SALE ON YALE! History • Biography & more... TELL ME MORE

Close Notification

Your cart does not contain any items

Feeding the World: A Challenge for the Twenty-First Century by Vaclav Smil (Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Manitoba) at Abbey's Bookshop,
Feeding the World: A Challenge for the Twenty-First Century
— —
Vaclav Smil (Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Manitoba)

Feeding the World

A Challenge for the Twenty-First Century

Vaclav Smil (Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Manitoba)

$79.99

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?
English
MIT Press
24 August 2001
Social issues & processes; Environmental economics; Management of land & natural resources
Series: The MIT Press
A realistic yet encouraging look at how society can change in ways that will allow us to feed an expanding global population.

This book addresses the question of how we can best feed the ten billion or so people who will likely inhabit the Earth by the middle of the twenty-first century. He asks whether human ingenuity can produce enough food to support healthy and vigorous lives for all these people without irreparably damaging the integrity of the biosphere.

What makes this book different from other books on the world food situation is its consideration of the complete food cycle, from agriculture to post-harvest losses and processing to eating and discarding. Taking a scientific approach, Smil espouses neither the catastrophic view that widespread starvation is imminent nor the cornucopian view that welcomes large population increases as the source of endless human inventiveness. He shows how we can make more effective use of current resources and suggests that if we increase farming efficiency, reduce waste, and transform our diets, future needs may not be as great as we anticipate.

Smil's message is that the prospects may not be as bright as we would like, but the outlook is hardly disheartening. Although inaction, late action, or misplaced emphasis may bring future troubles, we have the tools to steer a more efficient course. There are no insurmountable biophysical reasons we cannot feed humanity in the decades to come while easing the burden that modern agriculture puts on the biosphere.
By:  
Imprint:   MIT Press
Country of Publication:   United States
Edition:   New edition
Dimensions:   Height: 229mm,  Width: 152mm,  Spine: 23mm
Weight:   612g
ISBN:   9780262692717
ISBN 10:   0262692716
Series:   The MIT Press
Pages:   390
Publication Date:  
Recommended Age:   From 18
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational ,  A / AS level ,  Further / Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Vaclav Smil is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba. He is the author of forty books, including Energy and Civilization, published by the MIT Press. In 2010 he was named by Foreign Policy as one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers. In 2013 Bill Gates wrote on his website that ""there is no author whose books I look forward to more than Vaclav Smil.""

Reviews for Feeding the World: A Challenge for the Twenty-First Century

""Feeding the World is a refreshing addition to the substantial body of literature on the future of the world's food supply."" - Michael B. Cohen, American Scientist


See Inside

See Also