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Feeding People Is Easy
The message of Feeding People is Easy is the most important that can be conceived. At the moment 38 million people across Africa are at risk of starvation, yet with a major change in our thinking, the world can be fed forever-without cruelty to livestock and without wrecking the planet. If we do the job properly, we will create human societies that are truly agreeable, co-operative and at peace; societies in which all manner of people with all kinds of beliefs and aspirations can be personally fulfilled.
- GenresFood
160 pages, Paperback
First published October 25, 2007
1 person is currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
Colin Tudge
42 books84 followersColin Tudge was educated at Dulwich College, 1954-61; and read zoology at Peterhouse, Cambridge, 1962-65.
Since 1965 he has worked on journals such as World Medicine, New Scientist and Pan, the newspaper of the World Food Conference held in Rome, 1974.
Ever since then he has earned a living by spasmodic broadcasting and a lot of writing—mainly books these days, but with occasional articles. He has a special interest in natural history in general, evolution and genetics, food and agriculture, and spends a great deal of time on philosophy (especially moral philosophy, the philosophy of science, and the relationship between science and religion).
He has two daughters, one son, and four granddaughters, and lives in Oxford with his wife, Ruth (nee West).
Since 1965 he has worked on journals such as World Medicine, New Scientist and Pan, the newspaper of the World Food Conference held in Rome, 1974.
Ever since then he has earned a living by spasmodic broadcasting and a lot of writing—mainly books these days, but with occasional articles. He has a special interest in natural history in general, evolution and genetics, food and agriculture, and spends a great deal of time on philosophy (especially moral philosophy, the philosophy of science, and the relationship between science and religion).
He has two daughters, one son, and four granddaughters, and lives in Oxford with his wife, Ruth (nee West).
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 13, 2009
Tudge is exasperated by our inability to feed the world's population, and posits how to not only defeat hunger, but do so in an ecological, human, healthy way.
"For in truth, there is no such thing as cheap food. If chickens ever sell in the supermarket for 75 cents a pound as they often do, or cans of fruit are offered at three for the price of two, then we can be sure that some person or society or animal or landscape, somewhere along the supply chain, is being screwed. Some farmer is working for less than the cost or production; his workers are paid slave-wages; the animals are packed in cages, with the lights dimmed, and a body-full of growth promoters; some hillside is being eroded, some forest felled, some river polluted--and all the creatures who used to live in those hills and forests and rivers, and all the people who enjoyed them and made their living from them, are being swept aside...Food is cheap only because, for various reasons, the true costs are not taken into account."
"In short, the task before us is not to confront big governments and the corporates, for that is merely exhausting. We need instead to create viable and clearly superior alternatives, and allow the status quo to wither on the vine."
"For in truth, there is no such thing as cheap food. If chickens ever sell in the supermarket for 75 cents a pound as they often do, or cans of fruit are offered at three for the price of two, then we can be sure that some person or society or animal or landscape, somewhere along the supply chain, is being screwed. Some farmer is working for less than the cost or production; his workers are paid slave-wages; the animals are packed in cages, with the lights dimmed, and a body-full of growth promoters; some hillside is being eroded, some forest felled, some river polluted--and all the creatures who used to live in those hills and forests and rivers, and all the people who enjoyed them and made their living from them, are being swept aside...Food is cheap only because, for various reasons, the true costs are not taken into account."
"In short, the task before us is not to confront big governments and the corporates, for that is merely exhausting. We need instead to create viable and clearly superior alternatives, and allow the status quo to wither on the vine."
December 17, 2007
Feeding People is Easy is essentially a manifesto for change in the way that the western world, therefore the rest of the world, produces and consumes the products of contemporary agriculture. Tudge knows his stuff. While his more thorough works, like 'So Shall We Reap (How everyone who is liable to be born in the next ten thousand years could eat very well indeed; and why, in practice, our immediate descendants are likely to be in serious trouble)' and other articles go into the technicalities, this pocket sized polemic is packed with facts, figures and the belief that we can do better than the mess that we're in.
February 17, 2018
Although I disagree with Tudge about what exactly we should eat (and therefore the particulars of the solution) he brilliantly breaks down the problem of prioritising profit over both health and sustainability and offers an interesting take on possible solutions.
"As I keep saying (but it can hardly be said too often): it isn't capitalism /per se/ that is killing us off. It is the modern, hyper-extended, simplified and brutalized version of it" p150
Tudge envisions a world where food and food production are central in our cultures and self-reliance is practiced on as local a level as possible such that we trade of excesses for things we can't get locally rather than relying on trade for staples (swallowing up absurd amounts of fossil fuels for products we can grow/raise just as well at home). To achieve this would require worldwide change on the part of both consumers and producers - we can't rely on government or policy change and we certainly can't count on the corporations moving in this direction. It must start with education and action: consumers valuing the quality of their food and understanding that the true costs aren't always reflected in the price, then seeking producers who meet their expectations and supporting their endeavours.
