Will We Go Hungry? New book explores food security

The book authored by Jaideep Prabhu, Professor of Marketing and Vice-Dean for Faculty at Cambridge Judge, and Sanjoy Sanyal, Visiting Fellow at the Business School and founder of climate finance firm Regain Paradise, strikes a pragmatic rather than alarmist tone in presenting the pros and cons of possible solutions to avoid a future shortage of key foodstuffs. “Are there genuine reasons to be concerned or are we overthinking all this?” the authors ask in the book’s opening pages. “What can we learn from history that can help us today?” Best of times, worst of times: the food security debate The book begins with the famous opening line from the Charles Dickens 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities – “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” – reflecting an uncertain current period swaying between hope and despair when it comes to food security. “Today there is abiding faith in the current system and the belief that climate change worries are overblown,” the book says. “But there is also the impassioned conviction that food systems must be completely transformed because our consumption is destroying the planet.” Jaideep explains some reasons for ‘best of times’ optimism: “Food production has increased despite more pronounced impact from climate change, hunger has been reduced around the world and technological advances including increased irrigation have helped meet the challenges of climate change.” Sanjoy adds reasons for pessimism: “The ‘worst of times’ scenario includes the fact that climate change will lower yields especially in poorer countries, economic activities are leading to biodiversity loss and making food production risky, and efforts to lower emissions could hinder food production.” Food production has increased despite more pronounced impact from climate change, hunger has been reduced around the world and technological advances including increased irrigation have helped meet the challenges of climate change. 4 questions shaping the future of food production The authors, who drew some of their insight from guests interviewed on their New Ventures podcast, invite readers to explore together these key questions: - what should we expect regarding food production: a steady decline, a precipitous drop or increased oscillations? - what type of solutions can reduce emissions while increasing production and reversing biodiversity loss? - what is required to implement solutions given the inevitable constraints of time and money, and the strengths of the current system? - how do we navigate this crisis with the core of our humanity intact? How low-cost innovation and AI are improving food production Rather than offering sweeping but simplistic solutions to all these questions, the book is divided into 2 parts that take a sober but practical view to finding solutions: Part I describes low-cost, frugal solutions that can be immediately deployed to meet specific threats facing common food items such as grains, vegetables, fish and meat. Cambodia has been able to increase rice production while weathering droughts and floods by identifying higher-yielding rice-growing areas and investing in irrigation, seed processing infrastructure and paddy drying and storage. In Nigeria, where protein consumption is low, small farmers are rearing chicken with the help of a non-profit. In the UK, organisations are helping to diversify supply options by reviving forgotten indigenous varieties of fruit. Part II steps back to examine systemic solutions such as avoiding food waste, regenerative farming and new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) that solves multiple problems simultaneously. New products, such as gene-edited crops and lab-grown meat, can ensure production in climate-friendly ways. Digital and AI solutions can reduce costs for farmers. However, it takes time for new products and technologies to make their way into the market. In the meantime, across the world, organisations are reducing food wastage, optimising the use of chemicals and planting trees to prevent land erosion. However, trees that can work in one part of the world may not work in another, while organic fertilisers that work in dry conditions can backfire in wet conditions. Support for these local organisations would not cost the earth and is essential to protect humanity. Panic leads to the knee-jerk reaction of demanding sweeping changes, and techno-optimism leads to a blind faith in uncertain technologies. Both need to be eschewed in favour of organisations working in the food industry carefully assessing risks and jointly testing solutions. Lessons from Live Aid: choosing a path to food security The book closes with a look back to 13 July 1985, when stars including Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney came together to stage the legendary Live Aid concerts at Wembley Stadium in London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia to raise money to fight severe famine in Ethiopia. The US concert ended with the song We Are the World, written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, which says: “There’s a choice we’re making We’re saving our own lives It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me.” “Dear readers,” say the authors of Will We Go Hungry? “As we face this climate crisis, at the heart of which is also a crisis of food, we know that we can come together once again to make a change. Indeed, as those artists sang on that July day so long ago: we are the world, and together we’ll make a better day, we just need to choose to do so.” Featured research Sanyal, S. and Prabhu, J. (2026) Will we go hungry? Practical ways to ensure global food security. Cambridge University Press (DOI: 10.1017/9781009762380) (hardback available from Amazon and other bookstores)