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Colin Tudge

Feeding people is easy

I read this because it looked like a book with a positive outlook about world problems. (Well at first glance it looked like a cookery book, but it isn't). Rather than moaning about what was wrong with the world it would concentrate on showing how the nine billion people who will inhabit this planet can be fed. As I got into the book I modified my opinion somewhat, but it certainly does show that it would be possible to make sure everyone in the world gets what they need to eat - that is Plenty of plants, not much meat and maximum variety - if there was the will to do so.

However Tudge does indulge in quite a bit of moaning about the state of the world, not all of which is reasonable. For instance in his comparison of farming with other employment he compares some of the worst jobs he can find with his non-existent ideal of farming in the future. Also he uses expressions such as 'gangsters' to refer to world leaders, which might be a fun way of putting things, but I can't help feeling that he will need to reign in such self-indulgence if he wants his ideas to be taken seriously.

The book gets back on track at the end, with information about organisations which Tudge sees as leading the way towards a more reasonable approach to food and farming


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