"As I keep saying (but it can hardly be said too often): it isn't capitalism /per se/ that is killing us off. It is the modern, hyper-extended, simplified and brutalized version of it" p150
Tudge envisions a world where food and food production are central in our cultures and self-reliance is practiced on as local a level as possible such that we trade of excesses for things we can't get locally rather than relying on trade for staples (swallowing up absurd amounts of fossil fuels for products we can grow/raise just as well at home). To achieve this would require worldwide change on the part of both consumers and producers - we can't rely on government or policy change and we certainly can't count on the corporations moving in this direction. It must start with education and action: consumers valuing the quality of their food and understanding that the true costs aren't always reflected in the price, then seeking producers who meet their expectations and supporting their endeavours.
July 20, 2011
Colin Tudge, a British scientist, lays out a plan for 'fixing' our current food economy. He explores the question "WHY? Why are we failing so miserably at feeding ourselves properly?" In a world of extremes, where millions of children go blind from, and die of, starvation--and millions more children are obese and developing diseases related to that obesity--how do we go about fixing the problems we face? Not only that, how do we develop an agricultural system that will sustain our species not only for our children, but indefinitely?
He puts to paper some key ideas that make absolute sense. He emphasizes more than once that 'taking on' the power structure simply won't work. A couple of chapters are devoted to the history of the corporation and why our global economy currently runs on the wheels of governments and corporations whose prime goal is to keep the cash flowing. Reform simply will not work, he claims, when there is so much to change and when the 'powers-that-be' perceive there is too much to lose. Flabbergasted by the apparent lack of concern for our obviously faulty agricultural system, and realizing that many of the world's injustices are tied to this failing system, he says that if we can get agriculture right, everything else will start to fall into place.
He eschews the idea of a revolution on the principle that the outcome can be totally unpredictable. Instead of reform or revolution, he describes a renaissance. In this renaissance of "Enlightened Agriculture", many groups with like minded ideas of preserving the planet, avoiding cruelty to humans and animals, and creating a sustainable life for everyone on the planet will come together and just start LIVING that life. They will be part of a "Worldwide Food Club" of growers, bakers, cooks, craftspeople, and consumers, all who 'give a damn' about quality food and life. If enough people catch on and opt out of mass merchandising and junk food, the status quo may be forced to adjust accordingly.
Tudge spends some time describing what constitutes nutrition for human beings, and how we have plenty of farmland to keep everyone in the world fed according to those basic nutritional tenets. He goes further than just making sure we are 'efficiently' and 'adequately' fed. He admits that for humans, nutrition is about much more than just being sustained--we love our food, we care about variety and texture and taste. He claims that part of the beauty of his plan is that we can get back to traditional cooking, and real food, and that we will never feel deprived. Everyone needs to know how to cook, at least in the most basic ways. Every country needs to get back to having a food culture that revolves around what can be grown, what is in season. Self-reliance is the most important thing for each country of the world if we are to fix our food problems(not necessarily self-sufficience, because some trading, within the guidelines of common sense, will go a long way to enhance life).
He discusses the current organic movement and says that many of its practices can be a model for how we need to farm. However, the monocultures that exist today, even in organic farming, need to be replaced with many mini-farms, similar to the family farms thatexisted in our past; farms run by good farmers and that produce a huge variety of foods and a small amount of livestock. He welcomes technology to the extent that it enhances agriculture without overtaking it or without harming the environment.
Tudge imagines an agrarian economy, where 20 to 50 percent of the population are farmers. These farmers will help ensure that our food supply is stable, and the rest of the population will have various livelihoods much like they already do, while supporting the farms. Just this 'simple' idea, to me, brings up a host of challenges and problems, for it would force a lot of our current economy to restructure. Tudge admits this is true and discusses some of those challenges. He suggests the idea of The College for Enlightened Agriculture, filled with sociologists, scientists, moral philosophers, and yes, politicians, who will work through the issues and find ways to make sure we don't make the same mistakes in the future. He claims that his ideas follow capitalism in its purest form, and he believes that capitalism could have worked beautifully if corporations had been kept in check, but I admit I was a little unclear on how everything could fit together when so much of the world still firmly believes in the 'bottom line' and making as much cash as possible. His vision is somewhat utopian in that he believes so many people will appreciate getting by comfortably without needing to get filthy rich. I personally feel this way--I've never been driven by greed or money--but I am skeptical when I'm surrounded by so many who are. Still, the idea that a new agrarian society could work, and that we could just ease right into it with enough people wanting that change, is extremely appealing.
It sounds like a revolutionary new world order to me, but Tudge seems certain that it's attainable with few 'growing pains'. In fact, he says that not only is this new approach to agriculture possible, it's absolutely necessary, or we are all dead. Most people today are becoming very aware that the way we currently approach agriculture is completely unsustainable. He welcomes technology to the extent that it enhances agriculture without overtaking it or without harming the environment.
