Food is our most vital shared commodity, inextricably woven into the social and spatial structures of our lives. The way we produce, trade, consume and waste food influences everything from our bodies, habits, politics and economies to our cities, landscapes and climate. We live in a world shaped by food – a place I call ‘sitopia’ (from the Greek sitos, food + topos, place). But by failing to value food, we have created a way of life that threatens us and our planet. Climate change, deforestation, soil erosion, water depletion, pollution, mass extinction, diet-related disease and the current pandemic are just some of the side-effects of the way we eat. Yet, by restoring food’s true value and harnessing its power to shape our lives, we can not only reverse these ills, but learn how to flourish on our crowded, overheating planet.

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