FATE OF FOOD

A manifesto of ideas for sustainable food production, the book is a tremendous piece from the award-winning environmental journalist. With the world population constantly rising, the human race is facing threats to the planet such as global warming which will have huge impact on our food production capabilities. Topical and highly informative, Amanda Little explores the past along with the present and discovers startling innovations - remote-control crops, vertical farms, robot weedkillers, lab-grown meat, 3D printed meals, water networks run by supercomputers, cloud seeding and sensors that monitor the microclimate of individual plants. She meets the creative and controversial minds changing the face of modern food production, and tackles fears over genetic modification with hard facts. On the whole, the industrialised world is enjoying a more abundant, diverse and accessible food supply than ever before in human history. Farms globally produce 17% more calories per person than they did in 1990 and while some 800 million people still suffer from chronic hunger, that is almost 200 million fewer than there were 30 years ago. Meanwhile prices have fallen. In the 1950s the average household spent about 30% of its budget on food; today it is around 13%. But according to the IPCC, food prices could nearly double by 2050 given current climate and population-growth trends. International conflicts over food resources could interrupt trade and paralyse distribution networks and shortages may be particularly acute in countries like the UK where half of the entire food supply is imported. A Silicon Valley start-up Soylent Inc. has developed a vegan beverage designed to replace the nutritionally complete meal and the Pentagon's research division is developing sustenance for soldiers that can be cranked out on demand by portable 3D printers. Sensors on the soldier's bodies will detect for example a potassium or vitamin A deficit, send that data to the 3D printer, which will then generate customised, nutrient-fortified food bars. The book is a taste of things to come and with an optimistic slant. 340pp, illustrated paperback.