Agri. production must be in proportion to population growth
The impression of the Malthusian prophecy coming true arises because we find so many hungry people in the world- 800 million at least, according to United Nations estimates. But, if these food production figures are true, then why is there hunger?
THERE HAS been spiralling rise in food grain prices accompanied with food shortages in almost all the developing countries. There are billions of hungry people all over the world. There are many thesis to explain and rationalise this haunting vision.
Robert Malthus propounded that population will grow till it outstrips food production and then famines, wars, and epidemics will intervene to restore the balance. Is the present or impending food crisis, the vindication of Malthus?
In 1950, the world’s population was about 2.5 billion, sometime in 1999, it crossed the six billion marks- a phenomenal increase of 3.5 billion in about half a century. It is estimated that the world’s population would reach somewhere between eight and 11 billion by 2050, depending upon what factors you take into account. It might be just over nine billion. That is another three billion added in 50 years. These figures appear to suggest that it may indeed be difficult to feed everybody in the future.
How exactly the food grain production has grown in the past 60 years? In 1950, world food grain production was 651 million tonnes. It increased by about three times to 1843 tonnes by 2001 and further to 2075 tonnes in 2007. Thus, between 1950 and 2007, the population increased by about 2.6 times but grain production jumped by 3.3 times.
The impression of the Malthusian prophecy coming true arises because we find so many hungry people in the world- 800 million at least, according to United Nations estimates. But, if these food production figures are true, then why is there hunger? The short answer is- because food is not available equally to all. But this is another tale.
Some other economists also argue that in the future, food production will not be able to sustain the burgeoning population. Surely, there is a limit to how much the earth can yield.
In the advanced countries of the West, much more and better resources have been available to the farmers, but in the developing countries like India, there is no reason why they too will not increase the yield tremendously. And this in turn will provide the much needed food for their population.
To achieve this would be to resolve the food crisis, as well as the epidemic poverty that grips most of the third world. But it requires a monumental shift from current path of development, and a reordering of priorities, both domestically and internationally. The ruling politicians have a pretty bad record on these matters. Perhaps, the current crisis will make people force them to change.
In 1950, the world’s population was about 2.5 billion, sometime in 1999, it crossed the six billion marks- a phenomenal increase of 3.5 billion in about half a century. It is estimated that the world’s population would reach somewhere between eight and 11 billion by 2050, depending upon what factors you take into account. It might be just over nine billion. That is another three billion added in 50 years. These figures appear to suggest that it may indeed be difficult to feed everybody in the future.
How exactly the food grain production has grown in the past 60 years? In 1950, world food grain production was 651 million tonnes. It increased by about three times to 1843 tonnes by 2001 and further to 2075 tonnes in 2007. Thus, between 1950 and 2007, the population increased by about 2.6 times but grain production jumped by 3.3 times.
The impression of the Malthusian prophecy coming true arises because we find so many hungry people in the world- 800 million at least, according to United Nations estimates. But, if these food production figures are true, then why is there hunger? The short answer is- because food is not available equally to all. But this is another tale.
Some other economists also argue that in the future, food production will not be able to sustain the burgeoning population. Surely, there is a limit to how much the earth can yield.
In the advanced countries of the West, much more and better resources have been available to the farmers, but in the developing countries like India, there is no reason why they too will not increase the yield tremendously. And this in turn will provide the much needed food for their population.
To achieve this would be to resolve the food crisis, as well as the epidemic poverty that grips most of the third world. But it requires a monumental shift from current path of development, and a reordering of priorities, both domestically and internationally. The ruling politicians have a pretty bad record on these matters. Perhaps, the current crisis will make people force them to change.
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