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Digital Audiobook
How to Feed the World by Vaclav Smil

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How to Feed the World

Narrator
Joe Jameson
Publisher
Penguin Books Ltd
Publish Date
7 November 2024
Run Time
7 hours 31 minutes
Format
Audiobook

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

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 To Feed The World 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.

‘There is no author whose books I look forward to more’ BILL GATES

‘There is perhaps no other academic who paints pictures with numbers like Smil’ GUARDIAN

© Vaclav Smil 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024

Critics Review

  • 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 DON’T 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 DON’T LIE

See more reviews
  • ‘How to Feed the World had a lot to teach me – and I’m sure it will teach you a lot, too. It challenges readers to think differently about a problem we thought we understood’

    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

  • Smil’s 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

    Financial Times

  • Concise and erudite . . . How to Feed the World 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 Smil’s knowledge is as impressive as the depth

    Lancet

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Details

Author
Vaclav Smil
Narrator
Joe Jameson
Duration
7 hours 31 minutes
Release Date
7 November 2024
ISBN
9781405962889
Format
Audiobook
Publisher
Penguin Books Ltd
Genre
Cultural studies: food and society, Agriculture, agribusiness and food production industries, Social and ethical issues, The environment, Science: general issues, Health: Diets and nutrition

Synopsis

Brought to you by Penguin.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 To Feed The World 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.‘There is no author whose books I look forward to more’ BILL GATES‘There is perhaps no other academic who paints pictures with numbers like Smil’ GUARDIAN© Vaclav Smil 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024

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