How to Feed the World: The History and Future of Food by Vaclav Smil

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About the Book

We have never had to feed as many people as we do today. And yet, as Vaclav Smil argues in How to Feed the World, 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 — leading us, in our economic, political, and everyday choices, to take for granted the very thing that makes all our lives possible. In this ambitious, myth-busting book, Smil investigates the burning questions facing the world today: why are some of the world's biggest food producers, such as India, also home to 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 — and should it?

Drawing on the global history of food production, Smil explains why humans farm some animals and not others, why most of the world's calories come from just a handful of staple foodstuffs, and how this landscape might change in the future. He attributes persistent hunger amid plenty to unequal "global entitlements to food" rather than insufficient production, pointing to economic, political, and social barriers to equitable distribution. The book closes with concrete, data-grounded recommendations — reducing food waste through smarter pricing and packaging, decreasing meat consumption, curbing biofuel mandates that divert crops from food supply, and adapting agriculture to a changing climate — offering what he frames as achievable paths to "doing more with less" rather than reliance on speculative techno-fixes.

Critical Acclaim

Bill Gates has called Vaclav Smil his favorite author. Booklist praised the book as a scholarly and accessible exploration of the history, key concepts, and important questions about what we eat, describing it as necessary reading for anyone seeking authoritative information on feeding the world's growing population. The Lancet called it concise and erudite, noting that despite being weighted with statistics, Smil's structuring makes for an almost irresistible narrative that ultimately arrives at grounds for hope. Publishers Weekly praised his convincing case for "doing more with less," and reviewers have described the 2025 book as a summum opus in his decades-long body of work on global resource consumption.

Why Choose This Book?

• Endorsed by Bill Gates as his favorite author's latest work: A direct, high-profile recommendation from one of the world's most prominent readers of science writing.
• Rigorously data-driven: Grounded in decades of research on global resource and food systems.
• Myth-busting and provocative: Directly challenges popular assumptions about veganism, food waste, and global hunger.
• From a globally respected scientist: Vaclav Smil is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba, with a decades-long body of work on energy, food, and resource consumption.
• Offers concrete, actionable solutions: Moves beyond diagnosis to specific policy and behavioral recommendations for a more sustainable food system.

About the Author

Vaclav Smil is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba and one of the world's leading interdisciplinary scientists on energy, environmental, and food systems. Over four decades, he has authored an extensive body of work examining how humans consume resources, with How to Feed the World representing what reviewers have called the culmination of his career-long study of global food production and consumption.

Who Should Read This Book?

• Readers interested in global food security, sustainability, and agricultural policy
• Students and researchers in environmental science, agriculture, and public policy
• Anyone curious about the realities behind debates over veganism, meat consumption, and food waste
• Policymakers and aid workers involved in food systems and hunger relief
• Fans of Vaclav Smil's previous data-driven, myth-busting works on energy and resources

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Order now and bring home How to Feed the World — Vaclav Smil's rigorous, myth-busting guide to understanding and fixing our global food system.