Table of Contents

Preface xi

1 Food: The Weak Link 3

2 The Ecology of Population Growth 15

3 Moving Up the Food Chain 24

4 Food or Fuel? 36

5 Eroding Soils Darkening Our Future 45

6 Peak Water and Food Scarcity 57

7 Grain Yields Starting to Plateau 72

8 Rising Temperatures, Rising Food Prices 83

9 China and the Soybean Challenge 93

10 The Global Land Rush 101

11 Can We Prevent a Food Breakdown? 114

Index 125

Acknowledgements 137

About the Author 143

Permission for reprinting or excerpting portions of the manuscript can be obtained from Reah Janise Kauffman at Earth Policy Institute. For full citations, data, and additional information on the topics discussed in this book, see earth-policy.org.