You might also like Matt Ridley’s The Rational Optimist (2009). I read that first and was struck by his many insights into how human society has prospered by collaboration and exchange. Reading Sapiens after that book gave me the feeling of reading a somewhat watered-down and much more pessimistic take on the same millenia-long story.
On the topic of wheat for eaxmple Ridley, who is originally a biologist, tells it as how humans created wheat for our own benefit - modern wheat simply does not exist as a wild plant. (Have you ever seen a wheat weed?)
I just read that story based on your recommendation - thank you! I might be just a tiny bit better as a person now than I was before reading it.
For fellow fans of le Guin, Sturgeon and Smith looking for more authors, I would recommend Lois McMaster Bujold. Space opera adventures on the surface, but with subtle depths and insights into human nature.
Or for something more recent, Ada Palmer’s Terra Ignota series; we have solved world hunger, achieved gender equality and invented flying cars, but what are the implications for world politics and human interactions?
I’ve thought about that as well. The only addition I can think of to your short list is Ada Palmer, I highly recommend her Terra Ignota series for social commentary and some refreshing optimism - and flying cars.