Universal Food Security

This book provides an accessible guide to making healthy diets from sustainable food systems available to all. Glenn Denning bridges the divisive worlds of science, policy, and practice and shares personal perspectives and insights gained over four decades working in more than fifty countries.

Glenn Denning is professor of professional practice and founding director of the Master of Public Administration in Development Practice program at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He previously held senior management and research positions at the International Rice Research Institute, the World Agroforestry Centre, and the Earth Institute. Denning has advised governments and international organizations on agriculture, food security, and sustainable development.

Frannie Léautier, senior partner and CEO of SouthBridge Investments:
It is hard enough to ensure food security during normal times. It is even harder during major shocks to the food production ecosystem. Glenn Denning’s book provides invaluable tools for the ‘first principles analysis’ to support policy makers, scientists, investors, and business leaders, who have to act quickly during times of crisis. It couldn’t have come at a better time as the world grapples with the shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, war in Ukraine, and crushing inflation with high food and energy prices globally.

Prabhu Pingali, professor and founding director of the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition at Cornell University:
Glenn Denning brings together a lifetime of experience as a development practitioner and teacher to present an extremely compelling story of what has worked and what has not in meeting the challenge of global hunger. This book is a must-read for all future development practitioners and aspiring policy experts.

Jeffrey D. Sachs, University Professor at Columbia University and president of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network:
Universal Food Security is an extraordinary book by an extraordinary individual. Glenn Denning offers a comprehensive approach to one of the world’s greatest challenges: how to feed humanity, including the poor and vulnerable, while protecting the Earth’s environment. The book covers an enormous range of topics with remarkable clarity and wisdom, drawing upon Denning’s long career as a world-leading practitioner, scholar, teacher, and policy advisor of agricultural systems. This book will educate, inspire, and help to guide today’s and future leaders in the global effort to achieve a world without hunger.