What things can each person do right now? Find those farmer's markets and support them. Learn the lost art of cooking. Treat food like it's important. Start learning about groups that, in Tudge's words "give a damn", like those who support fair trade, organic farming, non-cruelty to livestock. Live life happily and as an example, and spread the word that we don't have to continue eating junk and perpetuating a world of injustice. If enough people make their own changes, and start networking together, we can make the necessary changes without an uproarious revolution. Possible? Maybe. Reading books like this one is a start.
He puts to paper some key ideas that make absolute sense. He emphasizes more than once that 'taking on' the power structure simply won't work. A couple of chapters are devoted to the history of the corporation and why our global economy currently runs on the wheels of governments and corporations whose prime goal is to keep the cash flowing. Reform simply will not work, he claims, when there is so much to change and when the 'powers-that-be' perceive there is too much to lose. Flabbergasted by the apparent lack of concern for our obviously faulty agricultural system, and realizing that many of the world's injustices are tied to this failing system, he says that if we can get agriculture right, everything else will start to fall into place.
He eschews the idea of a revolution on the principle that the outcome can be totally unpredictable. Instead of reform or revolution, he describes a renaissance. In this renaissance of "Enlightened Agriculture", many groups with like minded ideas of preserving the planet, avoiding cruelty to humans and animals, and creating a sustainable life for everyone on the planet will come together and just start LIVING that life. They will be part of a "Worldwide Food Club" of growers, bakers, cooks, craftspeople, and consumers, all who 'give a damn' about quality food and life. If enough people catch on and opt out of mass merchandising and junk food, the status quo may be forced to adjust accordingly.
Tudge spends some time describing what constitutes nutrition for human beings, and how we have plenty of farmland to keep everyone in the world fed according to those basic nutritional tenets. He goes further than just making sure we are 'efficiently' and 'adequately' fed. He admits that for humans, nutrition is about much more than just being sustained--we love our food, we care about variety and texture and taste. He claims that part of the beauty of his plan is that we can get back to traditional cooking, and real food, and that we will never feel deprived. Everyone needs to know how to cook, at least in the most basic ways. Every country needs to get back to having a food culture that revolves around what can be grown, what is in season. Self-reliance is the most important thing for each country of the world if we are to fix our food problems(not necessarily self-sufficience, because some trading, within the guidelines of common sense, will go a long way to enhance life).
He discusses the current organic movement and says that many of its practices can be a model for how we need to farm. However, the monocultures that exist today, even in organic farming, need to be replaced with many mini-farms, similar to the family farms thatexisted in our past; farms run by good farmers and that produce a huge variety of foods and a small amount of livestock. He welcomes technology to the extent that it enhances agriculture without overtaking it or without harming the environment.
Tudge imagines an agrarian economy, where 20 to 50 percent of the population are farmers. These farmers will help ensure that our food supply is stable, and the rest of the population will have various livelihoods much like they already do, while supporting the farms. Just this 'simple' idea, to me, brings up a host of challenges and problems, for it would force a lot of our current economy to restructure. Tudge admits this is true and discusses some of those challenges. He suggests the idea of The College for Enlightened Agriculture, filled with sociologists, scientists, moral philosophers, and yes, politicians, who will work through the issues and find ways to make sure we don't make the same mistakes in the future. He claims that his ideas follow capitalism in its purest form, and he believes that capitalism could have worked beautifully if corporations had been kept in check, but I admit I was a little unclear on how everything could fit together when so much of the world still firmly believes in the 'bottom line' and making as much cash as possible. His vision is somewhat utopian in that he believes so many people will appreciate getting by comfortably without needing to get filthy rich. I personally feel this way--I've never been driven by greed or money--but I am skeptical when I'm surrounded by so many who are. Still, the idea that a new agrarian society could work, and that we could just ease right into it with enough people wanting that change, is extremely appealing.
It sounds like a revolutionary new world order to me, but Tudge seems certain that it's attainable with few 'growing pains'. In fact, he says that not only is this new approach to agriculture possible, it's absolutely necessary, or we are all dead. Most people today are becoming very aware that the way we currently approach agriculture is completely unsustainable. He welcomes technology to the extent that it enhances agriculture without overtaking it or without harming the environment.
What things can each person do right now? Find those farmer's markets and support them. Learn the lost art of cooking. Treat food like it's important. Start learning about groups that, in Tudge's words "give a damn", like those who support fair trade, organic farming, non-cruelty to livestock. Live life happily and as an example, and spread the word that we don't have to continue eating junk and perpetuating a world of injustice. If enough people make their own changes, and start networking together, we can make the necessary changes without an uproarious revolution. Possible? Maybe. Reading books like this one is a start.
August 10, 2010
I was attracted by this book's title. Shouldn't it be easy? Apparently, it's not. Many of the issues Tudge brought up would not be new to the seasoned food/ag reader, but I liked some of his points and his call to action at the end. He is one of the folks who would like to see more synthesis in activism relating to food, craft and economy. However, his Global Food Club does not actually exist yet.
April 10, 2009
Excellent book, a manifesto to save food production from the monoliths. Tudge calls us to action and if you care about your food and/or social justice then you'll read this and act.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews