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 world's 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. For example the food system uses 25 per cent of the world's energy
supply and yet inexplicably the smartphone market is considered more valuable. We are
failing to prioritize the thing that makes all our lives possible: food. On a topic usually
fuelled by opinions and feelings How Food Really Works takes a refreshingly quantitative
approach. It explores the global history of food production to help us 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. This data-based rigorously researched guide debunks
wishful solutions and presents some uncomfortable realities. Ultimately it explains how we
will survive and thrive long into the future.
