I think this is best on written form, which I will get.

lots of dense information, hard to absorb.

This was very much like listening to an academic paper. There's not a lot of pop-sci type translation to make it listenable. Lots of facts, Little story. I wish I had gotten more out of it.