How do we feed the world without devouring the planet? George Monbiot ponders this challenge in his book Regenesis, the latest pick of Our Planet Our Future’s Environment Book Club.
This session got off to a lively start as our readers – including two new attendees – shared mixed feelings about the book’s opening. While some appreciated Monbiot’s engaging storytelling and found his insights on soil fascinating, others found the level of detail overwhelming. But we agreed it was worth wading through the initial dirt and sticking with it. In this book, Monbiot investigates how soil health underpins farming, and its pivotal role in feeding the world, sustainably.
Richly illustrated with case studies of unorthodox farms, the book challenged many firmly held beliefs. In particular, organic farming came under fire for its low yields. It may satisfy the middle classes with money to burn, but it won’t feed the world on an industrial scale.
The book also revealed the many shocking loopholes that make organic food less pesticide-free than we assume. Similarly, locally reared meat cannot be considered sustainable. Cattle need vast tracts of land to graze and grow their feed, which is usually flown from halfway around the world.
This sparked a discussion on the emotional and cultural connections we have with food, and how this affects society’s openness to moving towards alternative protein sources.
So what will the future of food look like? We all agreed it was refreshing that Monbiot did not set any one solution out as the holy grail – the future will likely consist of a medley of experimental farming models. These could include regenerative no-till techniques, intercropping, and resurrecting heritage crops that thrive without pesticides. We got excited about Solein, a new fermentation-derived protein (tastier than it sounds, we’re told!). Light on land and running on solar panels, this could be a game-changing solution that feeds those in the Global South and North, democratising food supply.
The chat turned more political as we discussed the role subsidies play, with farmers’ priorities being dictated by government policy. Could this be part of the solution, we wondered, if policy could encourage farmers to embrace a mosaic of low-impact, high-yield farming techniques?
So can we be optimistic about the future of food? It’s complicated. There are solutions out there – we just need to get the world’s leaders to listen and take action.
Find out more about Regenesis and George Monbiot here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/317018/regenesis-by-monbiot-george/9780141992990
Our next event
Want to broaden your knowledge of sustainability challenges and solutions while meeting like-minded readers?
On the 19th of September, we’ll discuss Kate Raworth’s eagerly anticipated Doughnut Economics at the Cross Keys pub in Harpenden. Book your free spot here.
The book is available on audible, kindle and borrow box, and Hertfordshire libraries also have several hard copies.
About Our Planet Our Future’s Environment Book ClubOur Planet Our Future, our landmark series of talks and events, launched an Environment Book Club in 2023, meeting in Harpenden to discuss sustainability-related reads.