The Future of Food How to Feed the Planet Without Destroying It, reviewed

We look at the latest in the pocket sized series by Penguin Books and Wired Magazine, this is the 6th one in the series that we have reviewed. This one, The Future of Food, How to Feed the Planet Without Destroying It by Wired editor Matt Reynolds tackles another timely topic.

The Future of Food How to Feed the Planet Without Destroying It, reviewed

There is no doubt that this is an important topic and one that as a species we must engage with immediately and confront some tough issues to ensure adequate food supply and also that it is achieved without damaging the planet. This is a complex and often politically charged topic. Veganism for example is only mentioned once in this book which does suggest that some of the more problematic aspects of this conversation have slightly been avoided.

Overall this book is a useful primer and introduction to the subject. With only five chapters it only goes so far in terms of addressing the difficult questions that need to be faced. For example the chapter on using the oceans more, does not necessarily embrace the issues raised by books such as ‘The Brilliant Abyss’ by Helen Scales which we reviewed recently. Scales outlines that the deep sea is not merely an open area to be exploited and mined to feed and serve human interests.

With intensive farming of salmon in seawater pens there have been numerous issues with lice infestation and nutrient pollution of the surrounding waters as the fish food seeps out, The challenge therefore is to achieve more sustainable ways to feed ourselves, without destroying bio diversity and driving other species to extinction.

Matt Reynold’s book is a helpful contribution in terms of raising awareness of the future food issues we will face, but it also felt like only knocking on the door in terms of articulating the difficult choices that need to be made, and the possible solutions to deal with them. As veganism continues to rise too, it probably merits a whole chapter in a future edition in terms of the mostly positive but also potentially negative challenges of a rising vegan population.

More about the book

The everything-you-need-to-know WIRED guide to food technology and food
production in the future

With a global population estimated to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050, we face a huge
challenge in feeding everyone on the planet. How is that to be achieved? In this brilliantly insightful, one stop guide WIRED journalist Matt Reynolds assesses the limits and drawbacks of current food production and looks at the ways in which they can be tackled.

He considers the potential for lab-grown meat to replace inefficient livestock farming. He talks to the scientists hoping to perfect more productive and disease-resistant crops. He explores initiatives to make agriculture less environmentally damaging and to reduce food waste. And he addresses the fundamental question: how do we feed more people while using fewer of the Earth’s resources?

WIRED is a respected publication reporting on the emerging trends, ideas and technologies shaping our world.

The WIRED team is embarking on an ambitious new book publishing programme with Random
House Business, creating beautifully designed one-stop guides to the crucial topics and issues we all need to understand.

The series consists of:

Artificial Intelligence by Matt Burgess
Climate Change by Bianca Nogrady
The Future of Medicine by James Temperton
Quantum Computing by Amit Katwala
Cryptocurrency by Gian Volpicelli

More about the author

Matt Reynolds is the science editor at WIRED UK, where he edits and commissions stories about the environment, health, space and everything else about how science is changing the world. He’s particularly interested in the science of food and the impact that our diets have on the environment. His first book, The Future of Food: How to Feed the Planet Without Destroying it will be published on September 16, 2021. Matt was previously a technology reporter at New Scientist.

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