Book Review: How to Feed the World, by Vaclav Smil

Vaclav Smil has produced an increasing repertoire of books summarizing how humans consume different resources.  Over four decades he has visited many topics including food availability and its constraints.  His latest 2025 book, “How to Feed the World:  The History and Future of Food” stands as his summum opus, and is the best current survey about the tension between human needs and food supplies, comparing key options and constraints.  Therefore it is highly recommended to students, scientists, aid workers and general readers alike.  The first section of his book tracks the inevitability of humans to depend on grains and legumes.

Smil highlights the paradox that some of the world’s largest food producers, like India, have significant undernourished populations. He attributes this to unequal “global entitlements to food” rather than insufficient production, pointing to economic, political, and social barriers that prevent equitable distribution.  But he also is concerned with the ability of societies to grow enough food for a population growing toward 10 billion persons, particularly in Africa where crop yields are low and water/irrigation is limited.

Smil causes particular attention to food waste.  He emphasizes the colossal scale of food waste—approximately 1,000 kcal per person daily in Western countries, with a third of food produced (around 3,300 kcal per person per day) wasted, including a quarter of unopened food in places like Britain. This inefficiency exacerbates hunger by reducing available food and straining resources, a critical issue as populations grow.

Much of the book tries to explain  why certain crops and animals are produced and others are not, and why a few specific foodstuffs provide the majority of the world’s calories today, and how hard it would be to shift away from those key crops.

The book reviews the history of the human race and how most humans over millions of years were primarily hunter gatherers.  Meat consumpion increased after domestication of animals (beginning around 10,000 years ago), “though it became more stratified by social class over time.”

Looking to the future, he recommends:

 Improve Agricultural Efficiency:  Boost crop productivity (especially in developing nations) through better agronomic practices (precision farming, optimized irrigation, soil health management) rather than just expanding farmland.

Reduce waste:  About 30–40% of food is lost post-harvest or wasted in distribution and consumption. Smil advocates for better storage, transport, and consumer habits.

Reduce Meat Consumption:  Shift toward less resource-intensive diets—Smil stresses that industrial meat production (especially beef) is grossly inefficient in terms of land, water, and feed use.

 Reform Fertilizer Use:  Nitrogen efficiency is key.  Synthetic fertilizers (especially nitrogen) revolutionized agriculture, but overuse causes pollution (e.g., algal blooms, GHG emissions). Smil advocates for precision application and organic amendments.   Recycle nutrients—Better utilize manure and food waste to close nutrient loops.

Don’t expect magical silver bullets:   No single solution will “fix” global hunger.  Smil critiques techno-optimism, arguing that diverse, incremental improvements are more reliable than radical shifts.  Lab-grown meat & plant-based substitutes may help but will likely remain a niche solution in the near term.  

Stabilize Population Growth:  Slowing population via education, women’s empowerment, and economic development, which reduces future food demand.

Reduce Biofuel Mandates:  channeling crops (corn, soy) into biofuels is inefficient which competes with food production and should be minimized.

Adapt to Climate Change by prioritizing resilient crops and farming systems over geoengineering or untested techno-fixes.  Smil observes that rising temperatures and CO₂ changes will unevenly affect staple crops like rice and corn, especially in Asia and Latin America.

Smil has written often about food and history.  Smil’s work on food production and agriculture emphasizes the intersections of energy, environment, and human systems, often highlighting the challenges of feeding a growing global population sustainably. He explores topics like the efficiency of food systems, the environmental impacts of dietary choices, and the role of technological innovations in agriculture.  He obtained a Ph.D. in geography from Pennsylvania State University in 1971 and joined the University of Manitoba in 1972, where he became Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Environment.

–  steve hansch, WHES