There is no author whose books I look forward to more than Vaclav Smil
- BILL GATES,
A compelling, fascinating, and most important, realistic portrait of the world and where it's going
- STEVEN PINKER on NUMBERS DONâT LIE,
There is perhaps no other academic who paints pictures with numbers like Smil . . . The nerd's nerd
GUARDIAN
A fact-filled, punchy book . . . Smil's fascination with numbers is infectious
THE TIMES on NUMBERS DONâT LIE
â<i>How to Feed the World</i> had a lot to teach me â and Iâm sure it will teach you a lot, too. It challenges readers to think differently about a problem we thought we understoodâ
- Bill Gates,
Another masterpiece from one of my favourite authors
- BILL GATES on the New York Times bestseller HOW THE WORLD REALLY WORKS,
Very informative and eye-opening in many ways
- HA-JOON CHANG, author of 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism on the New York Times bestseller HOW THE WORLD REALLY WORKS,
The word "polymath" was invented to describe people like him
- BILL GATES,
Smilâs art is that he immerses readers rather than overpowering them, while delivering clear takeaway messages: that we must learn to do more with less, that we ought to be wary of any radical solutions, and that we must accept that any gains will be gradual
- Caroline Eden, Financial Times
Concise and erudite . . . <i>How to Feed the World </i>is weighted with statistics, but there is something light and irresistible about the way Smil structures his argument and propels his narrative . . . The breadth of Smilâs knowledge is as impressive as the depth
- Talha Burki, Lancet
'There is no author whose books I look forward to more' Bill Gates
'A fascinating deep dive...a wonderful fact-based tour of our food system, past and present. It opens up plenty of interesting debates on what to do next to feed 10 billion people without wrecking the planet' Hannah Ritchie, author of Not the End of the World
In this ambitious, myth-busting book, leading scientist and internationally bestselling author Vaclav Smil investigates many of the burning questions facing the world today: Why are some of the worldâs biggest food producers also the countries with the most undernourished populations? Why is food waste a colossal 1,000kcal per person daily, and how can we solve that? Could we all go vegan and be healthy? Should we? How will we feed the ballooning population without killing the planet?
How Food Really Works shows how 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. Ultimately, this data-based, rigorously researched guide explains how we will survive and thrive long into the future.