George Steinmetz | Feed the Planet: A Photographic Journey to the World’s Food

Do you know where your food comes from? To find out, acclaimed photographer George Steinmetz spent a decade documenting food production in more than 36 countries on 6 continents, 24 US states, and 5 oceans. In his new book, Feed the Planet, filled with never-before seen aerial images, Steinmetz documents the awesome global effort that puts food on our tables and transforms the surface of the Earth, capturing the massive scale of 21st-century agriculture that has sculpted 40 percent of the Earth’s surface. The New York Times Book Review described his stunning photographs as “revelatory, sometimes unsettling and surprisingly beautiful."

Feed the Planet brings the impact of visual images, accompanied by clear explanations and accurate information, to one of humanity’s deepest needs, greatest pleasures, and most pressing challenges: Bringing nutritious and sustainably produced food to the Earth's growing population, in the face of destabilizing climate change. It’s the rare book that reveals how the world works, laying the groundwork for thinking about how our personal choices shape the future well-being of everyone.
 

The cumulative effect of our individual food decisions has significant environmental impact. We all vote with a fork three times a day, and we need more information and transparency to do that wisely.
—George Steinmetz

Steinmetz is a pioneer of aerial photography. Before the advent of drones, he'd soar in low-flying paragliders (sometimes crashing) — which he compared to "flying lawn chairs."  He switched to drones in 2015 and is now bringing us a drone's eye view of the world’s "foodscapes."

Planet Earth Arts is bringing George Steinmetz to Stanford as a Guest Artist. Steinmetz graduated from Stanford with a degree in Geophysics. He began his career in photography after hitchhiking through Africa for 28 months. In 2023, he received the Stanford Doerr School for Sustainability "Distinguished Alumnus Award."

George Steinmetz will share photographs from his new book and highlights of his decade-long journey following food. We will be both astounded and shocked by the real facts about the food we are blessed to eat and how it gets to our table. We must also not forget that 800 million people go hungry every day and around 2.3 billion experience moderate to severe food insecurity. Chris Field, Director of the Woods Institute, will join Steinmetz for a conversation, and the evening will conclude with a book signing. 

This event is co-sponsored by the Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford Humanities Center, Haas Center for Public Service, Department of Art and Art History, Department of Communication, Continuing Studies, Center for Innovation in Global Health, Earth Systems Program, and Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment in collaboration with Planet Earth Arts/National Center for New Plays at Stanford.

For more information about George Steinmetz and his books, please visit here.

Registration is required. Register here.