An 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
Portions of “How to Feed the World,” written in spare and data-heavy prose, are likely to lose the casual reader ... The author also glosses over what is the most pressing issue with the world’s food supply and a big, fat target for Mr. Kennedy: the way in which it has contributed to high rates of disease, disability and death.
The reader is in safe hands with Smil ... There are welcome moments of light relief — good for dispensing at the dinner table ... Smil’s art is that he immerses readers rather than overpowering them, while delivering clear takeaway messages.
How to Feed the World, has impressive data and range, but it suffers from a dearth of firm ideas ... The book trots briskly through some hefty subjects ... The middle chapter – “What’s more important, food or smartphones?” – is the best, arguing to change how we value farming’s contributions to the global economy ... While purporting to be historically informed, Smil’s history is mainly prehistoric, rarely considering pertinent later shifts in consumption ... All in all, How to Feed the World is a useful book. Smil’s whistle-stop tour of food production history largely works ... But How to Feed the World is also selective and rushed. Most of all, it seems to stop just as it gets to the point.
