What happens on this planet over the next four decades has the potential to fundamentally alter life as we know it. By 2050, the world's population is expected to reach 9 billion people—that's 9 billion hungry humans—while climate change increasingly interferes with the way we produce our food. At the same time, few of us know where that food comes from, let alone how to grow it, and we are at the mercy of multinationals that control the food chain and have little insight into the damage their methods are inflicting on the planet. This puts our future at risk.

But if food is the problem, it is also the solution. In Consumed, award-winning writer Sarah Elton visits fields and farms on three continents to tell us about the people who are working against time to create a new and hopeful future. From the mountains of southern France to the highlands of China, from the crowded streets of Aurangabad, India, to the banks of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, we meet people from all walks of life who are creating alternatives to the industrial food we have grown accustomed to piling into our shopping carts. These fascinating stories bring us hope and help us believe in a future where we can all sit at the table.