The Romans, the Mayans, the Mesopotamians and many other ancient civilizations had one thing in common — their collapse and fall was ultimately related to a decline in their ability to feed themselves, says Evan Fraser, a professor of geography at the University of Guelph.

Fraser thinks that the growth of these empires shared a dependence on favourable climate and unsustainable farming practices, and when climate change and depleted soils reduced the amount of food available, it signalled the end of their dominance.

In his new book, Empires of Food: Feast, Famine, and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations, (co-authored with journalist Andrew Rimas), he describes how these empires rose and fell.

He spoke to CBC Radio's Quirks & Quarks about the uncomfortable parallels between ancient "Food Empires" and our modern global civilization.